各位翻译界的同行，

我不是翻译理论家, 本来没有资格在这里发表意见。但承蒙论坛组委会, 特别是山西省翻译协会的盛情邀请，今天很高兴能来到中北大学，参加“2008年翻译理论研究高层论坛”，聆听翻译界的专家学者们探讨“中国传统译学的传承与创新”这一主题。在此，我谨代表中国翻译协会，对本次研讨会的召开表示热烈的祝贺，并向主办这次研讨会的中北大学人文社科学院、南京大学翻译研究所和上海外语教育出版社表示衷心的感谢！

中国历史上有文字记载的翻译实践活动距今大约已有三千年。在《周礼》和《礼记》两部古书中，记载了周朝官方翻译机构和翻译官员的专门职称，而我国历史上规模较大的翻译活动则始于东汉至唐宋的佛经翻译，被学者们称为中国翻译史上的第一次翻译高潮。从那时起，我国先后经历过数次翻译高潮，从中积累了丰富的中国翻译实践经验。

几千年来，祖祖辈辈的翻译实践者在中华传统文化的滋养和浸润中逐步积累并发展了我国的传统译学。早在佛经翻译时期，支谦、道安、玄奘等翻译家就分别提出了“因循本旨，不加文饰”、“五失本三不易”和 “五不翻”等翻译原则来指导翻译实践；严复从他的西学翻译实践中提炼出“信、达、雅”的翻译标准，曾为几代人奉为翻译界的《圣经》；近代还有钱钟书、傅雷的“神似”、“化境”说，都堪称中国传统译论之瑰宝。这些传统翻译理论和翻译思想扎根于中国传统哲学与文化，从翻译实践中提炼出来并用于指导具体的翻译实践，是中国当前的翻译研究不可或缺的组成部分。

前人的翻译理论产生于他们所从事的翻译实践，并成功地指导了当时的翻译活动。今天，中国与外界的信息交换迅速而频繁，翻译实践正在以空前的规模涉猎从未接触过的许多新领域。日益扩大的对外交流，呼唤着人数众多的高水平翻译工作者的涌现。他们的产生以及总体翻译水平的提升也有赖于中国翻译理论的创新与发展。由于中国语言和文化的特点，能够成功地指导今天中国翻译实践的理论必然深深地植根于中国传统文化的沃土之中，又必然要汲取他国翻译理论的精华，并在今天的时代背景下创新发展。因此，本次论坛探讨中国译学的传承与创新，就显得十分可贵。 

I was told by my classmate Zhang Junliang, who is a Vice-President of the Shanxi Translators Association, that at a symposium of translators, one should speak in more than one language and that all here today were fluent in both Chinese and English. Therefore in concluding I would like to stress the utmost importance of good translation and interpretation for China today. If we hope to be known and understood correctly by those in the world who do not speak or read Chinese, we have to be able to project ourselves in the language and the manner that they will understand. That is not only a science, but an art, and much more than a translation device can achieve. And the same goes for translating the other way round.

 I noticed that many of you come from esteemed institutions of higher education. I am sure that your students will benefit immensely from guidance by translation theories that steer them away from pitfalls and lead them directly to the right way of doing it. In a broader sense, such theories that stem from classic cases and are tailored to current reality will also do much to help the Chinese translators and interpreters of today communicate better with the world.

It is in anticipation of such a future that I sincerely wish this symposium success.