From NetEase:
Female interpreter fluently translates classical prose Wen Jiabao’s
Summary: After the closing of the National People’s Congress, Wen Jiabao’s press conference has become a focal point for both Chinese and foreign media’s attention. Sitting beside Wen Jiabao, Zhang Lu was also well-received by the audience and netizens for her fluent translation of the ancient poems cited by the Premier.
Some examples:
1、 “亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。”
“For the ideal that I hold dear to my heart,I’d not regret a thousand times to die.”
2、“人或加讪，心无疵兮。”
“My conscience stays untainted in spite of rumors and slanders from the outside.”
Comments from NetEase:
网易上海黄浦网友:
Truly not easy! Translating classical Chinese into English is definitely not ordinary difficult!!!
Admire admire!!!!
网易山东威海网友:
I am willing to say that this interpreter is not some powerful person’s relative. What person with connections/background would have studied so hard/much? Ding in agreement!
网易日本网友:
This is what an expert looks like!
First, one must deeply understand China’s classical texts!
Without understanding them, how can you translate them!
Truly not easy!
网易江西南昌网友:
A person using their own expertise doing something they are supposed to do well being held up by the media (including netizens)? Truly “妓者” [ji zhe, whores, a pun on reporter/journalist], any obscure and random thing can be wildly sensationalized and embellished by you guys! You guys don’t care about the country’s big issues, don’t care about what the Premier said, only mining this kind of useless news!
网易山东网友:
Good form, every profession has its exemplar. Hope she doesn’t lose her direction as a result of the outside world’s attention.
网易北京网友:
Not bad, the 80s and 90s generation girls these days should learn from her. This is the disposition only Chinese women have and cannot be found anywhere else.
网易英国网友 [NetEase netizen from England]:
Coincidentally, I am also an interpreter. Let me help everyone understand a bit more. These types of occasions involving important national leaders speaking are all necessarily prepared in advance. With such a difficult phrase to translate and knowing that there would be that many foreign journalists, could they not have diligently prepared? The manuscript is provided in both Chinese and English, not 100% the same but at least 90%.
To tell the truth, in realty, this kind of political occasion interpreting is not the most difficult to translate technically, as the vocabulary is relatively limited, relatively popular, but one absolute must not make a mistake, so one must give 200% concentration.
The ingenious translations that everyone is noticing are all known translations in the field. It can be said that this kind of classical prose used by leaders cannot be so quickly translated by anyone in China, including the highest professors from Beijing University or Beijing Foreign Studies University. A person’s knowledge has limits, so don’t blindly believe anything [don't blindly believe she is so good that she can translate such difficult phrases instantly].
The most difficult are specialized fields in international academic conferences, where interpreting is very difficult to do because it is truly too difficult. Doing your homework in the first few days is completely useless, as all of it are the most difficult things that the top foreign professors have spent decades researching. The good thing is that you can make many mistakes and the professors would still forgive you.
Explanation complete. Don’t believe the hype.
网易广西网友:
The journalist’s questions were asked on the scene, so how could they have been prepared beforehand? It looks like your IQ is indeed not as high as us Chinese people [He assumes the above commenter is not Chinese]. However, I don’t blame you either. You being able to open-mindedly learn Chinese from Chinese people shows that you still have potential.
网易上海杨浦网友:
All a bunch of 2B, you guys really think people can raise any question they want at the press conference? All of the journalists’ questions must have an outline submitted for verification, and only after this outline has been determined to be answerable is it approved and credentials granted.
网易上海网友:
I also have two questions, one: Translating for the Premier should of course involve a national-level [the best] interpreters, because they would be representing a country’s image, this is obvious, so why do is it necessary to vigorously support this? Two, what is even more curious to me is that we now already no longer care about the country’s major issues and instead care about an interpreter’s disposition, whether or not she has class. Just whose tragedy is this?
网易北京网友:
Human flesh search Zhang Lu, see if she’s already married or not.
Some more pictures of Interpreter Zhang Lu:
See also:
- “Found in Translation: Wen’s English Voice” (China Real Time)
- “Pretty interpreter makes the news” (Danwei)
Pretty interpreters. chinaSMACK personals.
The comics show before and after liberation and the changes that should have been, the irony is that it seem's nothing has changed after liberation. ...more »
This guy could be the next bond villain in Skyfall. Wonder if we will get to see Daniel Craig all up in his face, and hurl him from some shanghai skyscraper. ...more »
ROFL, I thought that, what with the dodgy cockney spiv trader coat of choice...the camel hair, lol ...more »
I also had to roll eyes at this. High work efficiency, two hours lunch break? ...more »
Imagine if all of these angry anti-laowai people read chinasmack. i imagine they'd really want to bop foriegners over the head with bamboo sticks. It's sad watc ...more »
Looks like Del Boy in the cigar pic. Alright me old china? ...more »
This anti-minority sentiment seems oddly familiar. It's terrible though that it has happened and hope you are your friends get better. ...more »
Looks like little lasting progress has been made in the end. Things for women did improve a bit. No more foot binding or polygamy. Still got 二奶s 小 ...more »
it's not about the touris.. if the law enforcers and locals will do their part in protecting and upholding their laws then of course foreigners would have no ch ...more »
I think we can take it a bit further too. One of the main criticisms of 蔣介石 in mainland China is that he wouldn't stand up to his corrupt underlings and b ...more »