Translation Nation: The Beijing Review engages in some local boosterism for the IFT-FIT conference to be held in Shanghai in August:
China’s position as a powerhouse of the translation industry is to be cemented, as it becomes the first Asian country to host the International Federation of Translators’ (FIT) international meeting.
FIT’s XVIII World Congress, to be held in Shanghai from August 2 to 7, is also historic for several other reasons. The half-century old event comes in a year that the UN has proclaimed the International Year of Languages, based on a pursuit of multilingualism as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving the diversity of languages and cultures globally. That idea is reflected in the theme of this year’s FIT World Congress, “Translation and Cultural Diversity.”
Speaking of which, Hong Kong recently passed a measure mandating translation and interpreting services for all citizens who speak neither Chinese nor English:
Hong Kong, China (Standard): Hong Kong passed its first anti-racism law yesterday and was immediately plunged into controversy over a clause which mandates that ethnic minorities be provided with translation services if they can’t speak Chinese or English. Under the Race Discrimination Bill, which was passed unanimously by the Legislative Council yesterday, all public and private organizations will have a legal obligation to provide translation services to ethnic minorities.
Back to FIT-IFT conference:
In terms of the number of participants and presentations, this is also the largest FIT world congress ever. It is also unique for the conference to take place in an Olympic host nation on the eve of the sports extravaganza.
Anyone organizing a boycott over the Tibet issue, I wonder?
According to Huang Youyi, FIT Vice President, over 1,400 people from more than 70 countries and regions have registered to participate in the congress, including 700 domestic participants from China. This makes it the largest FIT World Congress ever.
Translation industry boom in China:
Huang, who is also Vice President and Secretary-general of the Translators Association of China (TAC), said there are three reasons behind China’s domestic enthusiasm for the conference. The first reason is the boom in translation and interpretation in China. The increasing exchanges and communication between China and the outside world at all levels have generated great demand for translation and interpretation services. The second reason is the introduction of new translation techniques, such as localization and translation software. The third reason is that translation and interpretation education in China has been developing rapidly in recent years. Over 70 percent of Chinese attendees at the event come from institutions of higher learning.
