Interpreting Activities in the Mixed Court of the Shanghai International Settlement During the Late Qing Dynasty

The Mixed Court of the Shanghai International Settlement was a judicial organ set up by the Chinese government during the late Qing dynasty to deal with both civil and criminal cases where Chinese or foreigners who were not represented by consuls were defendants.The trial process in the Mixed Court vividly shows how China and foreign countries fought for their own interests.As foreigners were frequently involved in the cases, interpreting activities were carried out to remove the language barrier.The possession of linguistic capital was critical in the tussle between China and the Western powers in the Mixed Court.The interpreters' performance directly influenced the Chinese magistrate and foreign assessor's roles in the trial.Based on the historical materials, this study depicts the image of both Chinese interpreters and foreign interpreters in the Mixed Court, reviews their performance, and discusses the interactions between interpreting activities and the tussle between China and the western powers.