Since COVID-19 has greatly prevailed around the world recently, The Cartoon Guide to NCP Prevention and Control, jointly produced by Tianjin Municipal Communist Party Committee Propaganda Department and Tianjin Publishing and Media Group, has been the first batch of copyright-proof books for pandemic prevention exported to Iran. The book is compiled by Tianjin Science and Technology Press and is made up of 15 short sentences in 14 words. The content includes the guidance of self-prevention, self-isolation and proper medical treatment and suggestions on daily hygiene habits, physical and mental health maintenance, and remote outpatient services. It is supposed to be a popular science book about COVID-19 due to its comprehensible textual description and elaborately witty comic illustrations.
In order to promote the book to more nations and share our experience of pandemic prevention to people all over the world, CFL of NKU has undertaken the multilingual translation of The Cartoon Guide to NCP Prevention and Control. Under the leadership of Yan Guodong, the dean of CFL, Chinese and foreign teachers from Russian, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic departments have translated jointly, contributing to the global pandemic prevention.
Chinese and Foreign Teachers Work Together to Translate and Revise, Targeting on the “Faithfulness, Expressiveness and Elegance” of Translation
“Hey, guys, how should the virus be translated? Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19?”
“There already exists a fixed saying in Japanese. The Japanese have accepted the name of the “新型コロナウィルス”. If it is changed to COVID-19, it is unclear. The Japanese version is recommended to be translated according to the existing name.”
“I still think we should use the standard item purposed by WHO and the government. Translation not only conveys semantic meaning, but also carries the mission of standardizing language.”
“There is a compromise. We could put a bracket after the first appearance of the translated customary name of the target country and mark the international formal name ‘COVID-19’in the bracket, is it OK?”
This is the routine discussion in the WeChat group “COVID-19 Prevention Comics Translation Team” of CFL, and such argument occurs almost every day. Teacher Liu Guanlong are deeply impressed by it, saying “every word and every sentence pattern have been carefully thought out and scrutinized, so as to reach an accurate and appropriate translation of the target language. A lot of terminologies need to be expressed precisely. Take the naming of new coronavirus for example: we have been so prudent and accurate that we even check the official definition given by the State Council of China and WHO.”
Teacher Wang Lidan found some short Chinese expressions actually contain abundant meaning during her translation. Therefore, to meet the best multilingual propagation effects, she has applied illustrative translating approach in the translation of Seven Steps for Hands-Washing in Chinese: palms, back of hands, between fingers, knuckles, thumbs, fingertips, and wrists:
(Russian) Запомните семь шагов мытья рук: ладонь, тыльная сторона руки, между пальцами, суставы пальцев рук, оба больших пальца, кончики пальцев и запястья. (Remember the seven steps for hands-wahsing: palms, back of hands, between fingers, knuckles, thumbs, fingertips, and wrists.)
Being responsible for readers, teachers in CFL have known the professinal knowledge in different fields and discussed with others. They have finished this translation tasks wonderfully, with delicate langugae and precise contents, demonstrating their great translation skills.
Chinese and Foreign Teachers Sign Together to Show the Concept of Global Joint Pandemic Prevention
In the homepage of The Cartoon Guide to NCP Prevention and Control mark several words: “Translators: XXX”, as each of the night languages overseen by CFL is collaboratively translated and jointly signed by Chinese and foreign teachers.
16 teachers in CFL have participated in this multilingual translation in total. They are: Wang Lidan and O Vinogradova, teachers from Russian Department; Wang Xinxin and Sasaki Hayabusa, teachers from Japanese Department; Liu Guanlong and Hans Günter Holger Schneider, teachers from German Department; Chong Yize and Edwige BERRET, teachers from French Department; Gu Jiawei and Olgalelis Du Enias Mendoza, teachers from Spanish Department; Hu Jing and Diana Maia, teachers from Portuguese Department; Yang Lin and Letizia Vallini, teachers from Italian Department; Dou Tianjiao and Murad Hassan Abbas, teachers from Arabic Department.
The “joint sign” here not only indicates the copyright, but also symbolizes the actions of pandemic prevention contributed by the cooperation of people with different nationalities. It presents the concept of global joint pandemic prevention, and proves that the concept of “community of shared future for mankind” has been gradually accepted by the whole world again.
Just as foreign teacher Letizia Vallini said, “Although our nationalities are different, we should work together to fight against the pandemic when facing with the global spreading of COVID-19. Besides, since China has successfully defeated COVID-19, we have passed on our valuable experience to the world through specialty, which is rather meaningful.”
Chinese and Foreign Teachers Work Proactively to Shoulder Responsibility and to Safeguard the Ark of Life
“I have transformed the guidance of pandemic prevention from PDF version to Word version, so that everyone can translate more conveniently.” “Please check the Italian translation with Word version and PDF version alike, and the PDF version might be useful for the proofreading of publisher.” The above suggestions are constantly given by teacher Yang Lin in the WeChat group.
“I want to make sure the readers of this book again, so I am able to settle down the style to see whether I should use honorific language or not.” “We will do the translation work in a responsible manner to China, to people over the world, and to the language.” These words from teacher Wang Xinxin must represent the voices of all the teachers of CFL participating in the translation.
Since they have received the mission, they all intend to help more, think more and translate more precisely.
In fact, this is not the first time for many foreign teachers to participate in the pandemic prevention. For example, Letizia Vallini, a foreign teacher from Italian Department, has been contributing to the promotion of COVID-19 before, as she has been in charge of Italian version of the multilingual posters of “You Are Not Alone” and the proofreading of the blessing in Italian from students of Italian Department of CFL, etc. Russian foreign teacher O Vinogradova is responsible for the proofreading of translation to the Russian version of “A Campaign for All Humankind of Shared Destiny.
The joint translation form Chinese and foreign teachers of CFL is an epitome of the global pandemic prevention and control to protect the ark of life of humanity.
The translation mission was launched under the severe situation of the global epidemic, with short time and heavy tasks. However, the teachers of CFL have spared no efforts and braved enough to take the lead. Yan Guodong, the dean of CFL, said: “This is a move of justice and love, and it is what we should do. This is also the embodiment of NKers’ dedication to public interests, acquisition of all-round capability, aspiration for progress with each passing day and gut to shoulder responsibility.”
Since CFL has taken the mission, aiming at “efficiency and quality”, it sets out 3 principles for this translation task—collaborative translation and proofreading and joint sign by Chinese and foreign teachers, accurate, idiomatic and comprehensible translation, and voluntary job without any pay. Within one week, 16 teachers worked day and night to jointly finish the translation tasks in eight language perfectly.
“This is exactly the authentic interpretation of magnificent Nankai Spirit.”
