Linguists without limits

两会翻译：勤学苦练无止境

Every year in March, press conferences attended by hundreds of journalists from China and abroad are held during the annual plenary sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The journalists ask and the government officials answer questions on highly important matters. Interpreters are central to the process and they share some of the limelight.

每年三月的全国人民代表大会和中国人民政治协商会议期间，数百名中外记者都会参加新闻发布会。记者们就重点话题向政府官员提问。口译员在这一过程中至关重要，受到关注。

On March 2, at the press conference held ahead of the annual session of the CPPCC National Committee, interpreter Yao Mengyao caught the attention of many with her "quick reaction and accurate translation", Xinhua noted.

据新华社报道，在3月2日的全国政协会议开幕前的记者发布会上，翻译姚梦瑶以其“迅速的反应，准确的翻译”受到关注。

Yao began her studies in English in primary school where she would listen to English tapes. She often spoke to her teacher about English-related topics that were not limited to the ones in her textbooks. "They were always very professional, uncommon topics," recalled Yao's senior school teacher Shen Yingzi.

姚梦瑶上小学时就开始学习英语、听英语磁带了。她常常会和老师讨论英语方面的话题，但内容并非只局限于课本。“话题都非常专业、不同寻常，”姚梦瑶的高中老师沈英姿回忆道。

Like Yao, Zhang Lu is a regular interpreter for China's top leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang and former premier Wen Jiabao. Her effortless but on-point translations of ancient poems cited by former premier Wen won praise.

和姚梦瑶一样，张璐也常常担任现任总理李克强和前任总理温家宝等我国最高领导人的翻译。她曾轻松到位地翻译出了温家宝总理所引用的古诗，赢得赞誉。

At the press conference during the two sessions of 2010, Wen cited a sentence from the poem Li Sao to show his determination to deal with problems in the government's work. With amazing skill, Zhang interpreted the sentence as follows: "For the ideal that I hold near to my heart, I'd not regret a thousand times to die."

在2010年两会期间的新闻发布会上，温家宝引用了《离骚》中的一句诗来体现自己处理政府工作中出现的问题的决心。能力出众的张璐翻译出了这个句子：亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。

So how do interpreters reach their top positions?

所以这些顶尖的口译译员是如何炼成的呢？

The reason for their success is largely hard work. Other than when they go out on visits with Chinese leaders, the interpreters follow a very strict schedule. Zhang called this schedule "an unshakable routine". They listen to foreign media such as BBC, VOA or CNN through TV or radio for their intensive training.

他们的成功的主要原因是努力。除了陪同国家领导人出访的时间外，翻译们都遵循着一套相当严格的时间表。张璐称这个时间表为“雷打不动的日常工作”。他们会通过电视广播收听BBC、VOA、CNN等外媒，作为自己高强度的训练。

According to China Radio International, a month before the two sessions, the interpreters get notice of the spokesperson they are going to interpret for. They then make full use of this month to prepare themselves.

据中国国际广播电台报道，两会召开的一个月前，译员们会获知自己将为哪位发言人担任口译，然后充分利用这一个月的时间进行准备。

They try to predict the questions that might be asked and consider the literary quotations the spokesperson might use when they answer the questions.

他们会预测可能被问到的问题，并考虑发言人在回答问题时或许会使用的文学典故。

In truth, there is no secret to their success: It's all a matter of skill and hard work.

事实上，他们的成功并没有什么秘诀：熟能生巧，勤学苦练。