1st Edition

From Classroom to War of Resistance Chinese Military Interpreter Training during World War II

By Jie Liu Copyright 2024
152 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

152 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

152 Pages 13 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book focuses on a long- neglected yet important topic in China’s translation history: interpreter/ translator training and wartime translation studies. It examines the military interpreter training programmes after the outbreak of the Pacific War (1941–1945), further revealing the indispensable role of translation and interpreting in war. The author explores the relationship between... Read more

1. The opening of the Pacific Theatre and the demand for military interpreters  2. Historical developments of military interpreters training  3. Talent cultivation and characteristics of the interpreter training centres  4. Analysis of textbook Forty English Lessons for Interpreting Officers  5. Chinese Interpreters’ assignments and work practices  6. Conclusions

Biography

Jie Liu is currently an affiliated Research Fellow at Central China Normal University (CCNU) in Wuhan, China, and visiting scholar at the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He received his Ph.D. from Utrecht University and has been Research Scholar at the University of Florida. Previously, he held Associate Professorship at the National Huaqiao University, where he also served as Lead Interpreter. His work has been published in several international interpretation and translation journals. Over the past decade or so, Jie Liu has been an active conference interpreter and member of the Translators’ Association of China (TAC), and the European Society of Translation Studies (EST).

“A fascinating and detailed account of interpreting/translation in China during World War Two. In bringing to life the stories of translation/interpreting trainees, it makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the political context, to languages at war studies, and to the history of translation/interpreting.”

 

Hilary Footitt, Associate Fellow, Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, U.K.

 

“Combining new research methodologies on wartime language education and drawing on a vast number of first-hand materials which bring us close to trainees' memories and to the stories of interpreting officers, this is a groundbreaking contribution to the field of war interpreting studies. An innovative and interdisciplinary volume that explores China’s translation and interpreting history between 1937 and 1945 and presents a rigorous investigation on Chinese military interpreter training programmes after the outbreak of the Pacific War. No doubt, this book is an outstanding contribution to explore the vital role of languages at war.”

 

África Vidal, Full Professor of Translation Studies, University of Salamanca, Spain