November 9, 2016
The annual CBBC Chairman’s visit to China ended on Friday night with a big party. Lord Sassoon was joined by three hundred people to celebrate the 20th anniversary of CBBC’s Chengdu office. A panel of guests talked about the monumental change that had taken place in Chengdu, and also the role of the CBBC over the past two decades. Earlier in the visit, the CBBC delegation met senior central government officials in Beijing and the Party Secretary of Shanghai, Han Zhen. We were proud to have sponsored the interpreting service for the annual mission for the third year running. Kevin was pleased to be told by interpreters on the Chinese side, throughout the visit, that they had all read his book on interpreting.
September 27, 2016
‘What should an interpreter do if someone in the audience interferes with my interpreting?’ ‘How do I respond if a member of the visiting group asks me to accompany them shopping during office hours?’ ‘Would I be at fault if a high-profile event couldn’t start because the interpreter was stuck on a broken down train?’ Those were just some of the many questions raised at a group training session at KL last Friday. Participants were from this year’s Post-MA Professional Training (PMPT) course. They were all MA graduates from leading universities in the UK, from Bath and Surrey to Leeds and Durham. In its tenth year, PMPT is designed to add practical skills and expertise to the theoretical understanding of interpreting gained through university degree programmes. (The photo: PMPT in session)
September 15, 2016
This must be the sixth arbitration hearing at which I’m interpreting. As with the previous five, I see the clash in business culture being played out in front of my eyes as a common cause for disputes. Here are a few indicators. Chinese firms often sign contracts without fully understanding their binding nature. The approach of ‘now we’ve signed the contract, let’s discuss the price’ is still quite common. Chinese companies tend to operate more verbally than in writing. They often rely on phone calls to resolve issues. The lack of rigour in their systems can appear to be almost irresponsible under closer scrutiny. Being able to observe such a clash in culture is a truly unique experience. Dr Kevin Lin
September 5, 2016
Theresa May is in Hangzhou for G20. I look forward to interpreting for her. She’ll be the fifth UK Prime Minister for me. G20 has taken over the city of Hangzhou. There is blue sky, very little traffic and hardly any tourists. The hills and trees around the West Lake are ‘designer-lit’ at night to provide the back drop. At breakfast yesterday, I heard a six year old boy ask his dad ‘what is G20’. Dr Kevin Lin
August 25, 2016
‘According to legend, the woks in Sichuan are very spicy, and it turns out that it’s true. We were in a restaurant and ordered stir-fried cauliflowers and asked them to hold on the chilli. The waitress promised to let the chef know personally. Ten minutes later, our cauliflowers arrived infused with plenty of chilli. We called the waitress. She was embarrassed, apologized and promised to bring a replacement. We said ‘ABSOLUTELY no chilli’. She repeated this to the chef. Ten minutes later, our replacement cauliflowers arrived. They still featured at least three chillies. We decided that this was as ‘absolutely no chilli’ as the chef could possibly make it. Otherwise, the food was great.’ Dr Kevin Lin
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