Tang Wensheng, former Executive Vice President of the Translators Association of China, wins the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Translation, China's highest accolade in the profession, on March 30, 2024 (GUO XIAOYONG)

Tang Wensheng, 81, typed a question into the dialog box of Chinese search engine Baidu's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service, Ernie Bot: How do I install drivers for a printer and a scanner on a desktop computer? Within seconds, the answer popped up. Tang followed the step-by-step instructions and successfully installed the two drivers on her own.

"I did this out of necessity. Installing drivers may be a piece of cake for younger people, but I have to ask for help. AI is really helpful," Tang told Beijing Review.

Tang is no stranger to new technology and trends. A retired interpreter who also had experience in international communication, she stays up to date by learning new knowledge and skills, even in her 80s. "I believe learning may help slow down the aging process," Tang said.

Mastering the craft

Over the course of her 49-year career, Tang has held many prestigious titles, including former vice chairwoman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, where she remains an adviser, and former vice chairwoman of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and executive vice president of the Translators Association of China. However, she is best known as an interpreter for China's top leaders, including Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, during the 1970s.

Born in New York City, the United States, in 1943, Tang spent her first years in the U.S. before relocating to China with her family at the age of 9. Thanks to her English proficiency, in 1962, Tang enrolled as an English major at Beijing Foreign Languages Institute (now Beijing Foreign Studies University). Her academic performance was outstanding—so much so that she skipped two grades and completed her college education in three years instead of the usual five years at that time.

After graduation, Tang began working as a translator and interpreter in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Like many novices, she started with the most basic tasks, such as typing and translating telegrams. "Since we new ones were single, we lived in a dormitory, which was very close to our office. If any telegrams came in at night, we'd be woken up to translate them," Tang said.

Her first business trip took place in May 1965, the first month of her career. She served as an apprentice during a group trip for resident ambassadors. Upon arriving at the hotel lobby, Tang carried out her first task there, which was to loudly announce the meal times. "I shivered a bit with nerves," she recalled.

But despite her initial unease, Tang continued to learn from senior translators and interpreters. Soon, she had caught on to the art of interpreting, developing her own shorthand system to capture the often complex exchanges between world leaders.

For Tang, interpreting for Mao and Zhou in the 1970s remains a professional highlight. During that decade, China established diplomatic relations with more than 70 countries. "The international situation was very complicated, but Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou had extremely sharp political insight. They seized opportunities with accuracy, acting quickly and decisively," Tang said.

What truly earned Tang's admiration was the way the two leaders communicated. When speaking with foreign guests, Mao and Zhou conveyed their messages with foresight and clarity. They communicated in a way that was both easy to understand and convincing, often winning over those who at first misunderstood or disagreed with China's position. "I think that was very difficult and very admirable. So, being their interpreter was a privilege and a learning experience," Tang said.

The challenges at hand

As one of China's foremost interpreters, Tang faced many challenges in her work, with few as huge as interpreting for Mao during his conversation with American journalist Edgar Snow in 1970. Snow was the author of Red Star Over China, a 1937 book that had introduced the world to the Communist Party of China's revolutionary vision.

In August 1970, Snow visited China and expressed his wish to meet Mao. On the morning of December 18, he arrived at Mao's residence in Beijing. The two old friends spent five hours conversing, with Tang serving as the sole interpreter.

Their discussion covered a wide range of topics, including the future of China-U.S. relations. Mao said there was no need for the two countries to remain in a deadlock, and that diplomatic relations would be established sooner or later.

The sheer length of the conversation posed a challenge for Tang, but the real difficulty came from Mao's use of figurative idioms. When Mao cited an old Chinese saying, "wufa wutian" (meaning "unrestrained by any rules"), Tang struggled to find a concise English equivalent. The word "fa" in Chinese means "hair," so the idiom conveys the image of a monk without hair and, metaphorically, without restriction or control. Tang took the time to explain both the imagery and the underlying meaning of the idiom. She described it as follows: Monks, who have shaved heads, would be separated from the heavens if they hold an umbrella over their heads. So, putting it together, they would have neither hair nor heaven, which in Chinese sounds similar to "obey neither the laws nor the heavens." "It was a very clumsy interpretation," Tang admitted.

Snow, who had been deeply focused on the conversation, didn't take many notes during the meeting. He later asked Tang for a copy of hers. Tang carefully reconstructed the entire conversation and a summary of it was sent to Mao for approval. Mao endorsed the summary and its English version was shared with Snow. However, the idiom was not included in there. But things didn't end there.

In 1971, Snow went on to publish an article, quoting Mao as saying he was "only a lone monk walking the world with a leaky umbrella." Due to Snow's misinterpretation, Tang was criticized by many people and she felt the sting of criticism. "I didn't mind," she said. "But I did feel a bit wronged."

Over the following decade, Tang served as an interpreter in many historic events, including the Ping-Pong Diplomacy, with the U.S. table tennis team invited to visit China in 1971, the restoration of China's legitimate seat in the United Nations, and then U.S. President Richard Nixon's landmark visit to the country in 1972. "As a result, the face and voice of translator Nancy Tang [her English name] became familiar to millions of American television viewers," read an article published by Newsweek on March 6, 1972, just after Nixon concluded his trip.

In the years that followed, Tang continued to interpret for other Chinese leaders, becoming a veteran diplomat. By 1984, Tang had shifted her focus from working as an interpreter to engaging in international communication and exchange.

From 2004 to 2015, she served as the executive vice president of the Translators Association of China, where she participated in many related events, including translation and interpretation competition ceremonies. Thanks to her lifetime dedication to the field, Tang in March 2024 was honored with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Translation, China's highest accolade in the profession.

Tips for success

As a trailblazer in her field, Tang is eager to share her wisdom with young interpreters. Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that effective interpretation comes from practice. "Experience is the mother of wisdom. The more you practice, the sharper your language skills will become," she said.

Another important factor is concentration. When interpreting, one must eliminate any distracting thoughts. "Interpreting is like playing table tennis," she explained. "Good players focus solely on the ball flying toward them, promptly swing their rackets and hit the ball back precisely. For interpreters, what the speaker says at any given time is the 'ball'. You must listen carefully, interpret accurately and express yourself promptly."

Beyond language, Tang believes interpretation involves understanding culture, nuance and the deeper meanings behind words. "To do our job well, we must understand both ourselves and the other side," she noted, adding that as many Chinese concepts don't have direct equivalents in foreign languages, translating commonly used terms in China literally could lead to misunderstandings.

She elaborated that the best interpretation happens when the interpreter's presence goes unnoticed. "You must accurately convey emotions. If you're expressing protest, you can't do it with a smile. If you're being friendly, you can't do it with a poker face," she said.

In Tang's view, AI will play an increasingly important role in the future of interpretation. "AI is a very good tool and can be a great assistant to us," she acknowledged. However, AI has its limitations, particularly when it comes to grasping the deeper meanings behind Chinese phrases, especially those involving emotions or idiomatic expressions. "AI will get better, but for now, it can't replace us," she added.

(Print Edition Title: More Than Words)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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