Initiative to pool the strength of the Asia-Pacific translation and interpreting community to combat COVID-19

Since the start of 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has evolved into a global public health crisis and has become a tremendous challenge for all humankind. The virus knows no borders and is without prejudice. At this critical moment, global cooperation is becoming ever more important. Faced with the pandemic, all Asia-Pacific countries have responded actively and contributed to curbing the spread of the virus throughout the region and beyond. In the process, translators and interpreters in the Asia-Pacific region came out boldly and did their part for global epidemic prevention and control by ensuring high-quality translation and interpreting services. We highly appreciate that and pay tribute to them.

As the impact of COVID-19 lingers on, there is still a long way to go for the Asia-Pacific T&I community. We hereby call on all translators and interpreters to:

Accomplish our mission. Translators and interpreters should show a high sense of social responsibility and professionalism, devote themselves to facilitating communication in epidemic prevention and control, work diligently in spite of all hardships, fulfil their mission and responsibilities, as well as provide both language and intellectual support in the fight against the epidemic.

Bridge the language gap and promote mutual understanding. Translators and interpreters should facilitate communication among different nations through high-quality translation and interpreting, promote international and multilateral cooperation, eliminate discrimination and prejudice, enhance mutual trust between different countries, and unite all Asia-Pacific countries as one to fight COVID-19.

Help promote people-to-people connectivity. Different civilisations should take care of each other and live in harmony. As an important bond in people-to-people connectivity, translation and interpreting should actively foster cultural exchanges between different countries, help people of all countries share the achievements of human civilisations, and contribute to peace, development, stability and prosperity of the world.

Lastly, we propose to further employ the mechanism of the APTIF Joint Committee by holding the Asia-Pacific translation and interpreting webinar on an annual basis, so as to enhance mutual learning and share experiences among both the Asia-Pacific T&I community and other relevant organisations, as well as promote the development of translation and interpreting in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is our common choice to devote ourselves to fighting COVID-19, and it is our shared responsibility to increase exchanges and mutual learning among different civilisations. Let us join hands and move forward, take good care of ourselves and one another, build consensus in the T&I community, and create a brighter future for translation and interpreting in the Asia-Pacific region!

Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Webinar on Combating COVID-19

11 May 2020

Signatories (in alphabetical order): 

Alison Rodriguez,Vice President of International Federation of Translators

Elsie Chan, President of Hong Kong Translation Society

Gao Anming, Chair of the Joint Committee of the Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum & Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of China International Publishing Group

Hasuria Che Omar,Vice President of Malaysian Translators Association

Henry He, Chairman & CEO ofTransn Internet of Languages Technology Co., Ltd.

Karoline Spiessl, National President of New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters

Kevin Quirk,President of International Federation of Translators

Mark Shuttleworth, Associate Director of the Centre for Translation, Hong Kong Baptist University

Qassim Al-Asadi, President of Iraqi Translators Association

Ren Wen, Dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, Beijing Foreign Studies University

San Mon Aung, Secretary of Myanmar Translation Network

Soon Mi Kim, President of Korean Association of Translators and Interpreters

Xing Yutang, Executive Director ofthe Joint Committee of the Asia-Pacific Translation and Interpreting Forum

Yang Ping, Deputy Secretary General of Translators Association of China & Council Member ofInternational Federation of Translators 

Zhang Meifang, Chair of the Macau Federation of Translators and Interpreters