The Russians find a Chinese translator

Recently I came across this.
In pursuit of the commercial bounty that might flow from relations with such a highly developed state, Ivan Petlin, Russia's first envoy to China in 1618, had returned with a letter of invitation to trade. But unfortunately the Russians were unable to find anyone to translate it until 1675! That lapse in linguistic competence within the Russian foreign service had such drastic consequences for their later relations that seldom has the lack of a little academic knowledge meant so much. For even as hostilities arose, the negotiation of a bilateral trade agreement — the Kremlin's original objective — remained the principal motive behind Russia's bellicose acts.e acts.
So, if this is true what happens if the Russians can translate the letter that Petlin brings back? The comments to the article by commentor slawkenbergius suggest the impact would have been minor.

Also anyone read the book reference in the link? It sounds rather fascinating.
 
The topic has its trace even in Russian language - there is a proverb "chinese message" ( китайская грамота) meaning something absolutely ununderstandable.
 
Why didn't Petlin have it translated while in China?

No Russian speakers about I'd imagine. Or he didn't realise it'd be an issue.

Though I'm sure if he'd thought about it he could have got a jesuit to translate it into latin.


Thinking about this....its not too unremarkable. I recall reading a story about some Chinese books in the library at Cambridge (or was it Oxford...) which they kept for years without having a clue what they said.
 
How exactly did he get a letter from the Chinese, without being able to talk to them?

Or did he learn Chinese or have a translator, but he or the translator didn't know both of the written languages?
 
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How exactly did he get a letter from the Chinese, without being able to talk to them?

Or did he learn Chinese or have a translator, but he or the translator didn't know both of the written languages?

He could speak it I guess but not read or write it. That was pretty common amongst europeans in east asia at the time.
 
He could speak it I guess but not read or write it.
Even if he could read one dialect of chinese... well, there's two major and quite a few lesser dialects in common use today and probably more back then. Ontop of that add the likely overly flowery and ritualistic language of the imperial court compared to the plainer everyday Chinese he would previously been exposed to and it isn't that suprising translation took so long.
 
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