从“城管”被英译为 chengguan 看中国特有事物的外译

黄佶

　　“城管”是“城市管理行政执法局”和下属各级机构（如城市管理行政执法大队等）的简称。从字面意义看，“城管”不难翻译，其中涉及的概念不是中国独家拥有、外国闻所未闻的。Wiki 辞典把“城管”翻译为“City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau”。如果嫌罗嗦，可以用缩写，例如 CUALEB，在文章中使用时，只要在第一次出现时，后面标注上全称就可以了，非常方便。

　　但是，后来外国人发现，中国的“城管”不是外国人概念里的城市秩序和卫生管理者，而是在执法过程中动辄打人的准警察力量，被打者轻则头破血流，重者一命呜呼。这不是发生在个别城管队员身上的偶尔现象，而是普遍发生于中国各地，已经引起了全国民众普遍的不满，要求政府取消城管部门。

　　外国人觉得，这样的“城管”是中国所独有的，不另取一个专用名词，不足以表达其独特性，不能够使外国读者认识到中国城管的特殊性，影响了信息传播的准确性。

　　要创造新词，最简单的办法就是音译，于是“chengguan”这个新词汇出现在了外国记者的笔下。

　　外国读者第一次遇到这个新词汇时，并不认识，但只要看了其解释：“Members of the Chinese municipal inspectors”（BBC）或“City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau”（wiki），并知道这个机构在执法时滥用暴力，就知道“chengguan”这个单词的含义了。

　　很多中国人反对音译中国特有事物的名字，理由之一是“外国人看不懂”。但是看不懂可以学习嘛，中国人能够学会“菩萨”、“和尚”、“雷达”、“汉堡”等大量音译而来的词汇，为什么要担心外国人学不会“loong”、“jingju”、“xiangsheng”、“xiangqi”等新词汇呢？

（2009年5月2日）

附件1：新闻爆料：城管培训教材教城管如何打人

网上出现城管执法秘笈

2009年04月22日，新闻晨报
http://www.dahe.cn/xwzx/sh/mlfs/t20090422_1535213.htm

　　“注意要使相对人的脸上不见血，身上不见伤，周围不见人。”——昨日，网友曝光北京城管培训教材竟如此“教导”城管队员反暴力抗法，回帖网友直呼其为“最缺德的损招”、“流氓培训手册”。这本名为《城管执法操作实务》的“牛书”现身网络后随即引起一片骂声，截至昨晚8时半，短短9个小时内，点击超过24000次，回帖近500条。

　　昨日，记者就网上曝光的培训教材询问广州城管是否使用过。广州城管有关人士表示，从来没听说过该教材，广州也从没有用这本教材培训过城管队员。

雷人教材，教城管反暴力执法不留把柄

　　昨日上午，一篇名为《惊爆！城管操作实战手册》的帖子现身天涯社区，网友“伊刀”以图文并茂的方式介绍起一本名为《城管执法操作实务》的书。该书封面最上方注明是北京城管局培训教材，由国家行政学院出版社出版，著作者为“课题研发组”。

　　在该书的 71 页，主要讲述“城管执法过程中的分寸把握”，其中写明城管队员在执法受到暴力侵害之际如何阻止暴力，如控制住相对人的肢体，使其在短时间内动弹不得；最好是几名城管一起行动，一次性控制住相对人身体，要达到招招见效，不给相对人以喘息的机会；不能轻易放过相对人，要把相对人带上执法车，扭送公安机关，或者干脆带回队部；问清是哪里人，为什么敢暴力抗法……

　　更“雷人”的是，在“反暴力抗法的局部动作”一节中，该书还教导城管队员如何做到“以暴制暴”时不留下把柄：注意要使相对人的脸上不见血，身上不见伤，周围不见人，还应以超短快捷的连环式动作一次性做完，不留尾巴。一旦进入实施，阻止动作一定要干净利落，不可迟疑，要将所有力量全部用上。该书还教导城管队员要“意无杂念”，不要考虑自己会不会把相对人弄伤，此时应达到忘我的状态。

　　该帖随即被网友转贴到各大论坛，引发网友骂声一片。有网友更是调侃其为“武林秘籍”、“流氓培训手册”、“最缺德的损招”。

记者调查：出版社称确实出过此书

　　究竟是真有其书还是网友恶搞？记者随后通过搜索引擎，在拓普网、中国图书网等多家网站的畅销书栏目内都显示，《城管执法操作实务》2006年6月由国家行政学院出版社出版，主要介绍了城管执法的基本原则、城管执法的四大难点、城管执法的管理相对人等内容，定价 29 元。但是在该出版社的网站上却没找到这本书。记者随后致电国家行政学院出版社编辑部和发行部，对方均称确实出版过该书。(新闻晨报)

附件2：网络文章

热烈祝贺 chengguan（城管）成为英文新词

作者：逢君恶
2009年4月29日，人民网―强国社区
http://cq.xinhuanet.com/news/2009-04/29/content_16393381.htm

　　上周，因为“城管打人要不见血”的“手册事件”曝光，使得“城管”一词成为国外不少媒体报道中的热门词——英文把它译为“chengguan”。

　　《泰晤士报》认为“chengguan”是“中国地方执法者”，“他们在执行任务过程中常常会卷入一些公众冲突事件。”印度媒体解释称，“‘chengguan’主要的任务就是驱赶街头无照商贩，以及检查各类许可证。”而英国《卫报》认为，所谓“chengguan”是指“一些处理轻微犯罪和无序状态的雇员”。《每日电讯报》则说“chengguan”是“一种警察力量”。（重庆晚报）

　　“城管”的翻译，看来比“折腾”还难，令老外茫然不得要领，只好按汉语拼音音译，再加以解释，足见这一中国特色的组织在外国人眼里是多么的神秘。

　　不过这也怨不得外国人，他们可怎么能明白城管是怎么回事呢？从字面看，是管理城市的，太笼统。对照行动，若谓清理无照商贩是他们的职责，可按说这应由工商部门负责啊。及至看到他们成群结队穿着制服招摇过市的样子，又象是警察，再看他们一拥而上动手打人，抢人东西，却又象黑社会了。哎呀呀，真搞得人莫名其妙，到底是伙什么东西哩？

　　明白不明白由他们吧，哈哈。不管怎么说，从此，牛津辞典上又多了个新词：chengguan。记住，这可是从俺中国舶来的！不知改革开放以来，在英文辞典上，除了地名和人名外，可还有这样来自我国的音译的单词？

　　……真是我文明古国之骄傲！

附件3：Wiki 词典中有关 chengguan 的条目

Chengguan
（http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengguan）

Chengguan may refer to:

City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, (Pinyin:Chengguan) local government agency in the People's Republic of China
……

City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau
（http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Urban_Administrative_and_Law_Enforcement_Bureau）

(February 2009)

The City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau (Chinese: 城市管理行政执法局 Pinyin: ChéngShì Guǎnlǐ XíngZhèng Zhífǎ jú), also known as Chengguan (城管), is a local government agency that has been established in every city in the People's Republic of China.[1]

The agency is usually part of a municipal's City Urban Management Bureau (Chinese: 市城市管理局). [2] The agency is in charge with enforcement of urban management of the city. This includes local bylaws, city appearance bylaws, environment, sanitation, work safety, pollution control, health, and can involve enforcement in planning, greening, industry and commerce, environment protection, municipal affairs and water in large cities. [3]

The bureau is sometimes translated in English as City Urban Administrative Enforcement Bureau or City Urban Management Enforcement Bureau.

History

The Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau was established in 2001/2002 for all major cities in mainland China to improve municipal governance as cities become more crowded and urban issues became more complex. [4].

The bureau whose officials are responsible for cracking down on unlicensed street vendors.

According to the BBC, "Ever since the agency came into existence 10 years ago, there have been repeated criticism of them using excessive force. This para-police force, equipped with steel helmets and stab-proof vests, is often used by local officials as trouble-shooters".[5]
（http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7178382.stm）

In general the Chengguan serve as an official agency employed by cities across China "to tackle low-level crime."[6] However, the agency is widely disliked by the Chinese due to their alleged abuses of power.[6]
（http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7178382.stm）

Following an incident in Tianmen City (天门市), Hubei province in January 2008 in which the manager of a construction company, Wei Wenhua[7], was beaten to death for filming the actions of the Chengguan in a local dispute over rubbish dumping, nationwide calls were made to abolish the unit. Thousands of messages were posted over the Internet and protests took place in Hubei province. According to sources, some Chengguan officials have connections to organized crime.[8]

附件4：BBC 的新闻报道

Killing sparks protests in China
（http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7178382.stm）

The beating to death of a man who filmed a dispute between officials and villagers in China on his mobile phone has prompted a nationwide outcry.

Thousands of people have been posting messages on Chinese websites calling for the government agency involved in the incident to be abolished.

There have also been large demonstrations in the province of Hubei where the attack occurred.

Local police questioned 24 people over the killing, four remain in custody.

Calls for a rethink

The dispute was began when local people attempted to stop a rubbish truck from dumping refuse at a site that they argued was too close to their village, China state media reported.

Members of the Chinese municipal inspectors, known as the Chengguan, intervened.

The victim, Wei Wenhua, the manager of a construction company in Tianmen City, was driving by and stopped to film the confrontation on his mobile phone.

When Mr Wei refused the Chengguan's demands that he delete the footage, he was beaten to death on the spot, according to witnesses cited by the Xinhua news agency.

Communist Party chief of Tianmen City, Bie Bixiong, told Xinhua that those responsible would be punished according to the law.

The death has triggered not only protests in his home town but sparked a nationwide call for a rethink of the very establishment of the Chengguan.

Chinese internet users are posting comments with titles such as "Municipal enforcers eliminating witness" and "How could they violate the law like this?"

Excessive force

The BBC's China editor Shirong Chen says that this is not the first time that the Chengguan have beaten someone to death.

Ever since the agency came into existence 10 years ago, there have been repeated criticism of them using excessive force.

This para-police force, equipped with steel helmets and stab-proof vests, is often used by local officials as trouble-shooters, he adds.

In 2003, the death in custody of a young man in south China resulted in the abolition of the notorious migrant detention system.

Now many Chinese hope the death of Mr Wei will bring down the municipal inspection apparatus itself, our correspondent says.