Letter from the New Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Dear colleagues,

I am honored and excited to write to you as the new Editor-in-Chief of Yifeng, the official blog of our collective professional home, the Chinese Language Division of the American Translators Association.

First, please join me in thanking my wonderful predecessor, Fang Sheng, for his tireless work over the last two years. With Fang at the helm, Yifeng published a collection of insightful contributions from our peers on a variety of topics, from sharing conference planning tips (a handy resource for ATA64 attendees!) and assessing machine translation to obtaining an additional specialization and learning new languages, garnering views in the thousands.

Second, I would like to thank you, our dear readers, for your patience during our technology- and transition-induced summer hiatus. Now with all ATA division websites running again and the baton officially in my hand, I am excited to lay out what’s in store for you in the next few months and in the near future.

Our upcoming posts include ATA64 preparation tips by Liming Pals and early-career reflections by Chuiqing Kong. As the slate indicates, my vision for the future of Yifeng centers on diversity. I am committed to amplifying a range of voices and perspectives, ensuring that our content reflects the richness of our community.

To achieve this, I encourage you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas with us. I hope Yifeng becomes the first place you come to share your inspirations and epiphanies. Have you completed an interesting project recently and would like to share some valuable lessons? Have you learned a new cool trick that makes you work smarter and better? Are you diversifying and branching out into new specializations? Is there a book that has changed the way you thought about language, your career, and even life? Get in touch and tell us more!

The Chinese Language Division is a hundreds-strong community. Here at Yifeng, we have a space and a spot for your unique voice, so please share it with us.

Lastly, thank you for your continued support. Together, we will continue to make Yifeng a vibrant hub for knowledge, inspiration, and community. I am so thrilled to embark on this journey with you all.

Warm regards,

Sijin Xian
Editor-in-Chief, Yifeng

Sijin Xian, CT is an ATA-certified English<>Chinese translator, subtitler, and Mandarin interpreter based in Silver Spring, Maryland. A translator specializing in research reports for NGOs since 2014, she branched out into audiovisual translation in 2018 and regularly subtitles entertainment and streaming content into Chinese, including multiple Academy Award-winning titles. She also translates official documents and provides interpreting services for researchers and immigration law firms. She currently serves on the Leadership Councils of ATA’s Chinese Language Division and Audiovisual Division.

Reviewed by Ben Murphy.