The process of translating different books is similar, Qin explained. The translator has to read through the book to get a general idea of what it is about. Then, she must find the sense and feeling of the language that fit the original work. The actual translation work is a long process of checking and re-checking, sometimes asking friends for help. The translator also has to take notes to make the book easier for readers to understand. Most of the time, the first draft is followed by re-edits.

Qin recalled that once she was given the task of translating a collection of novels by the female Japanese writer Matsuura Rieko. The collection consisted of three novels featuring stories about lesbians. The subject and the language were both unfamiliar to Qin, who found the work difficult to translate. She had to ask one of her female Japanese friends for help, who explained some of the body language described in the book. When it came to some embarrassing descriptions, they just laughed it off and kept going.

Qin believes there is a bad trend in the translation business: that is hurrying the translation of award-winning books. Though it helps Chinese readers to keep up with literature from other countries, it also leads to some poorly translated works, she said, turning first-class books into poor copies. "It is like turning a horse into a lame donkey, which is a misfortune for both the writers and readers," Qin said.

In 2004 Qin became translator and editor for World Literature. It was the best-selling literature journal in 1970s and 1980s when its peak circulation hit 300,000 copies. Now its circulation has declined to around 10,000.

"Despite this our 12 editors chose to hold on to it. We picks up good literature according to our own standards instead of following the trends," Qin noted. She is one of the earnest editors who disputes even the smallest marks of punctuation.

"Thanks to its sober editors and excellent translators with remarkable dedication, I still have faith that World Literature will become a classic again in the future," Qin added.