10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum concludes

The 10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum (APTIF) concluded in Beijing on Sunday, pooling wisdom and insights of world-renowned experts under the theme of "Collaboration in the World of Translation and Interpreting: New Changes, New Models in the New Era."

Gao Anming, chair of the APTIF Joint Committee, executive vice president and secretary general of the Translators Association of China (TAC), vice president and editor-in-chief of China International Communications Group (CICG) and council member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), and Sun Youzhong, vice president of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), attended the closing session, at which several professionals delivered closing remarks.

Yu Tao, vice president of CICG and director of the China National Committee for Translation and Interpreting Education, spoke highly of the forum for creating a new vision and injecting new impetus into the development of translation and interpreting in the Asia-Pacific region. 

"At a time when regional cooperation and integration are speeding up, the translation community in the Asia-Pacific region needs to strengthen solidarity, build consensus and seek common development. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the international translation community to jointly promote the global advancement of translation and interpreting culture and industry," Yu said.

Zhao Gang, vice president of BFSU, underscored the historical role of translation and interpreting in enhancing mutual learning and cultural exchanges among civilizations.

He also pointed out that as China is getting closer to the center of the world stage, the country's translation cause is facing new opportunities and new challenges, shouldering great responsibilities and missions. 

How to build up the national translation capacity and enhance the international influence of Chinese culture is a vital task in the development of translation and interpreting in the new era, Zhao added. 

During the closing session, the 10th Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum Initiative was launched and read out by Yang Ping, vice president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and executive council member of the TAC. 

The initiative calls on the Asia-Pacific region to give full play to the role of translation and interpreting as a bridge in cultural exchanges, to innovate cooperation models and to work together to form synergy in the region. 

Before the closing session, several experts and scholars delivered keynote speeches at the forum.

Xu Jun, former executive vice president of the TAC and professor at Zhejiang University, pointed out that translation as a cross-cultural communication activity stems from differences. He advocated that translation should play a role in protecting cultural diversity and promoting exchanges and mutual learning between China and the rest of the world.

Mona Baker, professor at the University of Oslo of Norway and director of the Baker Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, looked back at the development of corpus-based research in translation. Her speech focused on collaboration between the disciplines of translation and the medical humanities. She also stressed the important role that translation plays in medical health and policy making. 

Gary Massey, director of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and vice president of International Standing Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters (CIUTI), explored the issues of collaborative competence development among the various actors engaged in translator education, offering his insights into translator education for teachers, students and people engaged in the language service industry.

Sharon O'Brien, professor at Dublin City University in Ireland, stressed the importance of translation in crisis settings. She said that collaboration in crisis translation would not only improve outcomes for those affected by crises but is essential for achieving better results.

Lawrence Wang-chi Wong, director of the Research Centre for Translation at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, emphasized the importance of professionalism for translators and interpreters as well as information synchronization and updating in the process of cooperative translation and interpreting. 

The APTIF has been held every three years since 1995. The current 10th session comprised of 10 keynote speeches and 16 parallel sub-forums held over two days and was organized by BFSU under the aegis of the FIT and the TAC.