毛主席的翻译忆外交往事：主席和斯诺谈话用了这个英文单词…

作者：双语君

本文来源：中国日报双语新闻（Chinadaily_Mobile)

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50年前的今天，中美《上海公报》发表。作为中美第一个联合公报，《上海公报》开启了中美关系正常化的大门。

1972年2月，毛主席会见来访的美国总统尼克松 图源：新华社

在尼克松访华期间，她曾担任毛主席和周总理的翻译，亲历了“破冰之行”的种种不易。除此之外，她作为领导人的翻译，参与了中国对外交往中许多重要时刻，包括广为人知的“乒乓外交”，拥有丰富的外交一线经验；她还曾经担任中国日报的副总编辑，对于媒体在中美关系中的作用深有体会。

她就是富有传奇色彩的唐闻生女士。近日，中国日报“新时代斯诺工作室”推出特别节目：美籍记者聂子瑞（Erik Nilsson）对话中国侨联顾问、中国日报前副总编辑唐闻生。

China Daily reporter Erik Nilsson held a dialogue with Tang Wensheng, interpreter for Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai during Nixon’s visit and the previous visits of Henry Kissinger. Tang is adviser to All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and former deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily. 

唐闻生女士展示尼克松访华时她给毛主席和周总理当翻译的历史照片 摄影：中国日报 王壮飞

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当年的“破冰之行”有哪些鲜为人知的故事？唐闻生女士印象最深的是什么？在外交一线工作多年，她曾经历过哪些意想不到的瞬间？

What are some lesser-known stories from this groundbreaking trip? What are some of her most striking memories of the visits? What unexpected moments did she share?

秘密访华前一晚，基辛格失眠了

唐闻生女士在对话中回忆了当年基辛格秘密访华的故事。基辛格作为尼克松总统特使，于1971年7月9日至11日秘密前往北京，来商量尼克松访华一事。

Dr. Henry Kissinger, who was National Security Advisor, came secretly to Beijing from July 9 to 11 in 1971 as Nixon’s emissary to discuss the president’s visit.

1971年7月，周恩来总理会见秘密来华访问的美国总统国家安全事务助理基辛格 图源：新华社 

当时，基辛格在公开宣布的越南、泰国、印度和巴基斯坦四国之行的最后一站，假装胃疼并以此为由暂离公务。7月9日凌晨，当人们都认为他在“闭门休养”时，基辛格在伊斯兰堡的一个机场登上了飞往中国的飞机，悄悄来了中国。

虽然基辛格在中国只能停留48小时，但访问期间中美双方进行了多次会谈，非常坦率地阐述了各自对国际问题和双边问题的看法。

During that visit, the two sides had many talks. Kissinger only had 48 hours. He had feigned a stomachache in Pakistan, and secretly come to China for only two days.

唐闻生说：“后来我读到基辛格写的回忆录《白宫岁月》，里面有一部分很有趣。他提到，在他任职期间，唯一一次失眠，是在离开巴基斯坦的前一天晚上。他们大概在凌晨3点左右离开，所以他没有太多时间睡觉，但他辗转反侧不能入寐。他说，他极力想象将会遇到什么情况，开始感到有些没把握了。要到一个从未去过的首都去执行如此重要的任务，而且又与国内完全切断了联系。”

“I read, very interestingly, later on in White House Years, which Kissinger wrote at his memoirs.

And he said the only time in office he had difficulty sleeping was the evening before he left Pakistan. They left at about 3 o'clock in the morning, something like that. So he didn't have much time to sleep, but he had difficulty sleeping. He said he tried to image what laid ahead and he had a feeling of insecurity about so momentous a mission in an unknown capital, where he would be cut off from all communication.”

为更多地进行交流，毛主席学习英语

作为毛主席和周总理的翻译，唐闻生参加了与来访各国政要、知名人士的大量会见，见证了中国外交史上很多重要时刻。其中，让她出乎意料的事情之一，是毛主席在一次会见埃德加·斯诺时所展现出来的英语水平。

唐闻生说，毛主席不怎么讲英语，有时会用英语说“你好”和“请坐”，诸如此类。之前，他曾要求外交部的翻译人员给他提供一些中英文短句，或者中英文对照的单词。

1971年，毛主席会见埃德加·斯诺时，唐闻生担任翻译。她回忆起当时的场景说，他们结束谈话时，站了起来。毛主席把斯诺送到门口，但走到半途时，他们停下来又说了几句话。主席对斯诺说，无论发生什么变化，我们的关系都是这样的，然后他用了一个英语单词：standing。

But halfway between the seats and the door, they stopped and had a few more words. And the chairman said, no matter the changes, our relationship remains like this. And he said in English, “standing”.

唐闻生说：“我很吃惊，因为他的意思是双方的关系是持久的（standing），而他们也的确正站在那里。我不清楚他怎么知道standing这个词不仅意味着他们站在那里，同时还表示双方有持久关系这一层意思。这真的让我大吃一惊，我想这也表明他正在学习英语，以便与更多的人交谈。”

“I was rather taken aback because he meant they had a standing relationship, and they were indeed standing there. But I didn't know how he knew that the word ‘standing’ not only meant that they were standing there, but that there was a kind of relationship, standing relationship. That really took me aback. I thought that was also a sign he was learning English to converse with more people.”

“周总理，您对嬉皮士运动怎么看？”

“乒乓外交”是中美关系中的又一著名篇章。美国运动员来华时，唐闻生女士作为翻译也参与其中，其中一件令人出乎意料的小插曲令她记忆犹新。

"Ping-pong diplomacy” is another very famous chapter in the background of China-US relations, and Ms Tang engaged the US players when they came to China.

1971年，美国乒乓球代表团来华访问 图源：新华社

唐闻生女士说，在这样的会见中，通常是由代表团团长和总理进行对话。但是当时，美国乒乓代表团的一员、年轻的嬉皮士格伦·科恩突然站起来，问了总理一个问题：您对嬉皮士运动怎么看？

Generally, during such meetings, it was the head of the delegation that had a conversation with the premier, which was so at the beginning. But suddenly, a young hippie, Glen Cowen, who was a member of the American ping-pong delegation just stood up, and asked the Premier a question: What do you think of the hippie movement?

这对周总理和当时作为翻译的唐闻生都出乎意料。但周总理非常耐心地回答了这个问题。唐闻生说：“在我看来，他就像一位父亲或者祖父对年轻人语重心长地讲话。他不仅谈了对嬉皮士运动的看法，更讨论了年轻人如何成长。”

“But he answered very patiently. To my mind, he sounded like a father or grandfather talking to a young man about his thoughts on not exactly the hippie movement, but on how young people grow up.”

周总理说，当今世界青年对现状有些不满，想寻求真理。青年人思想波动会表现为各种形式，但各种表现形式不一定都是成熟的或固定的。按照人类发展来看，一个普遍真理最后总要被人们认识的，和自然界的规律一样。他说，我们赞成任何青年人都要有这种探求的要求，这是好事。要通过自己的实践，去认识什么是正确的事情，以及如何去做。

Premier Zhou said, “In today's world, many young people are not satisfied with the status quo, and they want to seek out the truth. The vicissitudes in thinking of young people will have many different manifestations, and not all of these manifestations, not all of the forms of them are mature or consolidated.”

“He said, when you look at it from the point of view of the development, of the progress, of the human race, you can see that a universal truth finally will be realized or will be understood by people, just as the laws of nature.”

And he said we agree that young people have the urge to seek out the truth and to adventure and make discoveries. That's a good thing, and they will have to through their own practice, achieve cognition of what is the right thing to do, or how it should be done.

而且，周总理语重心长地说：“但有一点，总要找到大多数人的共性，这就可以使人类的大多数得到发展，得到进步，得到幸福。”

“But there's one point that is you must find something in common with the majority of people, the majority of humanity can make progress, can develop itself, and can find happiness.”

唐闻生在中国日报的对话节目中说：“总理的回答很有哲理。后来我听说，科恩的母亲专门谢谢总理对她儿子讲这番话。最后，总理请美国客人回去后，把中国人民的问候转达给美国人民。这是这次访问最重要的亮点之一。”

“So it was very philosophical. And I heard later on that Cowen's mother, by some means, sent her appreciation to the premier for talking to her son in that way. And at the end, the premier asked his American guests to convey the greetings of the Chinese people to the American people when they got back. And so that I think is one of the most significant highlights of the visit.”

《上海公报》是中美关系史上的里程碑

唐闻生女士参加中国日报“新时代斯诺工作室”对话 摄影：中国日报 王壮飞

谈到50年前发表的《上海公报》，唐闻生女士说，《上海公报》是中美关系史上的里程碑，为两国关系多年来的发展奠定了基础；即使在半个世纪之后，它仍然不断地提醒着人们，中美关系的基础是什么，以及如何使看似不可能的事情变为可能。

The Shanghai Communique was a milestone in the history of China-US relations. And it set the groundwork for the development of relations over the years.

Even after half a century, it still stands out as a constant reminder of what the basic foundation of these relations is, and how it is possible to make the seemingly impossible become possible.

见证和亲历了中美关系几十年的变化，唐闻生在对话中经典总结：“历史会有起伏，但最终是向前发展。我们要做的就是为更好的未来而努力，因为这符合我们所有人的利益。”

“History will have its ups and downs. But eventually, it always goes forward. We just have to work for the better because that is in the interest of us all.”

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作者：陈柳兵

来源：中国日报双语新闻公众号

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