TFRD Translation Club

The TFRD Translation Club was established in 2018. Professor Wang from Soochow University led the teaching assistant group to help patients translate articles for TFRD to enrich the information on TFRD's English website. This year, the club took the picture book "Firefly Story Island" published by TFRD as the target of translation. A total of 15 members collaborated on the translation of 12 picture books into English, which significantly helped to internationalize the advocacy of rare diseases.

The biggest difference between the translation club and other classes lies in the fact that the members only meet once every two months. During the week, everyone translates at home in their spare time, and then each group meets weekly for online discussions. Williams, one of the members, laughed and said, "I would like to thank the teaching assistant Albert for asking me to make progress on each week, which is a great boon to a lazy person like me."

Not only did the members cultivate good relationships through online communication, but TFRD arranged lecturers to share various topics at each meeting to broaden the members' horizons regarding the world of translation. For example, TFRD invited a parent of a patient working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to share her rich expatriate experience; teaching assistant Joy introduced "The Knowledge Of Picture Book Translation"; teaching assistant Linda presented "An Introduction To Film And Television Translation"; and teaching assistant Albert gave a presentation on "The Current Situation Of Translation Practice", demonstrating the most realistic picture of translation work.

At the wrap-up gathering, David, who is 65 years old, embodied the spirit of living and learning. He expressed his gratitude by saying, "I used to expect to have access to a teacher who can help me out when I have problems in translating, but I never thought that the Translation Club would fulfill my dream. Professor Wang and his teaching assistants have made it possible for me to better my translation skills and be able to take on paid translation cases.”

Rily, who is a freshman majoring in English, said, "Before joining the translation club, I would only literally translate a string of Chinese characters into English without considering the context and background. I have learned a lot what translation is all about. I really appreciate my teaching assistant."

Finally, it is clear by the feedback that not only did the members benefit over the year, but the teachers and teaching assistants also learned the ways or the  words they had never thought of when asked by the members, which actually inspired mutual learning. "It feels like we are all getting improved together," Maggie said emotionally. The program ended successfully with a bumper crop for everyone. TFRD welcomes all patients who are interested in translation to join us in our quest for the beauty of translation and words.

Translator: David Lee (Becker Muscular Dystrophy)