The results of the high-profile China International Translation Contest 2013 were announced recently.

Thirty-seven translated works in English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic won first, second and third prizes, and another 35 works took honorable mentions. Of the award-winning works, 26 percent were translated by Chinese authors, 49 percent by foreign translators, while a further 25 percent by teams of Chinese and foreign collaborators.

At the beginning of the contest, 30 original source texts were provided for the participants to select, all of them contemporary Chinese short stories.

The jury, which is comprised of 53 translation experts, sinologists and publishing groups inside and outside of China, named the prize winners after three rounds of reviews which took place over the course of three months.

The contest has two features: firstly, it has attracted many foreign competitors. The contest drew 1,006 entries altogether from more than 30 countries and regions, with 22 percent of entries contributed by foreign contestants or by teams of Chinese and foreign translators who worked together. In some languages, more than 60 percent of the contestants were from foreign countries.

Secondly, translations submitted were of a high standard. Many of the contestants are sinologists or have been translating Chinese into foreign languages for years, the contest committee revealed.

The contest, which opened in September last year, is sponsored by China’s State Council Information Office, the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and the Chinese Writers Association, and co-organized by the Task Group for "China Book International," the Translators Association of China, the Research Department of the Chinese Writers Association, and the People's Literature Magazine.

Jury list >>

Prize list >>