Recently, the Office of Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality organized a special training program on improving foreign language translation and service capability. Over 300 staff from relevant departments of different districts in Beijing as well as foreign affairs offices in Tianjin and Hebei joined the training online or offline.

Zooming in on foreign language translation and service quality

A holistic and systematic program

The training program was designed to be holistic and systematic, taking into account the participants’ background and their specific demands. The syllabus featured courses on how to translate Chinese-style discourse and public policies into foreign languages, the regulations on improving the language environment for international exchanges, how to enhance the understanding of international communication and improve foreign language service capability, and common protocol and etiquette principles in foreign affairs. With such an elaborate lineup of training topics, the program aimed to help equip participants with the skills needed to undertake translation and other tasks in their day-to-day work.

Chen Mingming

Former Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand and Sweden,

and Former Director General of the Translation and Interpretation Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Liu Yingqian

Deputy Director of the Conference Translation and Interpretation Division of the Department of Translation and Interpretation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

Dong Zhixin

Deputy Director of Business Development Department of China Daily

Liu Qiang

Senior Translator at China Internet Information Center of China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, and Author of WeChat Official Account “waixuanweiji”

Michael Crook

Winner of the Chinese Government Friendship Award, and Member of the Board of Trustees of Western Academy of Beijing

Huang Caizi

Secretary-General of China Professional Committee of Protocol and Etiquette Culture

<<Check out the exciting lineup of lecturers>>

Cultivating practical skills and providing professional support

“Teach them how to fish”

To effectively boost the participants’ practical capabilities, the program offered dedicated sessions that aim to impart both knowledge and skills. The lecturers assigned translation exercises in advance and offered targeted analysis and review, helping the participants fully understand the course material. Additionally, documents such as Beijing’s Guidelines for the Use of English for Public Signs and General Guidelines for the Use of English for Institutional Names and Professional Titles were shared and explained, and the search function of “Beijing Foreign Affairs Translation Corpus” on the official website of Beijing Foreign Affairs Office and reference materials such as “Keywords of Beijing” were introduced. The lecturer from the Beijing Translators Association also recommended high-quality resources for government affairs translation in Beijing, providing all-around professional support to the participants.

Building a learning and exchange platform for foreign language talent

Sharing resources

In order to reach a wider audience, all the courses were also streamed online for participants from different departments of all districts in Beijing as well as foreign affairs offices in Tianjin and Hebei, providing them an accessible learning platform. Staff workers from culture and tourism, business and commerce, transportation and finance departments who directly interact with foreigners were also invited to join the training online, so that they can provide high-quality bilingual services for inbound travelers. The participants actively shared their experience and best practices, and engaged in heated discussions and exchanges around enhancing foreign language translation and service capability to make the city more international.

Words from the participants:

Lin Hongyu from the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee    

The training helped us who work in the foreign affairs and publicity space to gain deeper understanding of policies and hone our professional skills. We are now better equipped to tell stories of Chinese modernization and Beijing as the capital of a major country in foreign languages and in a way that appeals to the international audience.

Zhu Zhenyu from Foreign Affairs Office of Haidian District

The training enhanced my translation ability. The exchanges with the lecturers and other participants also inspired me to think deeper on how to better promote Haidian district to the outside and improve international services.

Hao Li from Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences

The training was quite rewarding as the lectures are diversified and targeted. Meanwhile, the class was well-organized and highly disciplined, demonstrating the awareness of observing discipline and rules required for foreign affairs staff in the new era, which left a deep impression on me.

Zhang Xu from the Temple of Heaven Administrative Committee

The Temple of Heaven undertakes vast amounts of high-level foreign-related receptions each year. The training can help us further improve our services for international guests.