The experience gave Tang a strong motivation, but she found that a wish alone does not make a good translator or interpreter. Tang asked herself the questions Chairman Mao had posed to her: Are you satisfied with merely knowing the ABC and earning 56 yuan a month? Why not go explore something, like where English originates from?

Along with Premier Zhou's reminder that interpreters should get to know what was being discussed, this was a big inspiration to Tang – getting to have a grip on what was being translated or interpreted. However, it was later when she began to work in the ministry's Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs that Tang gained a deeper understanding of the words.

After getting increasingly involved in diplomatic affairs, she found that translators or interpreters can hardly perform their tasks well without having a clear understanding of both sides, be it national conditions, policies and cultures, speakers and their opinions and positions, or the discussion topic and its background and essence.

Now, when looking back on those days, Tang said that other diplomatic translators and interpreters will have many colorful life stories, and that every one of them improves through diligent study and continuous practice.

The new era poses new challenges to not only diplomatic translators and interpreters, but also to those in companies and to media staff, who should always read between the lines, and explore ways to bridge the hearts of both sides, Tang said.

As an advisor to the TAC now, her heart is still attached to the interpretation of China decades later.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)