Source:
President’s Blog – Way to Kuo
在大學裏教書的，常被人稱作「教授」。在高等學府圈子之外，「教授」可以是籠統的說法，其功用好比「老闆」。顧客踏入店堂，有事要問櫃台後那位先生，可道一聲「老闆」，哪怕他看來不像是店東；夥計招呼顧客，也往往口稱「老闆」，不管對方是否生意場中人。這稱呼是禮數，卻算不上拍馬屁，也不是戴高帽；它恭而有禮，雙方都可接受。一般人隨口稱呼大學教師為「教授」，情形有點類似。
不過，在學府之內，尤其在執教於大學的行內人之間，這「教授」往往不是等閑可以混用的了。它是最高等級的大學教師的正式職稱，是頒給學識淵博、研究精深者的頭銜，是對格物致知、傳道授業而成績卓著者的表彰。要晉升為教授，須得經過申請、評議、推薦、審核、批覆等層層手續，很不簡單。尚未升到這一層次的人不敢僭號自稱，旁人也不便濫奉名銜，免得彼此尷尬。
使用「教授」稱號，在英國尤為嚴謹，因為英國的大學教師，最高級的是 Professor，其次是 Reader，再次是 Senior Lecturer （或 Senior Teaching Fellow ）和 Lecturer （或 Teaching Fellow ）。Reader 一詞頗難轉譯，英漢辭典有的說是「高級講師」，有的說是「準教授」，看來一時尚無合適的中文詞語來指稱這個既非「教授」也非「講師」的頭銜。Lecturer 是「講師」，應無疑義。在英國大學裏，唯有 Professor 才是「教授」，閑雜人不得擅用。英國人似乎服膺孔夫子，「唯名與器，不可以假人」。
在美國的大學裏，教授一詞用得很寬泛，因為美國 Professor 穿靴戴帽之後，自身繁衍出若干亞種，細辨起來很是麻煩，簡而稱之，通用 Professor 一詞，結果是「教授」滿校園。「十足」的 Professor 是 Full Professor，其次是 Associate Professor，再次有 Assistant Professor； 十分傑出的 Full Professor 可升為「 Named Chair 」(冠以人名的講座教授)，再往上有 Distinguished Professor，更高的還有 University Professor 一級。
中國在清末改良維新，廢科舉、興學校，西洋（主要是英文）詞語傳入中土；轉譯 Professor，正好用上國產千年的「教授」。「教授」一詞始於宋朝，是太學（「中央大學」）裏某些學科的教師；而且從宋元直到明清，歷朝府、州、縣各級地方政府均設學官，最高者是府的學官「教授」，須為進士出身。「教授」有歷史、夠身份，配得上 Professor，於是沿用迄今。以此類推，各級 Professor 就是正教授、副教授、助理教授、附屬（或兼任）教授、講座教授、傑出教授、學府教授等等。
舊時中國的大學有採用英國制的，也有美國制的；香港為英國殖民地，用英國制。近年來，中國大陸、台灣、香港的大學有不少轉用美國制，或英美混合制。於是乎產生種種 Professor，再加上資深、非資深 Lecturer 和 Teaching Fellow，還有一級、二級 Tutor 和 Instructor，令人眼花撩亂。
英美的學生未必把教授當回事，他們會僅用小寫的 prof 來代替 Professor，好似香港學生用「阿蛇」（阿 Sir ）來指稱一切教師。台灣有人杜撰說文解字，定義「教授」為「會叫的野獸」。在中國大陸，某時期大學教師生活困頓，自嘆「越教越瘦（授）」。大學生擔憂無出路，自嘲「多讀多輸（書）」，師生對仗工整、平仄諧調，也算是苦中作樂。相比之下，西洋人的文字戲謔失色多了。
在中國人的社會裡，通稱大學中所有的助理教授以上職稱者為教授，以示尊敬倒也無可厚非。
On "Professor"
Anyone who teaches at a university can be called "Professor". Outside institutions of higher learning, "Professor" is used in a similar way to "Boss" as a common form of address. When a customer steps into the shop, he will address the man behind the counter as "Boss", though the latter might not look like the owner of the shop. The salesman will address a customer as "Boss" irrespective of whether the latter is or isn't a businessman. This form of address is used as a kind of social etiquette. Instead of fawning on or flattering the other side, this respectful form of address is acceptable to both sides. It's a similar case to the addressing of any university teacher as "Professor".
However, among the faculty of institutions of higher learning, "Professor" should never be used randomly. It is a senior professional title conferred upon erudite scholars and profound researchers. It is employed to honour those faculty members who succeed in attaining outstanding achievements in research and teaching. In order to be promoted to professorship, one has to go through the following rigid formalities: application, appraisal, recommendation, examination and approval. Those who have yet to gain this senior professional title dare not assume the title. In order to avoid embarrassment on both sides, nobody refers to him as "Professor".
In Britain one must be scrupulous in the use of the title "Professor". University teachers there are graded incrementally from the highest grade, Professor, to Reader, Senior Lecturer (or Senior Teaching Fellow) to Lecturer (or Teaching Fellow). In some English-Chinese dictionaries "Reader" is translated as 高級講師 or 準教授. No appropriate Chinese equivalent denotes the non-professor and non-lecturer titles. "Lecturer" is equivalent to 講師. In British universities, only the title "Professor" means 教授 . Nobody else deserves this professional title. English people seemly follow the Confucian principle on adopting proper forms of address.
In American universities the word "Professor" is used more loosely. "Professor" is extended to encompass Full Professor, Associate Professor and Assistant Professor. As a result, professors can be found everywhere on campus. Outstanding "Full Professors" can be further promoted to Named Chair, Distinguished Professor or even University Professor.
During the reform and modernisation movement of the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial civil examination system was abolished and schools set up. With the introduction of titles in Western languages (mainly the English language), "Professor" was translated as 教授, a Chinese word which had existed for a thousand years. The Chinese word 教授, which originated in the Song Dynasty, meant the teachers of some courses offered in the Imperial College. Moreover, there was a position of "academic official" in the local governments at the prefecture and county levels throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The highest academic official was at the prefecture level, called "教授" . Only those who passed the highest imperial civil service examination were qualified to be 教授. 教授, which had academic credentials and high social status, was a perfect match for the English word "Professor". That's why it has become the equivalent to "Professor". Different kinds of professors are hence translated as 正教授、副教授、助理教授、附屬（或兼任）教授、講座教授、傑出教授、學府教授 etc.
In the old days, some Chinese universities adopted the British system while others adopted the American system. As a former British colony, Hong Kong adopted the British system. In the past few years some mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong universities have adopted the American system or the British-American mixed system. As a result, a great variety of professors came emerged. Together with senior or non-senior lecturers and teaching fellows as well as tutors and instructors (I/II), the numerous professional titles are dazzling.
British and American students may not take "professors" too seriously. They can simply use the non-capitalised "prof" to mean "Professor", just as the students in Hong Kong tend to refer to all teachers as "阿Sir". Some people in Taiwan use homophones to define 教授 as 叫獸 ("yelling beast”). When university teachers lived under strained circumstances in the early Twentieth Century China they sometimes explained 教授 as 越教越瘦（授）("the more you teach, the thinner you become"). The university graduates were worried about their future and explained 多讀書 as 多讀多輸（書） (The more you read, the more heavily you lose.) The well-balanced, rhyming homophones invented by the teachers and students serve as a good example of enjoying life in adversity. So far as a play on words is concerned, Westerners don't stand comparison with the Chinese.
In a Chinese society all university teachers above the rank of "assistant professor" are addressed as "Professor". It's only reasonable for Chinese people to show respect for university teachers in this way.
December 9, 2008
