The Asia-Pacific Region boasts a vast territorial expanse, a large population and diversified political systems and cultures. The launchof a number of initiatives and mechanisms for regional cooperation and increasing bilateral and multilateral exchangeshavemade it one of the most dynamic and promising regions in the world.On the other hand, this region features diverse cultures and languages of completely different origins. Therefore, translation and other language services are of the utmost importance to regional communication and cooperation.
The theme of the Eighth Asia-Pacific Translation and InterpretingForum (the 8thAPTIF) is "Translation and Interpreting in Tomorrow's Asia-Pacific Region". In the context of deepening regional cooperation and "Internet Plus" Strategy, the 8thAPTIF aims to exploreopportunities and challengesfacing the translation and interpreting community in the Asia-Pacific region in professionaltraining, technology application, standardization, innovation in theory and development mode, among others. The forum also seeks to facilitate exchanges to advance economic and cultural prosperity and development in the region.
APTIF,formerly known as the "Asian Translators Forum",is established by translators associations in China, South Korea and Japan under the auspices of the International Federation of Translators(FIT) in 1995. The event is held every three yearsby T&I associations and institutions in the region on an alternatebasis. Having been held respectively in Beijing (1995), Seoul (1998), Hong Kong (2001),Beijing (2004), Bogor (2007), Macao (2010) and Penang (2013), the forum has established itself asan important eventfor the T&I communityin the region to engage in exchanges and cooperation.
In March2015, the proposal of the Translators Association of China (TAC) to rename the forum as the "Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF)" was adopted by FIT Council, thus bringing the Oceania translation organizations under the same umbrella. As a result, the forum has now become the platform for the wider translation and interpreting community in the Asia-Pacific region.