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At the seventh International Sinologist Conference on Translating Chinese Literature that opened on Monday in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, Chinese writer Shi Yifeng once again met with his old friend, an Arabic translator from Egypt, who brought him the Arabic edition of There Is No Chen Jinfang in the World. Notably, each international edition of the book, including the Arabic version, features the face of a girl from said edition's country on the cover - a vivid symbol of Chinese literature integrating different cultures, Shi told the Global Times on Monday. This also captures the very heart of the conference: the translation and global journey of Chinese writing.

The conference, co-hosted by the China Writers Association and the Nanjing municipal government, gathered dozens of sinologists from 31 countries and regions alongside more than 30 Chinese writers including Bi Feiyu, Li Er and Shi, facilitating a series of deep literary dialogues. The program featured a variety of cultural activities, such as a performance of Dream of the Red Chamber as a Yue Opera, a night cruise on the Qinhuai River, and themed salons on topics such as literary diversity and urban sustainable development.

To honor the hard work and outstanding achievements of sinologists in translating and promoting Chinese literature, Zhang Hongsen, chairman of the China Writers Association, presented "Friends of Chinese Literature" certificates to 15 sinologists from countries including the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Kazakhstan, who were attending the conference for the first time, according to materials sent to the Global Times from the organizer.

In an address at the opening ceremony of the conference, Zhang emphasized that the spirit of Chinese literature has always been engaging with reality. In Chinese culture, literature holds a highly esteemed position as it originates from real life and profoundly impacts it. A focus on real-life concerns, exploration of lived experiences, and storytelling about social changes have become defining features of contemporary Chinese literature. Sinologists can understand and connect with China through modern literary works precisely because contemporary writers carry forward the tradition of reflecting and addressing reality in their creations.

The conference has spanned 15 years since its inception. Over the past 15 years, the community of sinologists and translators dedicated to and passionate about Chinese literature has grown steadily, and the dialogue between Chinese and world literature has deepened, bearing witness to the flourishing development of Chinese literature. 

Translators serve as messengers between civilizations, and because of translation, humanity has gained the beautiful possibility of transcending linguistic barriers and coming together as a shared community, Zhang noted.

Chinese writer Hu Xuewen attended the conference, talking with sinologists on the scene. Pablo Rodriguez Duran, a sinologist and translator from Colombia whose Chinese name is Luo Yiren, asked him which of his novels would be the best starting point for translation and what would be the best perspective to approach it. "Such on-the-spot exchanges might inspire my future writing," Hu told the Global Times on Monday.

"Translation is crucial. To some extent, a work reaching an international audience depends on the translator's skill. If the translator fails to capture the essence and unique language of the work, it might lose its intended value. Therefore, the translator, as a bridge, is incredibly important," Hu remarked. His works, such as Hope and Life, have also been translated into multiple languages and distributed to various regions overseas. 

Among speeches around the translation of Chinese literature, translation work in the AI era was one of the topics discussed by the attending sinologists. Ahmed Said, a publisher from Egypt with the Chinese name Bai Xin, pointed out that AI has already begun to transform the ecosystem of the translation industry. However, while machines can mimic linguistic structures, they cannot replicate emotional depth. 

"I am not worried that AI will replace translators, but I am concerned that translators might lose their sensitivity to language by relying too heavily on technology. Future outstanding translators must learn to use AI to improve efficiency without losing their humanistic spirit and cultural judgment. Technology can serve as wings, but the direction will always lie in the hands of human thought," said Bai.