Chapter 88 Section 4 Compilation of Literature and Culture Series

I worked at the National Institute of Compilation and Translation for five years. At that time, I had a strong sense of mission, and of course there were many things to remember.There are editorial review committees for each subject in elementary school, middle school, and high school. At least 500 scholars and experts are hired, and the academic elites are rarely missed.There are many "voices and rages" in the finalization of each book.People often leave when the debate is unresolved, and the librarian chases them up the stairs to persuade them to return.There were a lot of disputes between the music department and the fine arts department over the selection of representative works. Professor Wang Deyi, the editor-in-chief of the history department, was modest and gentle, and the editorial board members spoke freely. The book did not cause political storms after it was published.Mr. Qian Mu recommended Professor Du Weiyun to edit the textbook "History of Chinese Culture" for high school, and it was successfully published by the National Institute of Compilation and Translation in 1973. During its use, there were not many criticisms.Although there were technical debates in the process of writing English textbooks in my field, it was the safest and smoothest. At that time, almost all the teachers who studied English teaching were at the Normal University.The middle school English textbook published in August 1973 was probably the first set of English textbooks written by China itself in history. Several young scholars with theoretical and practical experience discussed it repeatedly and carefully finalized it. have a real impact.At that time, Mr. Zhu Limin served as the chairman, and the editorial team included Li Chang, Chen Yongzhao, Fu Yiqin, and Huang Cansui; until more than 20 years later (1997), I served as the chairman, and hired Zhang Wuchang, Zhou Zhongtian, Shi Yuhui, Huang Cansui, etc. The editorial committee members are all the best English teachers in Normal University. Discussing with them is my happiest experience.

Another part of my job is to solicit and read all relevant important review submissions.At that time, the National Institute of Compilation and Translation was responsible for editing and reviewing elementary school, middle school, and high school textbooks and university series, and the academic books commissioned by the Translation and Translation Institute and books compiled by the library were also included in the review.Basically, "political correctness" and "professional correctness" are the principles.From this, I saw the review opinions that became authoritative scholars in various departments at that time and later, almost all of them were handwritten manuscripts.Before copiers were widely used, the only way to hand over highly controversial review opinions to the original author was to have the librarian copy them, so that the reviewer could be "protected" from disputes caused by peers recognizing the handwriting of the manuscript.It's ironic to imagine those "backward" to primitive paperwork these days.In reading the review comments, I have a deeper understanding of Taiwan's academic circles, and even the teachers of various schools.The debates in various fields, although quite harsh, are mostly serious and respectable.I still remember several factional censorship opinions from the Chinese Department, which made it difficult for us to deal with.I still remember some censorship articles that "know everything and say everything", which is touching.Professor Tang Tingchi from the English Department of Normal University, kept speaking in meetings. His review comments were often more than ten pages long and handwritten in extremely small characters. It seemed that he was full of energy when reading, but he really cared about the theory and application of linguistics. The advice in terms of criticism is quite pertinent, so although the attitude is grim.Sticking to one's own point of view is still a respectable scholarly style.The other is Professor Zhang Heng from the Chinese Department of National Taiwan University. He was originally a member of the editorial team of Chinese textbooks. He devoted himself to collecting possible materials and screening reading materials.However, it is a pity for me to write textbooks because I couldn't coordinate the opinions of the editorial committee and left angrily.

In addition to being responsible for textbooks in the Compilation Library, I also plan to compile classics in different fields at the same time.I clearly remember the first book "Dictionary of Western Philosophy" published for "University Books". Professor Xiang Tuijie came to this room with the compilation plan and some first drafts, and sat at this table.He explained that according to the German Chinese translation of W. BrUgger's "Philisopphisches WorterbUCh", excessive religious terms were deleted, and all revised articles were marked with "Hang English signature". In the 1990s, I knew at the time that such a book would be worthwhile for a national publisher, the National Institute for Compilation and translation, which belongs to the Ministry of Education. This important and huge reference book, published in 1976 It is still quite useful.

I personally invited to collect and update (updating "Economic Terms", increasing the 3,625 Chinese terms compiled and published by the National Translation and Translation Institute in 1941 to 4,156. In 1977 Published by Taipei Zhengzhong Bookstore in 2010, in response to the new era of more than 30 years of changes in the world economy. Scholars who have worked for nearly a year and participated in editing meetings almost every week include Shi Jiansheng, Yu Zongxian, Tian Changmo, Hou Jiaju, Chen Zhaonan, Professors of economics such as Chen Chaochen, Huayan, Yang Bili, etc., Mr. Shi Jiansheng served as the chairperson. Every time they meet, they carefully consider and finalize the draft, but they are always full of laughter. According to young scholars, it is a rare event in the field of economics. It is a precious achievement.

In terms of translating British and American masterpieces, I think the most valuable ones are Hou Jian's translation of "Plato's Utopia" (published by Lianjing in 1980), and the other is Zhang Pingnan's translation of Auerbach's "Imitation: Western Literature" The Presentation of Reality in China" (published by Cub Culture in 1980). Mr. Hou Jian is a person of my generation who was born in a foreign language department and has a deep foundation in both Chinese and English. He specializes in comparative criticism of Chinese and Western literature. "Plato's Utopia" is not only a philosophy and literary criticism, but also a literary creation, and it is the origin of Western analytical philosophy and epistemology.In the preface to the Chinese translation, Professor Gao Yougong praised Hou Jian's Chinese translation for its completeness and detailed annotations, "The writing is fluent and faithful, popular and elegant, and it is a major event in cultural history worthy of special mention." Professor Hou and I have worked together in National Taiwan University for many years.I often heard him speak in a strong Shandong accent at various gatherings, as Gao Xu said: "If you can rely on horses and words without adding points, the audience often has difficulties that cannot be fully understood... because of his quick thinking and knowledge. He is extraordinary, and his references are like a powerful and unconstrained style." Professor Hou worked hard all his life, and died before retiring, and he translated this book in his prime, and his life is worthwhile.

When Mr. Zhang Pingnan translated "Simulation", he went all out with a serious and prudent attitude.As shown in the subtitle of this book: "The Presentation of Reality in Western Literature", it is an extremely successful combination of linguistics, stylistics, intellectual history and sociology, fine knowledge, artistic style, historical imagination and contemporary consciousness. .After the German version was published in 1946, it has been used as a compulsory reading for literature courses in various language translations.There are as many as seven languages ​​used in the book application. The translator humbly asked for advice and was able to solve the problem. The publication of this book is of great significance.

In the social sciences, the biggest project is the compilation of the "Modernization Series".I invited Yang Guoshu, Wen Chongyi, and Li Yiyuan from Academia Sinica to preside over the compilation of the "Modernization Series", hoping to introduce the world's modernization theories to Taiwan.If we want to promote modernization, we must have a basic understanding of the meaning of "modernization". This is really a very difficult, very important, and huge task.This plan is so big that only the National Institute of Compilation and Translation could carry it out.

I have invited many relevant scholars to jointly draw up a book publishing plan. Unfortunately, there are not many books published, but I have always done some, including Including: "Contemporary Social Issues", "Open and Closed Psychology", "Modernization: Resistance and Change", "Lonely Pursuit: American Culture on the Brink of Fracture", "Towards Modernization".These five books are collectively called "Modernization Series", all edited by the National Institute of Compilation and Translation, and published successively within four years.This period of time is also my biggest connection with the cultural world outside of the literary world.

I remember that when "Contemporary Social Issues" and "Open and Closed Psychology" were about to be published, Mr. Yang Guoshu was specially invited to write the general preface. Mr. Yang wrote the 10,000-word preface in two weeks.The preface writes that "modernization" is a challenge to the old society in the past. Since the Opium War in the Qing Dynasty, China has been weakened to the Republic of China due to various reasons. Now that we are starting to modernize, we must use new ideas to overcome the reasons for our weakness .Make Taiwan's economy take off.Because curator Wang Tianmin has left, Xiong Xianju, who started out in printing business, was replaced by curator Xiong Xianju, who was also the original director of the textbook group.After reading it, the new curator said that Yang Guoshu had never been very loyal to the party and patriotic, and felt that this preface made the old Chinese society seem worthless.I said that now is no longer the era of anti-communism and anti-Russia.Curator Xiong said, "I don't want to debate national policy with you. I can't accept it. Let someone else write it." I said, "He wrote it for these two books, and I can't reject it." He said, "I can't accept it. Anyway, it can’t be printed.” He insisted very much.I know that the "Modernization Series" can no longer be done.

After looking through the published "Modernization Series", Mr. Yang's preface was indeed not adopted. The new curator objected because Yang Guoshu was a "liberal".I explained this matter to Yang Guoshu. An undecided plan is like a wind and a cloud. The incident of Yang Guoshu's preface is my last line of defense, and I don't want to back down.This is not a question of a preface, but a time when I make a decision to stay or stay for the sake of academic philosophy and dignity.If I don't leave now, when will I stay? I am determined to leave the National Institute of Compilation and Translation.

At that time, there was very little theoretical knowledge of social science in Taiwan, and the book list we drew up for the Cultural Series was very brilliant, which could help new ideas take root in a systematic way.But after the new curator took over, the cultural series has been unable to make a difference.The so-called "Three Days of Jingzhao" means that the meaning of new policies for newcomers in Chinese official circles is that there is no continuity, and no one cares about the future of taking root.After I resigned, all the book publishing plans I had established were swept away. After I left the translation office, the only specific concern I had was the complete Chinese translations of Mark Twain’s (Mark Twain, 1835-1910) novels, which I had high hopes for. Published by Liming Cultural Enterprise Company in 1978), translated by Xiao Lianren "Phantom Journey to the Ancient Country" (published by Liming Cultural Enterprise Company in 1978), translated by Ding Zhenwan "Years on the Mississippi River" (National Translation and Translation Institute in 1980 Published by Maochang Book Co., Ltd.), Lin Yaotui's translation of "Wandering in the Westland" published by the National Institute of Compilation and Translation in 2989).Both the translator and the reviser are the most reliable and accurate translators who were the first to go abroad to study American literature in Taiwan.Over the years, I have been promoting the complete Chinese translation of the works of representative Western writers, so that Chinese people can see the true appearance and depth of different cultures. Japan’s translation achievements in this regard are admirable.We see and hear Chinese works everywhere, and superficially quote Mark Twain's humor in our speech. Everyone in the United States is familiar with the humorist of the 19th century, but how many people know how much "humor" contains? With deep poignancy and criticism, it satirizes the emerging American culture to build self-confidence and its own style.Before I left, I repeatedly asked the unit responsible for the printing of the manuscripts in the library to hand over this set of books to the same publishing house, and not to sell them separately.However, like other books, after they are delivered, they are lost, unless someone has the right to track them, or they will fall into a dark corner of the library without seeing the light of day.For example, Lin Yaolu's meticulous Chinese translation of "The Wandering West" has never been released.They have become the "Mark Twain orphans" that I have regretted for many years and have never forgotten.