Last week's decision to award the Nobel Prize in literature to Mo Yan was national news in China as state broadcasters broke into the regularly scheduled evening news to make the announcement that a Chinese writer had finally won the prize, easing anxiety among the country's leaders regarding the Western world's recognition of Chinese cultural prowess.
上周，（诺贝尔委员会）将诺贝尔文学奖颁给莫言的决定成了轰动全中国的新闻事件，连中国国家电视台也（罕见地）在例行的新闻联播中临时插播了莫言得奖的消息，称中国的作家“终于”获得了诺贝尔奖。中国的领导人长期以来渴望中国的文化实力能够得到西方世界的承认，莫言荣膺该奖无疑让他们长舒了一口气。
But now the integrity of that prize has come under question in Sweden.
但是现在，该奖的公正性却在瑞典国内遭到了质疑。
Göran Malmqvist, a sinologist and member of the Swedish Academy, was instrumental in Mo's selection, lobbying the academy to recognize the Chinese writer and providing Swedish translations of the writer's work to other members of the academy. Now he stands to benefit financially from those tranlsations. According to a report by Swedish Television, Malmqvist will provide his translations to a Swedish publisher for publication. And according to the head of that publishing company, Tranan, because of the intense interest on Mo's work as a result of his Nobel win Malmqvist will likely be able to name his own price.
马悦然（Göran Malmqvist），一位汉学家兼瑞典文学院委员，在莫言角逐诺奖的过程中，游说瑞典文学院认可这位中国作家，并向文学院的其他成员提供莫言作品的瑞典语译本。现在他被指从这些译本中赚了一把。根据瑞典国家电视台的一则报道，马悦然会将其翻译的莫言作品交给瑞典出版商出版。据该出版商负责人Tranan称，因为马悦然对莫言的作品有着浓厚的兴趣，而莫言的获奖之后，马悦然很可能会因其译作向出版商漫天要价。
According to an examination of the academy's policies carried out by Swedish Television, Malmqvist's actions in this case may be in violation of the Swedish Academy's conflict of interest rules, which are extremely strict in order to prevent this type of real or perceived impropriety. If there is even a slight indication of conflict of interest, the person in question is supposed to leave the premises during discussions regarding the candidate, and a member of the academy affected by a potential conflict of interst can "in no way participate in the handling of the question."
根据瑞典国家电视台针对文学院评奖政策的一项审查，马悦然在这种情况下的做法可能有违该院“利益冲突条款”的规定，该规定极其严格，目的就是要杜绝此类实际存在或者可以感知的不当行为。即使仅有那么一丁点迹象能够表明相关人员与评奖存在利益冲突，那他（或她）应当退出（委员会）关于该候选人的评议场合。而受到潜在利益冲突影响的委员，“决不能参与该问题的处理”。
In borderline cases, or ones that may only create a perceived conflict, the academy's rules dictate that its members should err on the side of caution: "There may be circumstances that simply do not 'feel right' and that therefore could be called into question ... In such cases members should err on the side of caution, and it may be appropriate to refrain from participating in the handling of the question."
在疑似利益冲突，或者一些仅仅产生某种可以觉察到的利益冲突的情形下，瑞典文学院的评奖规程要求评委们宁可审慎一些：“在某些情形下，可能仅仅会因为觉得不太好而遭受质疑······在这种情况下，评委们宁可谨慎些，在争议处理过程中采取回避的姿态或许会更为恰当”。
Despite these rules, Peter Englund, the academy's permanent secretary, confirmed to Swedish Television that Malmqvist was highly involved in discussions around awarding Mo the prize.
尽管有这样的规定，瑞典文学院的常务秘书彼得·英格朗（Peter Englund）向瑞典国家电视台证实：在委员会集体商议将文学奖颁给莫言的过程中，马悦然充分参与了讨论。
In the ensuing media frenzy, Englund and Malmqvist have both denied accusations that he stood to inappropriately benefit from awarding the prize to Mo.
在紧随而至的一系列媒体质疑声中，英格朗和马悦然自己均否认该项指责，称其并未从莫言获奖一事中获取不当利益。
Englund said in an email to Swedish Television that Malmqvist did not have an agreement in place with the publishing company to provide translations of Mo's work prior to the academy's decision to award him the Nobel. Only after that decision did Malmqvist provide the publisher with his translations. Critics of course contend that this is a disctinction without a difference, and that Malmqvist knew that he stood to bring in a hefty contract by having translations of Mo's work ready for publication as soon as the prize was unveiled.
英格朗在一封发给瑞典国家电视台的邮件中称：在文学院宣布将该奖颁给莫言之前，马悦然并未和出版商达成协议，把莫言作品的译本交给出版商。只有到了该奖公布之后，他才向出版商交付了译本。对于那些吹毛求疵的人而言，他们当然不会认为这两者之间有什么区别，而且还会认为（颁奖）决定一旦公布，马悦然随即将事先准备好的莫言作品译本交予出版商，这样一来马就可以将大把钞票收入囊中了。
Malmqvist, meanwhile, is nothing short of furious at the accusations and sent a blistering email this week to a group of Swedish reporters and editors worth quoting at length:
与此同时，马悦然对此项指控简直就是暴跳如雷，他随即在这周向一帮瑞典的记者和编辑发送了一封措辞激烈的邮件。这封邮件值得全文转载：
"Swedish Television's culture desk has apparently fumbled in the dark when they decided to try and dig up a conflict of interest scandal. Send them a message from me the next time you see them at your morning coffee that they should get better glasses or more powerful flashlights the next time they decide to venture out in the dark. With idiots like ... Anton whatever-his-name-is at Swedish Television's culture desk I suppose we have gotten the kind of cultural coverage that we deserve in this provincial backwater."
“当瑞典国家电视台文化频道决定试着去挖一个关于利益冲突的丑闻时，很明显他们就是在黑暗中胡搞。以后你们要是在早上喝咖啡的时候见到他们，记得帮我捎个信，奉劝他们在下次决定摸黑冒险的时候，记得戴一副更好的眼镜，或者一个性能更佳的手电筒。文化频道出了像安东（不管他姓甚名谁）这样的白痴，我们活该在这潭偏狭的死水中遭此类（无中生有的）文化报道的罪。”
If this scandal develops further, it is only likely to further inflame Chinese insecurities about the prize. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to conjure up the inevitable angry statement issued by a CCP spokesman about how anti-Chinese elements in the Western cultural establishment will go to any length in order to discredit the achivements of Chinese artists, especially one that hasn't yet fallen out of favor with the regime.
倘若任凭此类流言蜚语继续发酵，中国人对诺奖本就脆弱敏感的神经很可能会进一步遭受刺激。无须绞尽脑汁，我们就能想象共产党的发言人肯定又会发表愤怒的谴责声明，说西方文化界的敌对势力为了抹杀中国（尤其是莫言这类尚未失宠的）艺术家的成就，无所不用其极，云云。
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