Translating the Times Veteran Interpreter June Y. Mei

by+Wen+Zhihong

In the late 1980s， Sino-American diplomatic ties dipped when the U.S. government debated withdrawing Chinas most-favored-nation status. In July of 1990， Zhu Rongji， then mayor of Shanghai， led a Chinese delegation to the United States to persuade Washington otherwise. During his visit to the U.S.， Zhu was interviewed by NewsHour on Public Broadcasting Service （PBS）. June Y. Mei， an American of Chinese descent from New York， served as a real-time interpreter during the interview. Due to her outstanding experience in interpreting， Mei was hired by the American host organization as an interpreter for the visiting Chinese delegation. It was the first time that Mei met Zhu. Nine years later， when Zhu returned to the United States as Chinese premier， Mei again occasionally served as his interpreter. In the years before and after， she had visited China with U.S. delegations and acted as Zhus interpreter several times. Zhu and Meis working relationship now spans more than two decades. She has become well acquainted with Zhus speaking style， and the trust between them continues to grow with each passing day.

Three years ago， despite the fact that she had never worked as a professional translator， Mei was asked to oversee the final compilation and editing of Zhu Rongji Meets the Press， co-published by Peoples Publishing House and Oxford University Press in 2011. Later， she accepted the task of translating the two-volume Zhu Rongji on the Record into English. Subtitled“The Road to Reform 1991-1997，” the first volume was co-published by Brookings Institution Press and Foreign Languages Press of the China International Publishing Group in 2013.

Not long ago， Mei sat down with China Pictorial to talk about the two books and her long friendship with former premier Zhu Rongji. She revealed that she accepted the job due to her respect for Zhu and that her relationship with Zhu helped deepen her understanding of contemporary China.

Zhu Never Read from a Script

In July 1990， Zhu Rongji， then mayor of Shanghai， led a Chinese delegation to the United States. As the first high-level Chinese governmental delegation to visit the States since the 1989 political turmoil in Beijing， the trip drew much attention. The U.S. side hired veteran interpreter June Y. Mei to accompany the Chinese delegation. Even though Zhu had several interpreters –one from China and two others introduced by the U.S. side， he still opted specifically for Mei on many occasions. “Perhaps he thought my interpretation best matched his speaking pace，” Mei explains.

Zhus wit in handling sensitive emergencies impressed Mei deeply. At a luncheon， Zhus response to some protesters surprised her. “He remained calm and didnt cast blame on the organizer，” Mei recalls.“On the contrary， he expressed understanding of the protesters complaints， revealing that he even participated in similar protests when he was in school and that those who have problems with Chinese issues are entitled to express their opinions.”

When he visited San Francisco， Zhu was publicly asked a question about the 1989 political turmoil. At the time， Oakland， a coastal city facing the San Francisco Bay， had just endured a major fire， and Mei remembers Zhu using it to reply to the question： “Just like the Oakland fire， even after it had been extinguished for many days， shots of the fire were still broadcast repeatedly on television. If one watched the news in China， he would think the fire was raging across the entire United States. The 1989 political turmoil was the same： Long after it was over， American television continued repeatedly broadcasting scenes of the event， making you think it swept across China.”

In Meis opinion， Zhus comparison was superb. He kept a close eye on local news and expertly dealt with the press because such an answer could be easily understood and accepted.

In April 1999， two weeks after the NATO bombing of Kosovo， Zhu visited the United States as Chinese premier. Before his visit， Zhu accepted an interview request from The Wall Street Journal. After arriving， he held a press conference at the White House and also gave interviews to PBS and CNN. Some media organizations reported that Mei acted as Zhus interpreter throughout the trip， but in fact she only worked on the PBS and CNN interviews. According to Mei， Zhu was satisfied with her interpretation during the 1990 interview， so he asked for her again.

The evening after the PBS interview， seven U.S. organizations held a banquet for Zhu in Washington D.C. Because bilateral trade talks he attended that afternoon went overtime， the banquet had to be shortened. However， the media didnt want to lose the Q&A session during the banquet. Due to such urgency， Mei was tasked to serve as interpreter at the banquet. “I was chosen because I speak fast，” she laughs.

The following day， Mei returned to New York while Zhu headed to Denver and Chicago. Later， Zhu asked Mei to be his interpreter when he circled back to New York and Boston.

Many journalists were impressed by Zhus impromptu speeches during his visit to the United States. “Zhu focused on his audience during his speeches， and never read from a script or used official jargon，” Mei remarks. “This is what makes him special.”

Chinas Reform： A Milestone Event in World History

In early 2012， Mei began to translate Zhu Rongji on the Record for Foreign Languages Press and Brookings Institution Press. She began by translating 20 articles in the book and presenting them to the Brookings Institution Press for review. She then became immersed in translating the rest in the fall of 2012， and completed the first translation in six months. During this period， she visited Beijing several times to discuss the translation with editors.

The publication of Zhu Rongji Meets the Press and Zhu Rongji on the Record turned the global spotlight back to the former Chinese premier. The books not only reminded readers of Zhus incisiveness， confidence， and honesty， but also revealed his vivid， special interpretation of many Chinese policies for the first time.

The switching between Chinese and English in the books required tireless effort from the translating teams. Editors from Oxford University Press spoke highly of the English version of Zhu Rongji Meets the Press， calling the book “an excellent model of translation characterized by seamless alternation between Chinese and English.” Robert A. Kapp， former president of the U.S.-China Business Council， noted that Meis translation adds color to Zhu Rongji on the Record.“In Meis hands， the documents reveal a man of intense practicality， technical ability and administrative skill， but also of unique highly personal qualities. In the hands of a less brilliant translator， much of that would have been lost，” he comments.

Mei donated all the money she earned from translating the book to the foundation of the Dunhuang Research Academy to help it establish a digital tourist center and digitize the art of the Mogao Caves. In fact， she never expected to earn money from the translation project. She accepted the job because she wanted to help Zhu fulfill his dream to publish the book and because she appreciated its great historical value. “I lead a simple life and have been fortunate enough not to worry about earning a living，” Mei explains. “So， I wanted to use the money to do something more meaningful. Fan Jinshi， director of the Dunhuang Research Academy， is my old friend. She is still struggling to raise funds for the very important work of preserving and presenting the caves despite being in her 70s. I hoped the money could help her a little.”

In the Foreword to Zhu Rongji on the Record， renowned American diplomat Henry Kissinger wrote： “For scholars outside China， the publication of this book marks a significant contribution to the historical record. On major debates over Chinas reform path， which English-speaking readers once knew of only in general terms， Zhu sheds considerable historical light. Economists， business strategists， and policymakers will all find in these pages thought-provoking examples of how a penetrating mind grappled with one of the most significant reform programs in modern history.”

“Chinas reform is a milestone event in world history，” Mei opines. “The book is an important historical record， and its influence will last long in overseas governmental and academic organizations that study China.”

Currently， Mei is working on translating the second volume of Zhu Rongji on the Record.

Big Fan of Louis Cha

Mei was born to a Chinese-American family in New York. Her maternal grandmother， a native of Xiangshan County（todays Zhongshan City）， Guangdong Province， studied at the same school as Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Japan and was the first chairwoman of the Shanghai Red Cross Society. Her maternal grandfather conducted business in Yokohama before marrying and moving to Singapore， where he became a doctor. Her paternal grandparents operated a business in Malaysia. Her father studied medicine and went to the United States as an intern during World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor， he joined the U.S. army as a medic and remained in the United States afterwards.

At the age of eight， Mei was sent to her uncles home in Hong Kong due to asthma. She stayed in Hong Kong until she graduated from high school. During that period， she was greatly inspired by Louis Chas wuxia novels （historical martial arts fiction）， and she became a big fan of the Hong Kong writer.

“Literature， traditional Chinese medicine， astronomy， geography， mathematics…Louis Chas novels cover a wide array of subjects and portray all aspects of society，”Mei remarks. “They also teach about traditional Chinese culture.”

Her favorite possession is an autographed set of the first-edition Collection of Louis Chas Works. “His novels were first published as serials in a newspaper， and reprinted in compilations at the end of each month，” Mei recalls. “At that time， I waited eagerly for each coming compilation.”

As her studies of philosophy and history became broader， her understanding of Louis Chas writing also became more profound.“Its hard to tell which novel I love most，”Mei explains. “From the perspective of history， his ‘Condor Trilogy – The Legend of the Condor Heroes， The Return of the Condor Heroes， and The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber – is the best. From the perspective of philosophy， I prefer The Smiling， Proud Wanderer. From the perspective of politics and sociology， perhaps The Deer and the Cauldron is the best.” What attracts Mei most are Louis Chas characters. “Even though they are fictional， they seem like people we all know.”

At the end of the 1970s， Mei met some artists in a Peking Opera troupe. She gave them a set of Louis Chas novels as gifts， and consulted martial arts actors about whether the authors fighting descriptions were accurate. At the time， Louis Chas novels were not sold on the Chinese mainland. The novels were passed around the troupe， and every member fell in love with Chas work. One martial artist told Mei that the novelists depictions of fighting were flawless.

However， Mei has never read any of Louis Cha in English. Although none of the available translations have satisfied her， she has no plans to translate his works herself.

“Louis Cha made me realize that some things cannot and should not be rendered in English，” she comments. “His work is too heavy on traditional Chinese culture.”

Mei also rarely reads English versions of other Chinese literature. “Im Cantonese，”she says figuratively. “If I know a Cantonese cook who can make a Cantonese dish for me， why would I ask a Shandong cook to make it？” In her opinion， Eastern and Western cultures see the world quite differently， and contrasting cultural backgrounds are sometimes hard to illustrate for others.

“The concept of values is too abstract to be explained easily，” she adds. “Perhaps a concept would be more readily accepted by readers of different cultural backgrounds if its values are expressed via stories or examples. That also depends on whether readers are interested or not. After all， people are more interested in tales closer to their own culture. Foreign readers would not be interested in every translated Chinese work. It is good for outstanding literary work to be translated into different languages， but translation itself wont earn it a worldwide reputation. In my opinion， rendering a nations literature in foreign languages isnt a matter of winning international prizes or showing the countrys soft power. It does matter if your culture is appreciated and respected by people from other cultures.”

Experiencing Beijing Change

After graduating from high school in Hong Kong， Mei enrolled in Bryn Mawr College， where she obtained a bachelors degree in philosophy. Later， she was admitted to Harvard University and acquired a masters degree in East Asian Regional Studies and a Ph.D. in History and East Asian Studies.

In December 1973， Mei arrived in Beijing for her doctoral dissertation. It was her first visit to the city. “The Capital Airport was much smaller then，” she recalls. “Only a two-lane road linked the airport and downtown， along which were vast expanses of farmland. The trip to the city traversed a totally rural countryside.”

At the time， China remained in its“cultural revolution” period. The clothes people wore were plain and dull in style and color. One particular experience remains fresh in Meis memory：

“One afternoon， I wore a powder blue jacket to visit Tiananmen Square. At that time， there were only a few tourists. Before I came to China， a Chinese-American friend asked me to take a letter to her sister in Beijing. Her sister came to see me at my hotel. Out of nowhere， she asked me whether I had visited Tiananmen Square the day before， even though we had never met. She explained that she had noticed a person wearing a powder blue jacket in Tiananmen Square， and now saw the same jacket in my room， so she wanted to know if I was the person in the jacket.”

“Such a thing would never happen today，” she adds. “Now that clothes of various colors are found everywhere， who would notice a single stranger in crowded Tiananmen Square？”

In 1979， Mei returned to Beijing to spend three months on academic research. Compared to her first visit， the city had changed. Foreign businesspeople and students could be found on the streets of downtown Beijing. At the time， a television set or camera might cost an ordinary Chinese family years of savings. “Perhaps it was like buying a car today，” she adds. “But still， such commodities were nearing the grasp of Chinese families.” At the time， CocaCola had just arrived in China， but was only available in some high-end hotels. The colors and styles of Chinese clothing were also more diverse than in 1973. “When I first visited Beijing in 1973， political slogans were everywhere， and revolutionary songs and operas were the only entertainment，”Mei recalls. “But in 1979， commercials began to appear along with performances of Western music， and ballroom dancing began to gain popularity.”

In the early 1980s， soon after China implemented its reform and opening-up policy， many native interpreters lacked knowledge about Western political， economic and social systems， which often led to misunderstandings in international communications. Given these circumstances， Mei gradually switched to interpretation and began to travel often between China and the United States. Over the following decades， she witnessed the changes of Beijing like “a slow-motion film.”

Mei served as an interpreter for many Sino-U.S. exchange events， and in doing so witnessed many important moments of the diplomatic relationship between the countries. In 1984， she welcomed the Chinese delegation to the Los Angeles Olympics. In the 1990s， she acted as an interpreter for Zhu Rongji during his trips to the United States. In her spare time， Mei likes reading history books. “I like the stories in those books，” she explains. “My previous studies of philosophy and history have enabled me to understand the values and logic of different cultures. Translation is about understanding and expressing ideas， not just changing words.”

Mei cherishes the years she spent at Bryn Mawr College. At the century-old Pennsylvania campus full of Gothic buildings， Mei learned to continue exploring the world and to never lose her curiosity.

“Im a curious person，” Mei smiles.“My dream is to learn more. Life is a jigsaw puzzle. No one knows what seemingly irrelevant pieces of life will become until the end. Perhaps ultimately， they will create a picture beyond your imagination.”