Asia-Pacific translation forum opens in Xi'an

By Zhang Rui

The 8th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum kicks off in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on Friday.

Jing Junhai, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said in his address, "to realize the communication of policies, the connection of facilities, the smooth process of trade, the accommodation of funds and understanding and exchange between peoples among countries along the 'Belt and Road Initiative' region, the most important thing is to realize successful communication using many languages. So, the significant point of translation is to tear down the walls among languages and cultures, and make the spread of information correct, fast and expansive, which will prompt people to people exchange, the communication of ideas, and cultural integration."

The translation forum was held by the International Federation of Translators (FIT) and the Translators Association of China (TAC), organized by the Xi'an International Studies University. More than 500 experts, scholars and leaders of translation organizations, who came from translation education and training, theory and practice, technology development and enterprise management fields in more than 30 countries and regions, are attending the summit.

Jing proposed four points for the Asia-Pacific regions to enhance the translation exchange and cooperation, including, knowing the major trends and promote the mutual trust while serving the development of the Asia-Pacific region, learning and catching up with time and promoting the innovative development of translation theory and practices, strengthening regulation while perfecting the system to prompt the healthy and orderly development of the industry and deepening communication while strengthening cooperation and realizing common development and progress.

Zhou Mingwei, president of the Translators Association of China and president of the China International Publishing Group, said in his address that "the theme of the eighth Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum is 'Translation and Interpreting in Tomorrow's Asia-Pacific Region.' The participants are gathering here to explore the opportunities and challenges facing the translation community and other language services in an era of globalization and new technology such as cloud computing and big data, and to study the trends that we hope will bring future prosperity to the global translation and interpreting industry."

He is sure that this forum "will help enrich our perception of the future of the Asia-Pacific translation community, deepen our understanding and create a broader base of confidence and support."

Zhuang Changxing, vice governor of the Shaanxi provincial government, pointed out that China's excellent traditional culture lacks systematic, correct, localized translation, so that it also lacks the basis and conditions to promote Chinese culture around the world. However, as China becomes more influential, the international community is more interested in knowing and studying China.

President Henry Liu of the International Federation of Translators added that Xi'an was once the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and is a translation capital with a long history. The forum will help gather the international resources in the translation world, and showcase the newest updates from this region in the field of translation.

The forum participants will attend various conferences, roundtable discussion, and subforums to discuss the function of translation in the development of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the opportunities and challenges in talent training, translation technology, translation standardization, and innovation in translation theory and practice during the new era.

The Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum, formerly known as the "Asian Translators Forum," was 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 years by translation and interpreting (T&I) associations and institutions in the region on an alternate basis. 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 as an important event for the T&I community in the region as a means of engaging in exchange and cooperation.