Translating and Interpreting Conflict - it's me

Translators and Interpreters During the Opium War between Britain and China (1839-1842)voyage was made at the behest of Charles Marjoribanks, President of theSelect Committee of the East Indian Company’s branch at Canton, whoinstructed Hugh Lindsay, whom he appointed leader of the venture:to ascertain how far the northern ports of this Empire may gradually beopened to British Commerce, which would be most eligible, and to whatextent the disposition of the Natives and local government would befavourable to it. (Marjoribanks 1833, quoted in Paquette 1987: 90)At the beginning of his journal Gutzlaff also mentioned that theexpedition was “to facilitate mercantile enterprise, and “to acquireinformation respecting those ports where commerce might be established”(Gutzlaff 1834: 153). However, the voyage was disapproved of in London bythe directors of the company, who castigated Marjoribanks for incurring afinancial loss of £5,647 (Waley 1958: 224). This was obviously not a militaryenterprise, but having said that, it must be admitted that the Lord Amherstwas armed, and that Gutzlaff’s journal did mention the inspection of somemilitary establishments (Gutzlaff 1834: 293-296).The third voyage, on board the Sylph, also resulted in Gutzlaff being paida substantial fee, as well as him subsequently receiving “large present[s]”,which ensured his loyalty to the Jardine and Matheson company after hebecame an official government interpreter (ibid. :93-96). Gutzlaff only wrotebriefly about the activities of the people on board during the voyage, which isunderstandable as the journey does appear to have been closely related toopium trafficking. He said that he was reluctant to undertake it, andembarked on the vessel “after much consultation with others, and a conflictin my own mind” (Gutzlaff 1834: 413), but given the circumstances it wouldhave been surprising if his journal had mentioned him doing anything otherthan distributing books and pamphlets.Gutzlaff was to make several more voyages along the Chinese coast, allof which involved opium trafficking, and was to interpret numerous illicitopium deals, and hence he is remembered “as the person in whom thecontradictions of humanitarianism and the opium traffic reached their mostastonishing embroilment” (Coates 1966: 150). But Gutzlaff was not spyingfor the British government. If he was a spy, then he was serving Jardine,Matheson and Company, not the British government, and if he was spying forthe Jardine Company, then he spied not on China but on the British. As onestudy says, Gutzlaff aided them “by keeping the Company informed of anyintelligence he gleaned from his various governmental activities” (Paquette1987: 98). He was not directly involved in the political developments of theSino-British relationship until his appointment as the official governmentinterpreter in 1835. Then later, during the Opium War, he made greatcontributions to the British government in his capacity as atranslator/interpreter.47