I am Tang Yinhu, a volunteer from the School of International Relations. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, I volunteered as a language service to provide English language services for curling-related projects at the National Aquatics Center. Although I participated in the "Meet in Beijing" curling and wheelchair curling test in October 2021, which gave me some understanding of curling terminology and venue operation, I encountered many new problems during the Winter Olympics.
In the context of the new crown epidemic that has not yet been eliminated, the Ice Cube venue has adopted strict epidemic prevention measures. When media reporters and athletes interview in the mixed mining area, they need to communicate face-to-face across the epidemic prevention and isolation belt, which makes the working environment of the mixed mining area very complicated, on the one hand, the voices of people are mixed and the distance is far, making it difficult for people to hear the voices of the athletes on the other side, on the other hand, the epidemic prevention mask worn by volunteers also makes it difficult for our translation voice to be transmitted clearly. In order to make the communication between media reporters and Chinese and foreign athletes smooth, I can only amplify the volume as much as possible, and at the same time use body language to assist in the expression of meaning as much as possible. Under the unremitting exploration, the effect of my translation has been unanimously praised by the media and athletes.
In addition, curling is becoming more and more popular in China, journalists have a deeper understanding of curling, and the issues of communication between them and athletes are becoming more and more professional. The initial interviews focused solely on the athletes' mindsets, feelings and questions about the facilities of the venue. However, as the game progressed, the focus of the interview gradually changed to technical and tactical content. Professional expressions such as "hanging a pot of side area balls" and "going a little deeper" have emerged in an endless stream, which requires language service volunteers to watch a large number of bilingual commentaries in Chinese and English of curling matches, study more post-game interviews and reports, and after a few days of translation work in the mixed mining area, my curling knowledge and professionalism have been greatly improved.
During this period of volunteering, I have more deeply experienced the excitement and joy of being a translator. Because of my work, the voices of Chinese athletes can be heard by more people, the world can hear more authentic and vivid Chinese stories, and I feel the glory of being a Volunteer for the Winter Olympics. In the course of interviews, many foreign athletes took the initiative to mention that they were impressed by the organization and daily operation of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the enthusiasm and dedication of Chinese volunteers made them unforgettable. I am honored to be able to contribute to these feelings and hope that it will become an unforgettable memory in my life.