China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Some of the other winners
South Korean translator Kim Tae-Sung, one of the 19 recipients of the 10th Special BookAwardofChina, whowas recently honored at the Great Hall of the People, says he was a rebel at university when he started learning Chinese.
And it was only when he was pursuing his master’s courses later that he finally understood the power of Chinese literature and began translating it.
Then, thanks to the geographical proximity of his country with China, he began to visit frequently to meet the writers whose works he was translating and introducing to readers inSouthKorea, hesays.
Kim has translated the books ofNobel winnerMo Yan and Tie Ning among the more than 100 works he has translated.
The award Kim won was set up by then General Administration of Press and Publication in 2005 for foreign writers, translators or publishers who made contributions in popularizing Chinese books, or promoting cultural exchanges between China and the world.
This year’s winners also included five awardees who were given the Youth Award, a category which was introduced last year.
Georgian Sinologist Marine Jibladze, who speaks Mandarin like a native Chinese TV news anchor, won an award in the youth category.
Revealing how he became so proficient in Mandarin, Jibladze says: “I spent a lot of time practicing the tone of speaking during my first year in China.”
Jibladze, who manages the Confucius Institute in Georgia, says China’s Belt and Road Initiative has led to more exchanges between officials and businesspeople from both countries.
Justifying her decision to focus on the language, she says: “I decided to learn Chinese for I could see a bright future for mutual exchanges.”
Meanwhile tracing the history of the awards, Zhao Haiyun, deputy director of the Department of Import Administration at the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, says: “As of this year, a total of 88 translators, sinologists, writers and publishers have been honored for their contributions in telling Chinese stories to the world. They include Howard Goldblatt, Ezra Vogel and Beijing-based publisher Jo Lusby.
“But we are still expanding our range and source of recommendations to look at more countries for candidates,” says Zhao.
At the award ceremony, Minister of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, Cai Fuchao, says China has publishing links with more than 190 countries, 50 of which have established mutual