Student interpreter was, historically, an entry-level position in the British and American diplomatic and consular service, principally in China, Japan, Siam and, in the case of the United States, Turkey. It is no longer used as a title. A number of former student interpreters rose to senior diplomatic positions.
Britain
The British
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United S ...
appointed student interpreters after the opening of China and Japan in the mid-19th Century to learn the language of either country with the goal of developing a consular corps fluent in the local languages. Consular officers were expected to remain in their chosen country for the rest of their career.
Notable former British student interpreters include:
* Sir
Sidney Barton (1876-1946), British Minister to Ethiopia
* Sir
Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne CMG (1854-1940), Assistant Judge of the
British Supreme Court for China and Japan
*
Penrhyn Grant Jones CBE (1878-1945), Assistant Judge of the
British Supreme Court for China and Japan
*
Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet (1835–1911), Inspector General of the
Imperial Maritime Customs
* Sir
John Jordan (1852-1925), British Minister to China
* Sir
Ernest Mason Satow (1843-1929), British Minister to China and Japan
* Sir
Hiram Shaw Wilkinson
Sir Hiram Shaw Wilkinson, JP, DL (1840–1926) was a leading British judge and diplomat, serving in China and Japan. His last position before retirement was as Chief Justice of the British Supreme Court for China and Corea.
Early life
Hira ...
(1840-1926), Chief Justice of the
British Supreme Court for China and Corea
United States
The
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
made provision for 10 student interpreters in
Peking
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Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
, 6 in Tokyo and 10 in Turkey. They were required to study the language of the country with view to becoming interpreters to American diplomats and consular officials. Only unmarried male United States citizens between the ages of 19 and 26 were eligible to apply. Those who passed the exam were required to serve at least 5 years and were eligible for appointment to diplomatic and consular roles.
[Register of the Department of State, 1922, p214-5]
Notable former America student interpreters include:
*
Nelson T. Johnson (1887-1954), United States Ambassador to China.
*
Norwood Allman (1893-1987), lawyer, mixed court assessor, newspaper editor, OSS and CIA operative
Further reading
HISTORY FROM THE MIDDLE: THE STUDENT INTERPRETERS CORPS AND IMAGINED AMERICAN ECONOMIC IMPERIALISM IN CHINA, 1902–1941 PhD dissertation by Nathaniel A. Davis.
References
{{reflist
Diplomats by role