On March 23, 2026, the opening meeting for the 2025–2026 Chinese Academic Translation Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC), Via della seta: tre millenni di storia di Zhang Guogang (versione in italiano), was successfully held online. The project was jointly proposed by Dr. Feng Lisi of the Department of Italian, School of Foreign Studies (SFS) at Nankai University, and SDX Joint Publishing Company. Dr. Feng serves as the project leader.
The review meeting was chaired by Prof. Yang Lin, convener of the review committee. Dr. Feng presented an overview of the project, introducing the academic value and significance of the original work, the background of mutual translation and cultural exchange between China and Italy, the project team, the Chinese and overseas publishing partners, the publication schedule, and the publicity and promotion plan. The review committee commented highly of the project proposal and offered professional guidance on potential challenges of the implementation.
The panel of experts provided comments and recommendations on issues including the translation of specialized terminology, the reading experience of the target audience, and the compilation of a glossary. Prof. Meng Qingbo offered professional insights on the use of pinyin annotations and translator’s notes. Associate Prof. Clara Bulfoni expressed her willingness to provide localized support for the project and emphasized that the translation should strike a balance between academic rigor and readability. Prof. Wen Zheng, a member of the project team, praised the project as an exemplary model of mutual learning between Chinese and Italian civilizations and commended the team’s extensive experience. Prof. Pier Francesco Fumagalli and Associate Prof. Miriam Castorina both expressed their honor in participating in the project and believed that the publication would be well received by Italian readers. In his concluding remarks, Prof. Yang Lin, drawing on his previous experience translating and introducing the works of Le Daiyun, underscored the importance of terminological research in academic translation projects.
Following deliberation, the review committee unanimously approved the project’s commencement, concluding that the project is well planned, supported by a highly capable team with clearly defined responsibilities, and fully capable of producing a high-quality translation and promoting its international dissemination. Dr. Feng expressed her sincere gratitude to the committee and stated that the project team would carefully incorporate the experts’ valuable suggestions to ensure the successful completion of the project.
