Peking University, Aug. 12, 2014: On August 2, Xu Yuanchong, a Chinese translator and Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, was conferred the “Aurora Borealis” Prize for Outstanding Translation of Fiction Literature, one of the highest awards in the international translation field. He was awarded by the International Federation of Translators (FIT) at its 20th World Congress held in Berlin, Germany.

Professor Xu was the first Asian winner of the award. Unable to attend the ceremony, 93-year-old Professor Xu expressed his appreciation in a written statement, “It is really an honor to be given the award as a Chinese translator. I think it not only shows my translation works are recognized by the world personally, but also shows that Chinese literature has attracted more attention worldwide.”

The jurors said on the ceremony, “There were four excellent nominees this year, each of whom was qualified to win the award. However, there were important reasons why this year’s jurors ultimately chose Professor Xu Yuanchong.”

"In an international environment in need of effective communication, Professor Xu Yuanchong has devoted his career to building bridges among Chinese-, English- and French-speaking peoples. He has translated Chinese literature extensively into English and French, as well as having translated major works from Western languages into Chinese. He has also published work on translation theory,” then the jurors explained.

Written by: Meng Yiran

Edited by: Zhang Jiang