两会口舌人

Every year in March, press conferences attended by hundreds of journalists from China and abroad are held during the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The journalists ask and the government officials answer questions on highly important matters. Interpreters are central to the process and they share some of the limelight.
每年三月的全国人民代表大会和中国人民政治协商会议期间，数百名中外记者都会参与新闻发布会。记者们就要点论题向政府官员发问。口舌人在这一过程中至关重要，遭到重视。

On March 2, at the press conference held ahead of the annual session of the CPPCC National Committee, interpreter Yao Mengyao caught the attention of many with her “quick reaction and accurate translation”, Xinhua noted.
据新华社报导，在3月2日的全国政协会议开幕前的记者发布会上，翻译姚梦瑶以其“敏捷的反响，精确的翻译”遭到重视。

Yao began her studies in English in primary school where she would listen to English tapes. She often spoke to her teacher about English-related topics that were not limited to the ones in her textbooks. “They were always very professional, uncommon topics,” recalled Yao’s senior school teacher Shen Yingzi.
姚梦瑶上小学时就开端学习、听磁带了。她常常会和教师评论方面的论题，但内容并非只局限于讲义。“论题都十分专业、不同寻常，”姚梦瑶的高中教师沈英姿回想道。

Like Yao, Zhang Lu is a regular interpreter for China’s top leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang and former premier Wen Jiabao. Her effortless but on-point translations of ancient poems cited by former premier Wen won praise.
和姚梦瑶相同，张璐也常常担任现任总理李克强和上一任总理温家宝等我国最高领导人的翻译。她曾轻松到位地翻译出了温家宝总理所引证的古诗，赢得赞誉。

At the press conference during the two sessions of 2010, Wen cited a sentence from the poem Li Sao to show his determination to deal with problems in the government’s work. With amazing skill, Zhang interpreted the sentence as follows: “For the ideal that I hold near to my heart, I’d not regret a thousand times to die.”
在2010年两会期间的新闻发布会上，温家宝引证了《离骚》中的一句诗来表现自己处理政府作业中呈现的问题的决计。才能拔尖的张璐翻译出了这个语句：亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。

So how do interpreters reach their top positions?
所以这些顶尖的口译舌人是怎么炼成的呢？

The reason for their success is largely hard work. Other than when they go out on visits with Chinese leaders, the interpreters follow a very strict schedule. Zhang called this schedule “an unshakable routine”. They listen to foreign media such as BBC, VOA or CNN through TV or radio for their intensive training.
他们的成功的首要原因是尽力。除了伴随国家领导人出访的时刻外，翻译们都遵从着一套适当严厉的时刻表。张璐称这个时刻表为“雷打不动的日常作业”。他们会通过电视广播收听BBC、VOA、CNN等外媒，作为自己高强度的练习。

According to China Radio International, a month before the two sessions, the interpreters get notice of the spokesperson they are going to interpret for. They then make full use of this month to prepare themselves.
据中国国际广播电台报导，两会举行的一个月前，舌人们会获悉自己将为哪位讲话人担任口译，然后充分利用这一个月的时刻进行预备。

They try to predict the questions that might be asked and consider the literary quotations the spokesperson might use when they answer the questions.
他们会猜测或许被问到的问题，并考虑讲话人在答复问题时或许会运用的文学典故。

In truth, there is no secret to their success: It’s all a matter of skill and hard work.
事实上，他们的成功并没有什么诀窍：游刃有余，勤学苦练。