Coming to China: A Life-changing Experience
Ismael Santana is part of the young breed that leads the growing links between Uruguay and China
Ismael Santana, a consultant at the Embassy of Uruguay in China, is part of the young breed that leads the growing links between Uruguay and China.
The first time I came in contact with China was in 2008, when my mother recommended me to join a Chinese language course that was starting soon. But after trying my best to learn the language for some time, I did not make much progress. Sometime later, I saw the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing and was so impressed by it that I decided to give Chinese another chance,” Ismael Santana, who is currently working as a consultant at the Embassy of Uruguay in China, told China Today. He mainly performs the frightening job of interpretation and translation, one of the most complicated specialties, especially when it is done for government officials at high levels. Commercial and investment issues are his favorite topics to interpret.
As he recalls his journey of learning Chinese, he has fond memories from his first months of studying Chinese in Uruguay. “I started to make Chinese friends in Uruguay and the positive response from the Chinese towards a Uruguayan who was interested in their culture and their country inspired me so much that I decided to stop what I was doing in Uruguay and come to China.” The Chinese community in Uruguay is small. According to data from the Chinese Embassy in that country, there were a total of 300 Chinese in Uruguay last year. They celebrate their traditional holidays like the Chinese New Year and the Mid-autumn Festival there. “They became a driving force to impel me to continue studying Chinese.”
Upon learning the opportunities that would arise from the Shanghai International Expo 2010, he headed off to visit China, especially the city of Shanghai. “Some Chinese people who had a restaurant in Montevideo told me that if I ever visited Shanghai I could stay at their home, and I did. Later, I heard the Uruguay XXI (the Uruguayan investment and export promotion agency) was looking for people to work in the Uruguay pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, and that job strengthened my connection with China even more.” But the best news was yet to come. During the Expo he met Rosario Portell, the then ambassador of Uruguay in China. “She told me about the scholarships that China offers to Uruguayans and gave me the opportunity to come to Beijing. After that, I returned to Montevideo and applied for the scholarship in March 2011.”
During the interview for the scholarship, they asked him about his interest in China, Chinese language skills, and what his family did. As a test, they sent him to serve as an interpreter for a Chinese ping-pong coach who was visiting Montevideo at the time. “I told him about my experience and sang
for him a section of the revolutionary Beijing Opera Shajiabang, to which he was quite amazed. On July 22, the Chinese Embassy called, telling me that my application for the scholarship had been accepted, and by the end of August I was in China.” When he first arrived, he took a Chinese preparatory course at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), and then started his degree in International Politics at the Renmin University of China. In his own words, “The first year was quite difficult, because regardless of the language knowledge one may have, sharing classes with Chinese students in a university of that level, which are sometimes the best students from some provinces and cities, has great demands to which one must adapt to.”
Besides working as an intercultural bridge, his work also allows him to constantly improve his professional ability and cultural understanding.
The Role of a Translator
Although China was not what he imagined it to be, the first time he arrived in Shanghai from Montevideo was a special experience for him. He said, “I thought I was going to find a city that looked more Chinese as far as architectural matters are concerned, and that Mandarin was going to be spoken by everyone. To my surprise, people in Shanghai speak the Shanghai dialect. The first months were intense.” For Santana, being in China has always presented him with challenges, but they are not so big that he cannot overcome them. In his words, “Learning Chinese and connecting with local people is the main challenge foreigners encounter when they arrive.” But the experience is always rewarding.
In his professional achievements, his family has played a fundamental role. “My family always supported me in the idea of going out to explore from the beginning,” he said. “At that time, China was not as globally visible as it is today, and people thought that studying Chinese was not going to be very useful,” he added. Life has shown him that he made the right choice, because studying in China has transformed his future for the better. “While studying computer science in Uruguay, I never imagined that I would spend seven years in China studying international politics and working as an interpreter for such important people”, he recalls.
The work of a translator is silent and exciting. Besides working as an intercultural bridge, his work also allows him to constantly improve his professional ability and cultural understanding. “After graduating, I did an internship and thanks to Ambassador Fernando Lugris’ confidence in me I got the job to interpret for the Uruguayan authorities who visited China,” says Santana, referring to his work as an interpreter for mayors, ministers, deputy ministers, and even the Uruguayan Vice President, Lucia Topolansky. “Prior to that, I never imagined that one day I would have the opportunity to travel with them during trips around China, which allowed me to have close contact with these individuals.”
His work demands total dedication and a vast amount of knowledge. Reflecting over the challenges in interpreting, he said, “In the process of interpreting, sometimes I discover words in Spanish that I did not know existed. Sometimes the government officials feel that translators talk too much. For example, some Uruguayan officials make jokes about football, and I must give extra explanations to the Chinese representatives so that they can understand and laugh at the jokes too. On the other hand, if the Chinese do not laugh as much as the Uruguayans, it seems that I have not interpreted well.” An interpreter must ensure that there is an understanding as accurate as possible.
Unforgettable Experiences
One of the events that brought most satisfaction to Santana was attending the China-lac Business Summit, the main business meeting between China, Latin America, and the Caribbean, held in the Uruguayan city of Punta del Este between November 30 and December 2, 2017. It was organized by the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Uruguay XXI, and the Inter-american Development Bank. He recalled, “We worked hard and long during that event, but it was very satisfying to see the excellent final results.”
Another of the events that he took part in was the visit of Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez to China in 2016 while working as a consultant for Uruguay XXI. He said, “The visit of Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa for the Uruguay Week in China and the formal entry into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was a historic moment in the geopolitical layout of Uruguay, and luckily, I witnessed the episode by being part of it.” C