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 * Unit ...

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 Sir Sidney Barton (26 November 1876 – 20 January 1946) was a British barrister and diplomat, serving as consul-general in Shanghai and as minister to Ethiopia. Early life Sidney Barton was born in Exeter, Devonshire, England on 26 November ...

(1876-1946), British Minister to Ethiopia * Sir

Frederick Samuel Augustus Bourne Sir Frederick Samuel August Bourne (1854–1940) was a British judge, diplomat and botanist who served in China. His last positions before retirement were concurrently as Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Judge of th ...

CMG (1854-1940), Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan *

Penrhyn Grant Jones Penrhyn Grant Jones CBE (1878–1945) was a British judge and diplomat who served in China. His last position before retirement was as Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China. Early life Grant Jones was born on 28 May 1878, in ...

CBE (1878-1945), Assistant Judge of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan *

Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Hart, 1st Baronet, (20 February 1835 – 20 September 1911) was a British diplomat and official in the Qing Chinese government, serving as the second Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service (IMCS) from 1863 to ...

(1835–1911), Inspector General of the

Imperial Maritime Customs The Chinese Maritime Customs Service was a Chinese governmental tax collection agency and information service from its founding in 1854 until it split in 1949 into services operating in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and in the People's Republ ...

* Sir John Jordan (1852-1925), British Minister to China * Sir

Ernest Mason Satow Sir Ernest Mason Satow, (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British scholar, diplomat and Japanologist. Satow is better known in Japan than in Britain or the other countries in which he served, where he was known as . He was a key fig ...

(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 The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles ...

United States

The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

made provision for 10 student interpreters in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, 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 Nelson Trusler Johnson (April 3, 1887 – December 3, 1954) was an American diplomat who served as the US Minister to China from 1929 to mid-September 1935. Then, until 1941, he was US Ambassador to the Republic of China and then to Austral ...

(1887-1954), United States Ambassador to China. *

Norwood Allman Norwood Francis Allman (July 23, 1893 – February 28, 1987) was a China-based American lawyer, consul, newspaperman and judge and also served as a member of the Shanghai Municipal Council from 1940 to 1942. During World War II he served in the ...

(1893-1987), lawyer, mixed court assessor, newspaper editor, OSS and CIA operative

References

{{reflist Diplomats by role

Britain

United States

Further reading

References