China refused to allow the Soviet Union to borrow a million tons of grain
The difficult things under the world will be done easily; the great things under the world will be done in detail. In work and life, there will always be all kinds of difficult things, big things, enthusiasm, meticulous first. Diplomatically, sometimes the accuracy of the translation can have a direct impact on the quality of relations between the two countries.
In the early 1960s, when China was in a difficult situation, the Soviet Union wanted to lend a million tons of grain to China to solve its urgent needs, but China refused. It turned out that it was because of a mistake in translation that the two countries misunderstood.
1. The relationship is relaxed and the initiative is lent
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sino-Soviet relations have entered a honeymoon period, and after the war, the Soviet Union sent experts to help China carry out post-war construction.
By 1958, after the Soviet Union proposed to build a long-wave radio station for military use in China, which was rejected by China, Sino-Soviet relations slowly began to turn sour. After the Chinese army shelled Kinmen without informing the Soviet Union in advance, in June 1959, the Soviet Union stopped aiding China's nuclear program.
Friends of China and the Soviet Union met
Subsequently, the diplomatic friction between the two countries continued until July 16, 1960, when the Soviet Union recalled all Soviet experts working in China and unilaterally terminated the contract with China.
During this period, one of the most difficult periods after the founding of the People's Republic of China, suffered from successive natural disasters, rapid decline in domestic grain production, a sharp turn in the economic situation, and a shortage of materials. The Western capitalist countries abroad are still eyeing the tiger, and the Soviet Union has withdrawn its aid to China.
However, it did not take long for the Soviet side to turn around the stalemate between China and the Soviet Union, and the long-term Cold War with the United States made the Soviet Union urgently need a reliable ally, and China was the only choice in terms of geographical advantages, military capabilities, and former friendships.
As a result, the Soviet Union offered to replenish equipment for China's unbuilt projects and began to ship front-line industrial equipment back to China. At the same time, some economic, scientific, technological, and technological cooperation between the Soviet Union and China has also been partially restored.
In addition, the Soviet ambassador, Chervonenko, brought a letter from Khrushchev to the chairman. In the letter, the Soviet Union, which had always been high, offered to lend China one million tons of grain and half a million tons of sugar to help China tide over the crisis.
2. A word difference, polite refusal of kindness
After some deliberation, China agreed to help with half a million tons of sugar, but refused a million tons of grain.
The prime minister then met with Chervonenko and said that China still hoped to mobilize its own forces first, and at the same time intended to import grain in the international market by deferring payments. If there were difficulties in importing grain in the international market, soviet help would be considered.
A million tons of grain were rejected
In fact, the price of borrowing grain on the international market was not as cost-effective as directly accepting Soviet help. Since the Soviet Union was willing to put down the shelf and take the initiative to ease relations, why would China disagree?
The real reason behind this is that it was translated incorrectly.
It turns out that in Khrushchev's letter, there is a word "b", which here means borrowing. The translator translated the word directly into a loan according to his own understanding. The whole letter became the meaning of the Soviet Union's willingness to give China ten thousand tons of grain and half a million tons of sugar in the form of loans.
Considering the domestic economy at that time, the Chinese leadership felt that it would be difficult to repay the grain and sugar at that time, so it rejected the Soviet Union.
It was not until Zhou Huamin, vice minister of foreign trade, went to Moscow to discuss the specific matters of the loan sugar, that he found that things were not right. After returning home, he immediately informed his superiors of the matter. After the Prime Minister's secretary, Ma Lie, called and rechecked with the translation team, he found that the translation was indeed wrong.
Half a million tons of sucrose
This incident made the entire translation team members feel very guilty, but at this time, China had purchased grain in the international market, and the loss could not be repaired, and it was useless.
This big thing was a huge misunderstanding due to a mistake. After the purchase of grain, although it eased the temporary grain shortage, it also made China's economic burden heavier. The improvement in sino-Soviet relations has also not had the desired effect.
3. Translation is not easy and requires careful consideration
It can be seen that translation is a meticulous work, and the faith in Sindaya is the first, and then it is Daya. This requires translations to be based on accuracy. If the original text refers to the east and the translation refers to the west, so the opposite direction will increase the resistance to communication.
Translation error
So, how can we translate accurately and objectively?
First, we must ensure the principle of excellence. Many translators become tired in their day-to-day translation work, gradually neglecting to consider word by word, and when they encounter familiar words and phrases, they take it for granted that they will translate according to their own meaning.
In this way, the soul of the original text is lost. Second, as everyone knows, often these familiar words and phrases are the most prone to error. Stepping through thousands of rivers and mountains, but overturning the boat in the gutter, it is really not worth it.
In fact, the translation work is not simpler than the original. In the translation process, there must be serious momentum. No word can be ignored to consider, this is a huge project.
While it sometimes needs to be dealt with urgently, it must not be rushed. If the translator had thought a little bit about the meaning of "b" at that time, he might have been able to avoid this error.
In 1961 the translation of "b" was incorrect
Second, the translator should be aware. It is not harmful to its grand purpose, it can be omitted. It is based on a full understanding of each other's cultures and traditions. Be as close to the original text as possible during the translation process. Start with the tone, style, and measure, eat through the meaning of the original text, and then translate.
If the translator does not understand the other person's culture, or does not understand it halfway, even if it is translated as it is, it is likely to be ambiguous. Therefore, if the translation is not in place, there will be traps everywhere.
It was precisely this misunderstanding that appeared several times in the subsequent negotiations, resulting in no room for turning the back of Sino-Soviet relations.
In 1964, during the Sino-Soviet border negotiations, the Chinese side used the terms "cocooning itself" and "getting long and looking forward to Shu".
After hearing this, the Soviet side was furious, because of the translation error, the word "cocooning oneself" made the Soviet side think that the Chinese side called them bugs. Because of such inadequate translation, Sino-Soviet relations continued to deteriorate after this negotiation. The reason is that the translator does not understand Chinese culture, does not understand the deep meaning of these two idioms, and only translates them according to the literal meaning.
In the last century, China's grain was facing a dilemma
Third, on the basis of accuracy and understanding, the pursuit of higher translation requires transcending the original text. Do not stick to the original text, use chic and accurate language, and reproduce the meaning of the original text. This not only requires a high level of foreign languages, but also a superb literary literacy. This is why many Chinese literatures have excellent translations.
Mr. Yu Guangzhong translated "in me the tiger sniffs the rose" as "there is a tiger in the heart, sniffing the roses", which not only accurately translates the meaning of the original text, but also has Chinese literary achievements in it, which is amazing.
Xu Zhimo's translation of Florence as Emerald not only conforms to the Italian pronunciation, but also is more concise and charming. Let Chinese read it and yearn for it.
A similar example is the Japanese brand Shiseido, translated from the "I Ching" in the "Zhi Zai Kun Yuan, Wantian Sheng", reading to make the Chinese customer group more cordial, more advantageous in the Chinese market.
Sino-Soviet relations
Many of today's mechanical jobs can be replaced by machines, and AI technology is constantly evolving.
There are also many automatic translation software on the web. When using translation software, we often encounter such a situation, every word translated is recognized, but together, we can't understand what the whole text is saying.
This is because translation is a mental work, and machines can replace handwork, but they can never replace human thought.
It can be said that in the former Sino-Soviet relations, although it was the trend of the times, repeated translation errors have also caused more obstruction to the relations between the two countries. In translation work, it is impossible to avoid any mistakes completely, but we still try to narrow down the scope of errors to a smaller extent.
The Chinese language is vast and profound, and there are many literatures in Chinese history. We also need more good translations to bring more literary works out of China and let the world know. Translation is a bridge of communication between countries.