Female Interpreter Shines at Premier’s Press Conference

Premier Wen Jiabao has held a press conference after the conclusion of the annual session of the National People’s Congress every March since he took the job. In answering questions, he often quotes his favorite Chinese poems. What makes the press conference in March 2010 a little bit unusual was the young female interpreter. From 2006 to 2009, Fei Shengchao interpreted for the premier. Zhang Lu, a 33-year-old veteran interpreter, did the work this year.

Chinese netizens wasted no time in applauding the brilliant performance of Zhang Lu at the press conference. They had expected fluency and proficiency on the part of any interpreter on such a significant occasion. But profoundly impressed by Zhang Lu’s rendering of some poems the premier quoted, they could not hold themselves back from waxing lyrical about her seemingly effortless but accurate and graceful interpretation on the spot. Some regarded her in great esteem, thinking she was their career model. Some thought she was a charming woman.

Experts added to the internet buzz about Zhang Lu. A master linguist commented that cultural connotations in a Chinese poem are hard to convey in English due to the huge difference between English and Chinese cultures. When faced with such a challenging task, most interpreters choose to give a rough sketch. A prominent interpreter commented on Zhang Lu’s interpretation of these difficult ancient poems that her rendering was so clear and accurate that it gave rise to easy understanding. The expert continued to note: “the premier’s annual press conference is the most challenging job for an interpreter and the hardest part of the job is the ancient poems.”

Luo Lisheng, the dean of foreign language department of Qinghua University, commented that Zhang Lu’s lucid performance at the press conference represented the country’s best professional interpretation. He went on to say the political phrases were appropriately interpreted.

Zhang Lu’s Story

She was born in 1977 in Jinan, the capital city of eastern China’s coastal Shandong Province. She was a brilliant scholar and a high-profile versatile enthusiast in many campus activities. While still in middle school, she showed her aptitude for the English language. She was often asked to read an English text aloud for the whole class. In her spare time, she read English extensively. She stood 1.7 meters tall in the high school so that she had to sit in the back of the room. Her classmates thought she was the beauty of the class.

Zhang Lu entered the International Law department of China Foreign Affairs University in 1996 and graduated in 2000. She entered the English Division of Translation Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Her mother works in a hospital in Jinan and her father is retired. After Zhang Lu catapulted into national stardom overnight, some journalists came to Jinan to dig into her background. Her mother Sun Li is most reluctant to talk about their only child. The parents respect the daughter’s choices. They keep a very low profile.

As a senior interpreter at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she works hard. Interpreting for Premier Wen requires her to prepare herself thoroughly. As Wen often quotes ancient poems and use professional terms, she needs to do a lot of homework in advance. Her former classmates at the China Foreign Affairs University recall that Zhang Lu was a diligent student spending long hours studying and memorizing.

A teacher with China Foreign Affairs University says that the Translation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has about 50 interpreters and that a majority of them are English and French interpreters. To qualify as an interpreter for the ministry, one needs to undergo extremely rigorous training. The elimination rate is high. That is why most officials at the Ministry look more like scholars than bureaucrats.

Working as an interpreter for high-ranking officials is a huge challenge, both physical and intellectual. An interpreter needs to work under enormous pressure. Zhang Lu remembers doing 12 sessions of interpreting in one day for then Minister Li Zhaoxing on an International Conference on Afghanistan. She and her colleagues worked day and night for the Information Office under the State Council for daily press conference on Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. She interpreted for Premier Wen Jiabao in his talk with UK prime minister Brown in February, 2009. Zhang Lu interpreted for Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on March 7, 2010. It is this hard work and experience that paved way for her brilliant performance for Premier Wen Jiabao at the press conference.