Personal Statement-Translating and Interpreting MA

It’s not often that a kid growing up in a small city strikes up a passion for English
translation and interpretation. Nevertheless, my interest in communicating cultures
between English and Chinese flourished during my adolescence. I encountered a
blogger who posted articles about translations of Chinese poems on a daily basis. The
beauty and accuracy of the words and grammar he used impressed me so deeply that I
copied all sentences in my notebook and looked through them again and again in
spare time. At that time, I began to imagine if I could become an excellent translator
just like him in the future.

When it came to choosing my major, every bone in my body was saying translation.
As soon as I became a freshman in Nanchang University, college teachers presented a
professional image of this major. One of the impressive concepts was that only with
good English skills cannot contribute to an extraordinary translator. Therefore, during
my first summer holiday, I completed an internship in a newspaper office as a
journalist. Knowledge about writing press releases and meeting etiquette enriched my
understanding of this particular area. Furthermore, I took many knowledge contests
about environmental protection and AIDs in order to expand my scope of knowledge.
With a second degree in law, I used what I gained to join the “Challenge Cup”
National College Student Curricular Academic Science and Technology Works
Competition and won a school level award.

In recent two years, my curriculum contents have shifted the focus from theory, i.e.
linguists and lexicology, to practical skills. To strengthen my translating skill, I made
use of this special period in COVID-19 and took a program taught by Professor Kevin
Lin who I had read his books in high school. Through nearly a month’s learning, I
could search information in a more effective manner and better understand the
similarities and differences between the English and Chinese new words, providing
inspiration for translating. And when viewing and emulating the Premier’s press
conference, I was deeply influenced by Zhang Lu, the chief translator of Premier Wen
Jiabao. I enjoyed the charm of English interpreting and wished to be an interpreter
like her.

Through my college studies, my spark of passion for English interpreting was ignited
which never withered but kept thriving with each passing day. Therefore, I made my
decision to obtain more systematic know-how of translating and interpreting on a
higher-level platform. I hope to be immersed in an all-English environment, touch the
authentic cultural difference in person and use the fully-equipped, state-of-the-art
interpreting equipment to advance skills and turn my vision into reality. And the
training in different areas your university offers can help me explore the particular
field that I would like to enter as my future profession. With my theoretical
foundation in English study, my strong passion for English translating and interpreting
as well as my burning desire for further self-improvement, I believe I am just one of
the appropriate candidates of your program.