The eighth national congress of the Translators Association of China (TAC) was held in Beijing on April 1, 2022.  Lü Yansong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), and Zhou Mingwei, president of the TAC from 2015 to 2022, addressed its opening ceremony. Kevin Quirk, president of the International Federation of Translators (IFT),  was among the distinguished guests, speaking via video link. 

The Translators Association of China convenes its eighth national congress in Beijing on April 1, 2022. 

Emphasizing the role of the TAC and all translators in the building of international communication capacity, Lü Yansong pointed out, “Translators are the bridge linking China and the rest of the world, a key force to serve the country’s modernization and opening up, and help the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.” 

Lü Yansong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, speaks at the eighth national congress of TAC. 

Du Zhanyuan, newly elected president of the TAC and President of China International Communications Group, indicated that since its establishment 40 years ago, TAC has led the translation sector to facilitate international communication, promote mutual learning and cultural exchanges with the rest of the world, and build China’s international discourse system in the new era. He noted that China has embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. In the process of pursuing a high-level opening up to the outside world, the translation sector is embracing new historic opportunities. Du called for further efforts to promote the translation and dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, strengthen the capacity building of the national translation team, and advance the burgeoning development of the translation sector, thus contributing to China’s overall development and opening up as well as the common progress of  humanity.  

Du Zhanyuan, newly elected president of TAC and president of China International Communications Group, speaks at the eighth national congress of TAC. 

Focusing on the capacity building of the translation sector, Zhou Mingwei called on the association to seize new opportunities and make innovations to promote the high-quality development of the translation sector and better present China to the world.  

Zhou Mingwei, president of TAC from 2015 to 2022, speaks at the eighth national congress of TAC. 

Kevin Quirk spoke highly of the work of the TAC, saying that the COVID-19 crisis has brought numerous difficulties, but translators from all walks of life have proved the value of translation to the humanity, demonstrating their strong adaptability and flexibility in the new circumstances. He called for more cooperation between the two organizations. 

Kevin Quirk, president of the International Federation of Translators (IFT), delivers his speech via video link. 

During the congress, association members deliberated on and approved the TAC work report by Zhou Mingwei, as well as the revised version of the association’s regulation and the revised draft of its interim measures for management. The congress also elected the new leadership of the TAC with Du Zhanyuan as the president and Gao Anming as the executive deputy president and secretary general.  

The new leadership of the TAC. 

Eight Chinese translators were granted the Lifetime Achievement Award, and seven foreign experts awarded for their contributions to the Chinese translation sector and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world; while another 117 people won the Senior Translator Award.  

Nearly 450 TAC members and representatives from central state organs, enterprises and institutions, universities and colleges, scientific research institutes and the translation industry participated in the congress online and offline. 

TAC, founded in 1982, is China’s sole national association in the field of translation. As an academic and professional association, it consists of members engaged in translation and interpretation across the country. TAC joined FIT in 1987, and a handful of its representatives have been elected Council Members of FIT.