在清末民初大規模翻譯西方文學運動裏，林紓及薛紹徽兩人都不諳外文，分別由通外文者逐句說明原文旨意，再由他們分別修改、潤飾、記錄下來。本論文以林紓及薛紹徽等不同於一般定義下的翻譯活動為引子，導出班雅明與德勒茲與瓜達里在翻譯方面的不同論點，並藉著他們論點之歧異處，探究翻譯史上長期以來有關直譯與意譯之爭，以及翻譯用於文學／文化研究，乃至生命科技研究之可能途徑。 本論文選擇以林紓及薛紹徽參與譯事為佐證或引子，主要原因在於他們的翻譯活動挑戰班雅明有關翻譯的概念。若按班雅明在〈譯者之天職〉裏所陳述的觀點，其實口述者已完成翻譯的程序，相較於譯者在原文與譯文之間突然領悟如何克服語言間的異質性，再將領悟轉為譯文，林紓與薛紹徽筆錄、整理、美化文字，可說絲毫沾不上翻譯的邊。其次，林紓為清末民初西方文學中譯運動裏造成巨大影響者，薛紹徽素有中國第一位女譯者之美譽，他們的譯事活動迫使翻譯的視野有必要重整。 改從德勒茲與瓜達里的角度來看，無論是林紓與口譯者之間的合作關係，或薛紹徽與陳壽彭夫婦的閨房譯述，都構成所謂的塊莖或朋友關係。因為任何兩者都可能構成塊莖，而打破屬於樹根類親屬關係隱含的疆域，連帶在跨越疆域中把翻譯帶進轉譯或轉碼。平輩的朋友關係宛如內在於知識的一連串對等連接詞「和」，在競爭與協助的一連串環節中，影響甚至改變論述的內容。

This paper compares the translation theory of Walter Benjamin with the visions of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari on transformation, using as a catalyst the cases of Lin Shu and Xueh Shaohui, the two Chinese involved in translation projects during the transitional period between the Qing Dynasty and the Republican period of China in the early twentieth century. The choice of Lin and Xueh as the starting basis is made mainly on their joint translation ventures that trigger the rethinking of what translation is all about. Lin and Xueh, in their respective endeavors, put down into Chinese what their co-workers dictated orally from interpreting the original texts, instead of alone doing the translation. Either Lin or Xueh, in recording, rephrasing or embellishing the language, does not count as a translator, according to Benjamin in “The Task of the Translator,” for the people working with them have single-handedly accomplished the task of translation. In the views of Deleuze and Guattari, the joint translation ventures may forge a relationship of what they call rhizome or friendship. On the thread of this thought, alliance is valued above filiation, bringing along deterritorialization in its wake, as any two things may form a rhizome. Emerging out of a jumping from one territory to another, or from one race to another, is transduction or transcoding, which differs from translation in not being carried on by a translator. Friendship is explored to see how it may affect the putting into words what one party hears in the process of translation.