对于vigilante这个词，中文的翻译常会出现一些看似微小，实则严重的偏差。常见的vigilante译法有：民间护法者、义务警察、义警警员、（自发组织维持社区治安的）联防队员和治安委员会成员。根据《韦氏词典》，vigilante 为a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate); broadly: a self-appointed doer of justice。需要注意这里的when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate和summarily，即done quickly in a way that does not follow the normal process。
可见，vigilante对官方执法感到失望，进而自发采取不符合正规程序的措施惩治暴力。这一点从《韦氏词典》中vigilante的用法示例也可看出：the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people. 自命为法律维护者的vigilantes可能会对无辜的人下手。
福克斯新闻网站题为《’This is war’: Florida sheriff urges citizens to arm themselves in case of attack》的文章中有这样的语句：The sheriff’s message received a mixed response. Some residents applauded his stance while others criticized it, calling it “fear-mongering”and encouraging vigilantes。看来鼓励人们成为vigilantes并不是什么好事。
结合以上两个例子，能够发现vigilante这个词多少有些负面含义，极有可能成为破坏稳定、扭曲正义的力量。
从这个角度看，无论是“义务警察”还是“治安委员会成员”都没体现vigilante存在的问题，反而给他们披上了合法以及正规或被认可的外衣，尤其是“义务警察”会让人觉得vigilantes不计报酬帮助警察打击犯罪，两者关系和谐融洽。
为了体现vigilante未经许可、私自行事的特点，可考虑将其译为“私警”。
（中国翻译研究院）
