Adopted in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to connect nearly 70 countries on three continents. The huge infrastructure and development project is not merely economic in nature, but also a quest for cultural exchange and integration. In order to establish fruitful cooperation, mutual understanding is critical. Here translation and interpretation comes in – the effort to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps that hinder communication.
Prof. Dr. Irene Zhang, Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at Shanghai International Study University (SISU), will talk about Chinese as a pivot language in the context of the BRI. She will explore how Chinese, rather than English, could be used as an intermediary language for the translation between two languages. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Zhang will explain how to leverage the technology of machine translation to effectively remove language barriers.
Machine translation will also feature in the presentation of Prof. Dr. Zhengren Li, Executive Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at SISU. Even though promising in many ways, an overreliance on machine translation can lead to a loss of nuance and a decreased effort in mastering the languages one is translating. However, as Prof. Dr. Li will point out, even small details can make a huge difference in cross-cultural communication.
Prof. Dr. Hannelore Lee-Jahnke will examine the Silk Road that connected East and West starting from the 2nd century BC. Once the largest transportation network on the planet, the Silk Road offers many lessons for today’s Belt and Road Initiative. Prof. Dr. Lee-Jahnke will talk about how these lessons can inform sustainable decisions for the future.
Event Rundown
16:00 Webinar Starts
16:00-16:10 Introduction
(Libing Gu – Head of Academic Relations at Swissnex in China)
16:10-16:20 Presentation
(Prof. Dr. Hannelore Lee-Jahnke – Co-Chair of Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Translation & Interpretation at SISU)
16:20-16:30 Presentation
(Prof. Dr. Irene Zhang – Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at SISU)
16:30-16:40 Presentation
(Prof. Dr. Zhengren Li – Executive Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation at SISU)
16:40-17:00 Q&A and Conclusion
Speakers
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Bio
Prof. Dr. Hannelore Lee-Jahnke
Co-Chair of Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Translation & Interpretation, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)Prof. Dr. Hannelore Lee-Jahnke was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Linguistic University of Minsk and owns 6 honorary professorships. In 2013 she was awarded the Medal Joseph ZAAROUR (Université St. Joseph, Beyrouth) for outstanding work on bringing cultures together, respecting social rules and defending highest values in human communication.
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Bio
Prof. Dr. Irene Zhang
Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)Prof. Dr. Irene Zhang is a China Zhi Gong Party SISU Committee Chairwoman since 2015, and Secretary General of Shanghai Committee for Translation and Interpreting (T&I) Education since 2014. She has a Professional Diploma in Conference Interpreting and worked for a portfolio of high-profile interpreting events in both the public and private sector. She has received prestigious awards in recognition of her achievements in teaching and research.
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Bio
Prof. Dr. Zhengren Li
Executive Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)Prof. Zhengren Li is the former Chief of Interpretation Service, United Nations Office at Geneva. He joined the UN translation work in 1984 and went on to accumulate a wealth of practical experience in conference interpreting and conference management. He had sat on the jury of interpreting recruitment exams of the United Nations, of the European Union, and of AlIC certified interpretation exams for many successive years. He is currently the Executive Dean of Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation, Shanghai International Studies University, China.
