Decoding Xi’s report

XI JINPING’S report on Wednesday to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has fuelled heated discussion about translation among the Chinese public.

The colloquialism and quotes in his report have caught the attention of the public, sparking a discussion about how these words and expressions should be translated into English properly.

On microblog Sina Weibo, a post about how to translate the report had been forwarded more than 50 000 times and received about 70 000 likes as of 10am on Saturday.

“How to translate ‘Bu Wang Chu Xin’ in English” instantly became a trendy topic after Xi’s report delivery, drawing a big number of comments from regular citizens as well as English language experts.

“Bu Wang Chu Xin” meaning “never forget why you started” was included in Xi’s report.

Nine foreign linguists had been asked to translate and edit the document – the most important Chinese policy statement in five years. It has been translated into 10 foreign languages.

The four Chinese characters “Bu Wang Chu Xin” directly translates into “don’t forget your original intentions”.

Many say it is difficult for Western readers in English to get the real meaning hidden in the Chinese expression. One of the editors, Holly Snape, agreed.

Snape, coming from Britain, told Xinhua that she found it very difficult to convey some Chinese ideas in English.

“Even as a non-Chinese native speaker, I can feel the determination behind the report, and how big the ideas are,” she said. “In many parts of the original, there was a tempo and rhythm, and real feeling with many difficult nuances to convey in English.”

Zhang Xixian, a professor with the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, said that Xi’s use of colloquialism in the report shows he is “a linguist who knows how to use clear, easy language to convey deep thoughts and philosophy”.