coobybook Chapter 16: I took on a translation job
Chapter 16: I took on a translation job
Zhao Yuan walked out of Director Zheng's office and got into the old-fashioned 212 jeep with County Magistrate Yang.
"Zhang Hua, you sit in the front, Zhao Yuan and I will sit in the back to talk about something."
As he spoke, County Chief Yang opened the back door of the car and got in. Zhao Yuan got in from the other side, while Zhang Hua sat in the passenger seat.
Factory Director Zheng and his entourage stood at the door and waved goodbye to County Chief Yang.
The jeep drove out of Xiongxiong Fireworks Factory and headed towards the county town.
“Zhaoyuan, I have a document on the standards for imported fireworks from the United States. We haven’t been able to find a suitable person to translate it, and even if someone does translate it, we don’t know if it’s correct, and no one has checked it. But this document is very important to our county.”
County Chief Yang said.
"I'll give it a try."
Zhao Yuan said.
"Okay, Zeng, let's go to my office first, get the documents, and then go check out the Honghonghuohuo Fireworks Factory in your township. I'll also give you a ride home."
County Chief Yang said to the driver.
"Yes, County Chief Yang."
The driver said.
"Okay, thank you, County Chief Yang. I don't need to wait for the bus anymore."
Zhao Yuan said with a smile.
"The county Xinhua Bookstore also has some materials that they're looking for someone to translate. I'll call Director Tu at the Xinhua Bookstore later. I see that your English is really good, so why don't you give this translation job a try?"
County Chief Yang said.
"Thank you for your consideration, County Chief Yang."
Zhao Yuan said.
"It's not entirely about favors. We've been looking for a translator for a long time, and we hope you can help us this time. If you can do a good job with the translation work in our county, that would be great."
County Chief Yang said.
"I should have no problem with general translation work. For more technical questions, I might need to consult a dictionary. I don't have much trouble communicating with foreigners in everyday English."
Zhao Yuan said confidently.
“That’s great! We urgently need translators. Fireworks are a pillar industry in our county, and our county committee is eager to expand this industry and take it beyond our borders.”
County Chief Yang said.
......
There was a period of silence, and the scenery outside the car window moved quickly past. Soon the car drove into the government compound.
The three men got out of the jeep and headed toward the office building.
Upon arriving at the county magistrate's office on the left side of the second floor, County Magistrate Yang took out a stack of bound booklets from his desk drawer, which were densely covered with English text.
"This is the US standard for imported fireworks that we obtained. See how long it takes to translate it."
Zhao Yuan took the booklet, glanced at it, and saw that it was thin, just a few pages.
"I'll finish translating right away and hand it to you. Please give me a pen and paper."
Zhao Yuan sat down at the table as he spoke.
"So fast?"
County Chief Yang said.
"Hmm, I took a look and it seems quite simple."
Zhang Hua took a pen and some papers from his desk and handed them to Zhao Yuan, who took them and said something.
Zhao Yuan sat at the table and began translating quickly.
"Zhang Hua, go and make three cups of tea."
As he spoke, County Chief Yang walked out of his office and headed towards the telephone room.
County Head Yang walked to the telephone room and dialed the number for the county's Xinhua Bookstore.
Ring ring ring.
"Hello, this is Xinhua Bookstore. Who are you looking for?"
A woman's voice came from the other side.
"Hello, this is Yang Xilai from the County Party Committee. Please connect me to Tu Chenglong."
County Chief Yang said.
"Okay, County Chief Yang, please wait a moment while I go and get Director Tu to take the call."
The woman on the other end of the line said that, followed by the sound of someone hanging up the phone and the sound of footsteps walking away.
"Hello, County Chief Yang, this is Tu Chenglong. What are your instructions?"
Tu Chenglong picked up the phone and answered it.
"Jackie Chan, come to my office right away and bring your translation assignments with you. I have a great translator here, he looks very good. Bring some materials and let him try it out."
County Chief Yang said.
"Okay, I'm coming."
Tu Chenglong said.
"Okay, hurry up."
After finishing his sentence, County Chief Yang hung up the phone and returned to his office.
Zhao Yuan was still engrossed in translating materials, writing quickly and fluently without pausing to think. Moreover, each stroke of his handwriting seemed meticulously crafted, with smooth lines and an elegant style that exuded a calm and refined air. His handwriting was very pleasing to the eye.
County Magistrate Yang was engrossed in admiring Zhao Yuan's calligraphy.
Zhao Yuan put down his pen, folded the several pages together, arranged them neatly on the table, and then handed them to County Magistrate Yang.
"County Chief Yang, I've finished translating. Could you please check it?"
County Chief Yang took the documents and looked at them. He knew nothing about English, but he carefully read through the translated Chinese and found that there were no logical problems.
He had previously had several people translate this document, but the sentences were always somewhat disjointed, many were clearly pieced together, and the translations were time-consuming, often involving scribbles and markings. Zhao Yuan's translation, however, was seamless and flowed smoothly. Crucially, his translation speed was truly impressive, demonstrating his solid English skills.
"Hmm, it looks very good. I'll give it to Director Tu to submit to the higher authorities for expert review. If it passes, you'll be our county party committee's translator from now on."
County Chief Yang patted Zhao Yuan on the shoulder and said happily.
"You've had a hard time drinking tea."
County Magistrate Yang picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Zhao Yuan.
"Thank you for the compliment, County Chief Yang."
Zhao Yuan took the teacup handed to him by County Magistrate Yang and took a small sip of tea.
"Zhang Hua, you should learn more from Comrade Zhao Yuan. Your English needs more practice."
County Chief Yang then spoke to Zhang Hua.
"Okay, County Chief Yang, I've got it. I'll definitely learn more from Comrade Zhaoyuan."
dong dong dong.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
County Chief Yang said.
"County Chief Yang, it's me, Cheng Long. These are the documents you requested. Our county hasn't been able to find a suitable translator. The ones we submitted the last few times were all rejected because they weren't up to standard."
As Tu Chenglong walked in, he spoke, then handed the documents to County Chief Yang.
The Xinhua Bookstore office area was only one wall away from the county party committee office building, so Tu Chenglong arrived very quickly.
"Jackie Chan, this is Comrade Zhaoyuan, whom I told you about. This is the material he just translated. He was very fast, and his handwriting is very beautiful. Please take it to the provincial capital and have an expert check if it's up to standard. Zhaoyuan is Director Tu from Xinhua Bookstore."
County Chief Yang handed the materials that Zhao Yuan had just translated to Tu Chenglong, and then took the materials that Tu Chenglong had brought from Tu Chenglong's hands.
"Zhaoyuan, could you please translate these documents for me? The sooner the better."
County Chief Yang took the documents and handed them to Zhao Yuan.
"Okay, I'll take a look first."
Zhao Yuan took the documents handed over by County Chief Yang. Goodness, it was a thick stack. He counted them; there were four books in total.
Zhao Yuan flipped through the books and found two chemistry books, one agricultural book, and one hydroelectric book.
“I don’t think there will be any major problems. I’ll take this one with me and give it to you when I come to the county the day after tomorrow. If you think it’s acceptable, I can take on the translation of the rest.”
As he spoke, Zhao Yuan pulled out a chemistry reference book. Chemistry was his forte, his profession; in his previous life, he had published numerous chemistry papers entirely in English.
"Okay, please deliver it directly to Director Tu at Xinhua Bookstore the day after tomorrow."
County Chief Yang said.
"Director Tu, please write down your phone number for Zhaoyuan so he can contact you. This is my office number; it'll be easy to get in touch later. Come on, let's go to the Honghonghuohuo Fireworks Factory in your commune."
County Chief Yang continued speaking, and then handed Tu Chenglong a slip of paper.
Director Tu took the slip of paper, added his contact information to it, and then handed it to Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan took the note and put it in his bag.
"Comrade Zhaoyuan, if you have time, you can take all four documents with you and translate them as soon as possible. When you come to the county the day after tomorrow, give me as many as you have translated, okay? Anyway, I can't find anyone else right now."
Tu Chenglong said.
"Okay. I'll try my best to finish the task as quickly as possible."
Zhao Yuan said.
"County Chief Yang, does Zhaoyuan have anything else to do right now? I'll go get the special translation paper."
Tu Chenglong appeared very excited.
"We're going to the Honghonghuohuo Fireworks Factory in Daguang Commune. Hurry back, we'll be waiting for you in the car downstairs."
County Chief Yang said.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
With that, Tu Chenglong quickly left the room.