Translations build bridge for international cultural exchange

Xiang Zhaolun, vice minister of culture of China,gives a speech during the graduation ceremony of the 2017 Sino-Foreign Audiovisual Translation and Dubbing (SFATD) Cooperation Workshop on June 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Artwork has an important role in transcending emotions and connecting different cultures, and the Chinese film and TV industry wants better "foreign voices" on overseas screens.

During the 2017 Sino-Foreign Audiovisual Translation and Dubbing Cooperation Workshop and Symposium in Shanghai, nearly 50 filmmakers, translators and film company managers from about 30 countries shared insights on how to better promote Chinese productions in their home countries.

The workshop is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China (SARFT), and co-organized by Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee, Shanghai Media & Entertainment Authority, National foreign cultural trade base in Shanghai, Chinese Culture Translation and Studies Support Network (CCTSS) and Communication University of China ( CUC ).

"High-level translation acts as a bridge to draw people from different countries closer and support cultural development," Xiang Zhaolun, vice minister of culture of China, said at the graduation ceremony of the 2017 Sino-Foreign Audiovisual Translation and Dubbing (SFATD) Cooperation Workshop & Symposium in Shanghai on June 18.

He added that China, as a great cultural nation and film and television giant, has always spread Chinese history, culture, heritage and national spirit through film and television.

Students in the workshop are given a certificate during the graduation ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"The workshop is a precious opportunity for the Chinese film and TV industry to learn from colleagues from abroad to strive and strengthen the communication of international exchange, improving and upgrading the quality of film and television translation as well as dubbing abilities," Xiang said.

Zhang Hongsen, the deputy director of the State Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China, said that more than tens of thousands of episodes of excellent Chinese TV series, film, animation and documentary have been translated into over 35 languages and shown in over 100 countries and regions around the world as part of several cooperation projects since 2012, including the China-Africa Film and TV Cooperation Project, Contemporary Chinese Work Translation Project and The Silk Road Media Partnership Project.

The Chinese Contemporary Work Translation Project aims to promote representative Chinese contemporary artworks to the world by funding translation, publication, talent exchanges and platform building. The workshop is an important part of the project. In the last three years, it has invited more than 170 professionals in the film and TV industry from over 50 countries. A series of outstanding Chinese film and TV productions reflecting China's reality, normal Chinese people's lives and mainstream values were broadcasted throughout the world.