The International Conference on Translation and Interpretation Education Development was held in Beijing on May 21, 2011. About 300 professors and scholars from translation and interpretation institutes at home and abroad attended the opening ceremony, with United Nations under-secretary-general for General Assembly and Conference Management Muhammad Shaaban delivering keynote speech.

Li Zhaoxing, president of TAC, spoke at the International Conference on T&I Education Development on May 21 at Beijing Foreign Studies University in Beijing. [China.org.cn]

Cosponsored by the Translators Association of China (TAC) and Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), the two-day conference includes plenary sessions and twelve sub-forums with the theme of a sustainable economy. Delegates delivered speeches and had lively discussions concerning the demand for translation professionals in a world of economic globalization, and the expertise and skills a translator or interpreter should acquire to serve global economic exchanges.

"'Sustainable economy' is a buzz word, but it's important to apply it to education," said Professor Hannelore Lee-Jahnke, president of the International Permanent Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters and dean of the School of Translation and Interpretation at Geneva University. She said the changing global economic environment affects many aspects of the translation training, such as the future of language combinations and the subjects in which people have to be trained.

The conference is also one of a series of public events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the birth of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Today, China is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but the values here are somewhat different from the Western countries, which may create obstacles to intercultural communication.

As one of the top academic events in the global translation industry, the conference aims to break down the wall between different cultures by bridging language divides, and therefore reach understandings and promote cooperation, said Chen Yulu, president of BFSU.

This event is the best birthday gift BFSU could ask for and will largely improve the training of translation professionals in China, said Chen.

“Translation education in China enjoys a relatively short history and surprisingly rapid development,” said Hao Ping, deputy Minister of Education. The training of qualified intercultural language professionals is an issue currently facing the translation industry in many countries.