The Mandarin Committee, at the meeting in 1891, after organization, proceeded to divide up the books of the New Testament among themselves for work, and adopted a plan of procedure. Each man was first carefully to revise or translate his own portion; and then to send it around to the others, who were to go over it, and write their suggestions of emendations, each in a column parallel to the proposed text. Next, the original translator was to take these emendations, and with their help was to prepare a text in Mandarin for submission to the entire committee. Broadly speaking, this was the method pursued to the end, though with some modifications compelled or suggested by experience. It was hoped that comparatively rapid progress would be made; but in reality the committee did not come together again until September, 1898; and even then, only the Acts of the Apostles was ready for general revision. For this delay there were various causes, such as the death of Dr. Nevius and the resignation of others, and the absence of Dr. Mateer on furlough home; but the chief cause was that every member was burdened with so much other work that only a fraction of his time could be given to this duty. Dr. Mateer, for example, found himself loaded down with other literary and missionary labors. At the meeting held at Tengchow, in 1898, he was elected chairman of the committee. This was an honor, but it also carried with it peculiar duties which materially added to his burden. The committee could muster only five members for that sitting, but they proceeded with their work, and at the end of two months and a half they finished the book of Acts; and then they separated.
MANDARIN REVISION COMMITTEE AT WORK
| DR. S. LEWIS (American Methodist Episcopal) | DR. GOODRICH (Congregational) | DR. MATEER (Presbyterian) | M. BALLER (China Inland Mission) |
That meeting by actual experience brought out distinctly not only the difficulties of necessity arising from the translation of particular books of the Bible, and indeed of every verse; but also others of a more general character, some of which had previously been more or less clearly seen. Should the new version take as its basis one or more of the translations already in existence; or should it go back straight to the original Greek, and use the existing translations merely as helps? In any case, constant reference to the original was a necessity. For this, which of the published texts should be accepted as the standard? The meeting also disclosed a wide divergence of opinion as to the style of Mandarin that ought to be employed. On that subject in 1900, Dr. Mateer expressed himself fully and strongly, in an article published in the “Chinese Recorder.” He said:
The Mandarin Bible, in order to fulfill its purpose, should be such as can be readily understood by all when heard as read aloud by another. The fundamental distinction between Wen-li and Mandarin is that the former is addressed to the eye, the latter to the ear. In all Protestant churches the reading of the Scriptures has, from the first, constituted an important part of public worship. In order that this reading may serve the purpose intended, the Scripture must be so translated as to be intelligible to the common people. Only thus will they hear it, as they did its Author, “gladly.” It is not enough that those who know “characters” should be able to read it intelligently, but rather that those who do not know “characters,” and who in fact constitute by far the greater part of the Chinese people, should be able to understand it when it is read to them. Here then is the standard to be aimed at,—a version that represents the Chinese language as it is spoken, and addresses itself to the ear rather than to the eye.
He summarized the chief characteristics of the proper style thus: that words should be employed which the people who commonly use Mandarin can understand; that sentences should conform to the model of the spoken language; and, concerning both of these requisites, that such care should be taken as to brevity, the order of words and clauses, the connective particles, and the evident movement of thought as expressed, that the Chinese would recognize in it a people’s book; and yet one that is free from undignified colloquialisms and localisms. All this he held up as an ideal, not likely to be fully realized by any set of translators, but if distinctly aimed at, more sure to be nearly approached. Toward the close of the work on the Mandarin version still another question of a general nature arose. Throughout most of their labors the committee had before them the revised easy Wen-li translation, and for a part of the time they also had the revised classic Wen-li Bible. Ought the three revised Chinese versions to be harmonized, so as to eliminate all variations? That, of course, would be ideal. On this question the report of the Mandarin Committee, which was as to substance prepared by the chairman, took the negative. It said:
The differences are not great, and where they exist, the versions will serve Chinese students as a sort of commentary. There are a multitude of questions in Biblical interpretation which no translation can settle once for all. Moreover, ninety-nine out of a hundred of those who use the Mandarin will never look at any other translation. Two versions in perfect accord seem like a fine product, but it is difficult of realization. An attempt at reconciling the present versions would develop many difficulties. A Mandarin sentence especially is not easy to tamper with. The change of a single word would often dislocate a long sentence, and necessitate retranslation and adjustment to the context.
The Mandarin committee of translators continued their tentative revision of the New Testament until late in 1906, a period of fifteen years, counting from the date of their first meeting for organization and assignment of specific duties. They held eight different sessions, being almost one each year after they were ready with actual work; and none of the sessions were shorter than two and a half months, and one of them stretched out to six months. They assembled at Tengchow, near Peking, at Shanghai, and most frequently at Chefoo. In the final report is the record: “The chairman can say for himself that he has given the equivalent of about seven years all-day labor to this work. He was present at every meeting, and first and last missed but one day’s session.” Each of the meetings took on distinctive incidental associations. The third was held at Shanghai, and from December, 1900, ran over some months into 1901. At that time, on account of the Boxer uprising, missionaries were temporarily there as refugees from all the provinces directly concerned in the version. The sittings were in a small upper room in the Union Church, which came to be called “the Jerusalem Chamber,” and visitors were many. They saw two rows of men, one on each side of a long table, yellow faces being sandwiched alternately with white, as each translator had, as usual in this work, his Chinese assistant at his side. Often the discussions were carried on in Mandarin, so that these assistants might be able to understand and pass their opinion. Incidentally it may be noted that besides his work on the revision, Dr. Mateer often met with the refugee missionaries during this period and greatly gratified them by participating in the discussion of practical problems.
After the Mateers returned from their furlough, the sessions were all held at Chefoo, first in one of the rooms of the China Inland Mission Sanitarium, and later in a large upper room in the Missionary Home, overlooking the bay. Usually at the commencement of their meetings they sat together for three hours in the morning, and reserved the rest of the day for such private study as they wished to make; but as the time wore on they would increase the sittings to as many hours also in the afternoon, and crowd the private review into such odd moments as were left. To anyone, these protracted labors on such a work must have become exceedingly tedious and almost irksome; but to no one was it more so than to Dr. Mateer. He knew Mandarin almost as if it had been his native tongue; but the Mandarin which he knew had often to be modified and expressions adjusted, so that a Scripture written in it would suit other regions of China as well as those with which he was familiar. In writing his “Mandarin Lessons” and in preparing his educational books he had only to ascertain to the best of his ability how to express his ideas in Chinese, and that was the end of the search; but here he had to do his best, and then submit his product to the opinion of others, and often with the result of changes which did not commend themselves to his preference. Yet, on his return home from the sittings he would say: “I ought not to complain. I get my way oftener than any other man does. Only I cannot help thinking of the work I have laid aside unfinished in order to do this.” After each meeting the year’s work was printed, marked “Tentative Edition,” and with a slip inviting criticism was sent to the missionaries in north China and Manchuria. These criticisms were all to be canvassed before the edition could be printed that was to be presented to the Centenary Conference, to which they were to report.