原文：

　　所有跟我们中国领导人会见的外宾，很少有不谈人权问题的，好像不谈中国的人权问题回去就不好交待。因此，这个问题在我向他们重复了这么多遍以后，今天实在不想再讲了。我只想讲一桩事情，就是美国国务卿奥尔布赖特最近访问中国时，我告诉她一句话。我说：“我参加争取和保障人权运动的历史比你早得多。”她说：“是吗？”表示她不同意我的意见。我就说：“不是吗?”我说：“我比你大10岁，当我冒着生命危险同国民党政权作斗争，参加争取中国的民主、自由、人权运动的时候，你还在上中学呢。”我说我们在人权的观点上很多是一致的，我在中学学习时就念了法国卢梭写的《社会契约论》、《爱弥尔》、《忏悔录》。人生而平等、天赋人权的观念我早就知道。我们接受了中国“五四”运动的影响，“五四”运动就是为民主、科学而斗争，所以后来我们在共产党领导下一直是进行着反对专制独载，反对反动政权侵犯人权的斗争，我们今天怎么可能反过来去压制人权？而且只有我们才知道在中国如何才能够实现保障人权。当然，我们在人权问题上并不是没有缺点，也不能没有缺点。因为中国几千年是封建社会，还有过半封建半殖民地的历史，中华人民共和国成立只有50年，50年怎么可能把所有问题都解决？但是我们愿意听取各方面的意见，特别是听取我国人民群众的意见。我们天天都在看人民来信，研究怎样满足他们的愿望，实现他们的要求。我们也愿意听取国际友人的意见，因此我们有很多对话的渠道。我们同美国、欧盟、澳大利亚都有人权方面的对话渠道。我们在人权方面的工作每天都有进步。刚刚闭幕的九届全国人大二次会议通过了宪法修正案，增加了依法治国、建设社会主义法治国家的内容。我们全国人大常委会在立法，我们国务院也在立法，国务院立的法叫行政法规。我们天天在努力健全我国的法制，保障中国人民的人权，我们会继续做下去。我们欢迎外国朋友批评我们的工作，但你不要太急了，我比你还急嘛！(摘自1999年3月16日《人民日报》)

　　所有：这两个字在此仅起强调作用，可不译，后面的主语是“很少”。

　　我们中国领导人：中国人说话喜欢从第一人称视点指称与自己有关的事物，如“我国”、“我校”，下面还有“我们全国人大常委会”和“我们国务院”。所有这些“我”或“我们”都不必译成英语的I, we, my或our，因为说英语的人在类似情况下倾向于避免使用第一人称视点。

　　注释部分：

　　……外宾，很少：Of the foreign guests..., few...或Few of the foreign guests...。不谈：这里的“谈”可以当‘提到’理解，译成fail to mention/bring up。

　　人权问题：the question/issue of human rights。

　　中国的人权问题：前面已经说了“人权问题”，英语忌重复，这里译成the issue即可。

　　回去就不好交待：意思是‘难以让国内的人信服访问是成功或必要的’find it difficult to convince people at home that their trip/visit was successful/a success。

　　这个……以后：“重复”可按‘回答’译：After answering/Having answered this question so many times。

　　不想：don't want to显得比较直，不如very reluctant to。

　　只想：同样，want太直，不如would like to。

　　讲一桩事情：mention/tell you one thing。

　　就是：这两个字多余，不用译。

　　最近访问中国时：During...recent visit to China也对，但把“美国国务卿奥尔布赖特”放在中间显得过长，不如译成At my meeting with...during her recent visit to China。

　　告诉她一句话：“一句话”多余，I said to her或I told her即可。

　　参加……的历史：“的历史”多余。

　　争取和保障人权运动：这里可按‘争取保护人权’理解，译成the movement for the protection of human rights；甚至单说the human rights movement也可以。

　　是吗？：Did you?或Really?

　　表示：indicating。

　　不同意我的意见：由于说话人并没有说“I don't think so"，因此这里“不同意”应该按‘不太同意’(did not quite agree with me)理解；“意见”不需译。

　　我就说："不是吗?"我说：……：两个“我说”译一个即可："Of course!" I said.原文用反问

　　表示强烈的肯定，因此译文可以译成肯定式。"Isn't that the case/so?"不恰当。

　　当……的时候：最好用过去进行时。

　　冒着生命危险：risk my life to...。

　　同……作斗争：即‘反对’(oppose)；fight against也对。

　　国民党政权：the Kuomintang regime。

　　上中学：were still in high/middle school即可，不必加studying。

　　中国的：不需译。

　　我们……一致的：our viewpoints on...were actually quite similar或actually we have quite a lot in common in our views on...。这里最好补出actually的意思。

　　念：就是‘读，看’(read)。

　　法国卢梭写的《社会契约论》：Rousseau's The Social Contract即可。也可译成The Social Contract... by Rousseau/the French philosopher Jean Rousseau。这里不能译成by Rousseau of France，那样隐含的意思是‘法国的[而不是另外一个国家的]卢梭’。

　　人生而平等：这里的“生”实际不是‘生下来’，而是‘被[造物主]造出来’all men/human beings are created equal。

　　天赋人权：这里可以与前一句共用一个主语，译成and are endowed with certain unalienable rights；或以“人权”作主语，译成human rights are endowed by heaven。

　　我早就知道：即‘对我来说不是新东西’is not something new to me或entered my mind a long time ago。

　　接受：这里的意思是表示被动的‘受’，不能译成receive或accept。

　　中国"五四"运动：the May 4th Movement in China。

　　为民主、科学而斗争：即‘争取民主和科学的运动’(a movement for democracy and science)。

　　所以：这个“所以”翻译时应该移到“的斗争”之后、“我们今天”之前。

　　一直：这里的确切意思是‘一直到新中国成立’，可以解释为‘坚持不懈’(persistently)，不能译成现在完成进行时。

　　进行……的斗争：就是‘与……斗争’(fought against)。

　　专制独裁：这里实质就是“独裁”(dictatorship)，不必翻译“专制”(autocracy)。

　　反动政权侵犯人权：human rights violations/ abuses by the reactionary regime。这里不宜译成程度较轻的infringement。

　　反过来：即‘转过身’(turn around)。

　　而且：这里‘并且’的意思弱，意思更接近‘事实上’(in fact)。

　　实现保障：就是‘保护’(protect)，不能把“实现”直译成realize。

　　我们……缺点：中文可以重复“缺点”，英文最好不重复，译成We are/ China is not, and could not be, perfect。

　　在人权问题上：这里是说‘在人权方面’(with regard to/ in terms of human rights)。

　　中国……社会：China has a history of several thousand years of feudalism或China had been a feudal society for several thousand years.

　　有过……历史：这里可以理解为‘经历过半封建、半殖民统治’(experienced a semi-feudal and semi-colonial rule)。

　　……成立只有50年：It is only 50 years since the founding of...或...was founded only 50 years ago。

　　问题：the past problems。这里指‘历史遗留下来问题’，因此最好加上past。

　　各方面的意见：这里的“意见”显然是负面的，所以译成complaints or criticism from all sides。

　　我国人民群众：the ordinary Chinese people/the general public。

　　人民来信：刚才已经说了“人民群众”，这里可译成their letters或letters from them。其他情况下可以译成letters from the people，不能译成people's letters(人们的信)。

　　研究怎样：这里直译成study how不妥，不如译成do our best to。

　　实现……要求：这里的“实现”还是‘满足’的意思，不能译成realize。这里的“要求”是demands或needs，不是上级对下级的requirements。

　　国际友人：即“海外的朋友”(our friends abroad/overseas friends)，一般不说international friends。

　　意见：朋友的“意见”自然一般是‘忠告’和‘看法’(advice and comments)。

　　对话的渠道：channels for dialogue。

　　我们同……有对话渠道：这里实际意思是‘与……开展了对话’(have dialogue with...)。

　　美国……：这里是在举例，因此这句话前面可以加上for instance/example。

　　我们……进步：We are making progress every day in terms of human rights或Progress is being made every day in improving human rights.

　　刚刚闭幕的：The just concluded。

　　通过了宪法修正案：adopted/passed amendments to the Constitution。

　　增加……内容：即‘包括关于……的修正案’(including amendments concerning...)。

　　依法治国：即‘法制’(rule of law)。

　　建设社会主义法治国家：即‘建立社会主义法律制度’(building a socialist legal system)。

　　立法：doing legislative work。

　　国务院……法规：严格地说，国务院不是立法机构，不可以立法，说话人马上修正了自己的话。译文不能按原文字面意思译为The State Council is also doing legislative work，而要领会说话人的精神，将这两句话合在一起，译为The State Council is drawing up administrative rules and regulations.

　　健全我国的法制：improve/perfect the Chinese legal system。

　　我们欢迎……工作：Foreign friends are welcome to criticize us in our job.不能说We welcome foreign friends to criticize us...。

　　太急：over-anxious或impatient。这里用over-anxious好，因为接下来的“急”可以译成褒义的anxious，而impatient只有贬义。

　　译文：

　　Premier Zhu Rongji on Human Rights

　　Of the foreign guests the Chinese leaders meet with, very few fail to mention the question of human rights. It seems that if they didn't bring up the issue, they would find it difficult to convince people at home that their trip was a success. After answering this question so many times, I am really very reluctant to talk about it any more today. I would just like to mention one thing. At my meeting with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her recent visit to China, I said to her, "I took part in the movement for the protection of human rights much earlier than you did." "Did you?" she said, indicating that she did not quite agree with me. "Of course!" I said. "I'm ten years older than you are. When I was risking my life to oppose the Kuomintang regime and take part in the movement for democracy, freedom and human rights, you were still in middle school." I also said that our viewpoints on human rights were actually quite similar. I had read Rousseau' s The Social Contract, Emile, and Confessions while I was in middle school. So the concept that all men are created equal and that human rights are endowed by heaven is not something new to me. We were influenced by the May 4th Movement in China, which was a movement for democracy and science. Later, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, we fought persistently against dictatorship and against human rights violations by the reactionary regime. So how could we now turn around and suppress human rights? In fact, only we know how to best protect human rights in China.

　　Of course we are not, and could not be, perfect with regard to human rights, because China has a history of several thousand years of feudalism. China also experienced a semi-feudal and semi-colonial rule. It is only 50 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China. How could we possibly solve all the past problems within just 50 years? But we are willing to listen to complaints and criticism from all sides, especially from the ordinary Chinese people. We are reading letters from them every day and we are doing our best to satisfy their wishes and meet their needs. We are also willing to listen to the advice and comments of our friends abroad. Thus we have many channels for dialogue. For instance, we have dialogue with the United States, the European Union, Australia and so on. We are making progress every day in terms of human rights.The just concluded Second Plenary Session of the Ninth National People's Congress adopted amendments to the Constitution, including amendments concerning rule of law and building a socialist legal system. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is doing legislative work every day. The State Council is drawing up administrative rules and regulations every day. So we are striving to perfect the Chinese legal system and protect the human rights of the Chinese people every day. And we will continue to do so.

　　Foreign friends are welcome to criticize us in our job, but don't be over-anxious. I am actually more anxious than you are.

　　(Translated by David Moser and Guohua Chen with reference to the English version published in China Daily, March 16, 1999)