Throughout April 20th to 21th in 2019, sponsored by China Translation Association and Shanghai Science &Technology Translation Society, “the 8th National Conference of Applied Translation”organized by the CFL of the NKU was held in the NKU. About 300 participants, at home and abroad, from governments, industries, universities and institutions for scientific research were present in the conference.
The conference was characterized by the following three aspects:
Firstly, the conference advanced with the times and was problems-driven. 2019 would witness the 100th anniversary of the NKU. To manifest the profound academic background and commitment to people, as well the academic achievements on the applied translation, the organizing committee of the conference defined the conference as“Paving the Way for ’Going Global ’: Applied Translation and Language Services”alongside the progression of the “Road and Belt”Initiative and enterprises’ globalization , the huge need for the language services caused by the cultural “going global” and the imperative discourse system for the communication with the outside world. It centered on the topics with the characteristics of the times, such as the innovation of applied translation theories, the construction of external language system in terms of translation and knowledge, the new subjects，forms and trends in language services, the relationship between the big data and translation driven by the AI, the translation ethics and norms practiced in the society and translation teaching platforms for training the translators. All these efforts was aimed to the combination of theories and practices, academics and industries.
Secondly, speeches at the conference highlighted the trends that cooperation among governments, enterprises, universities and research institutes were promoted. There were 11 keynote speakers and more than 120 speakers in the sessions including the leaders of China International Publishing Group (CIPG) who had long took charge of the state publicity, renowned scholars in the field of applied translation studies and outstanding senior managers in the enterprises of language services and world-class experts in the first-rate enterprises such as Alibaba and Baidu who had long devoted themselves to the translation technology research and development. The conference was a real representation of the resolution what we sought in the applied translation studies and high-end language services--the interdisciplinary studies. The participants opened a free debate and shared their illuminating ideas with each other, providing new thoughts for the development of the applied translation studies and language services in China.
Thirdly, the external discourse system and AI was heatedly debated.
China was going to unfold its own state will, national character and morals, the remarkable achievements since the reform and opening-up and core values by virtue of language and discourse and introduce the distinguished culture and technology. It was inevitable. Moreover, high-end language services were imperative for the activity--“let the China Stories be told and understood”in the field of economics as well as in culture, academics and ideology. Whereas, the “subversive”development of the mode of business and translation technology, especially the growth of the big data and AI posed great challenges on the language services in China. The conference was concerned with the heated topic such as the establishment of external discourse system, AI and translation, new resolution in language services involved with men and machine and the training of the translators against the background of big data.
The conference held succeed in securing the advantages of the NKU in the applied translation studies and teaching ans serving as a good opportunity where cooperation among the government, enterprises, universities and research institutions would be promoted and the competitiveness of the discipline of foreign languages would be strengthened across the board.
