By Ou Chuyao, Huang Tianyu
In a quiet corner of the Communication University of China, there is a scholar who has spent thirty years building a solid bridge between Chinese and Western cultures—using his pen as a boat and his voice as a sail. He is Professor Ma Zhengqi, a seasoned translator, doctoral supervisor, and esteemed faculty member at the School of International Studies.
For him, "understanding China" is never an empty slogan but a living practice deeply rooted in every meticulously crafted translation, every heartfelt lecture, and every rigorous academic paper. With over three decades of dedication to film and television translation, translation education, and academic research, Professor Ma has achieved remarkable accomplishments and earned widespread respect.
Professor Ma Zhengqi, Senior Translator (Image sourced from the internet)
The Translator: Beyond Words
His translation career began with programs like CCTV's "Zhengda Theater" where he translated numerous popular overseas films and television series. His translation of Madame Curie stands as a career highlight, won the national Flying ApsarasAward for Outstanding Dubbed Films and was highly praised by state leaders. This recognition not only affirmed his exceptional skills but also honored his response to the national strategy of "revitalizing the country through science and education" by serving the era with his translations. In 2024, Professor Ma was honored with the prestigious "Senior Translator" title by the Translators Association of China, a testament to his decades of outstanding contributions to China's translation industry.
Academically, Professor Ma has tirelessly transformed his practical experience into systematic theoretical insights. His selected work, Essentials of Film and Television Translation: A Self-Selected Collection by Ma Zhengqi, compiles 23 key papers structured around four themes: "translation theory", "film and television translation", "the art of dubbing" and "media and communication". This collection moves beyond basic theory to explore interdisciplinary perspectives, viewing translation as a critical link in cultural dissemination.
Translation Theory of Film and Television Drama (co-authored by Ma Zhengqi and Li Yan)
In Professor Ma's theoretical framework, translation transcends mere linguistic conversion. He emphasizes that the core processes of translation—comprehension and expression—are always shaped and constrained by the socio-cultural norms of both the source and target languages. Comprehension requires delving into the socio-cultural soil of the source language, while expression must resonate within the cultural context of the target language to ensure effective communication. Thus, the ultimate mission of translation is to "step out of one socio-cultural context and enter another", where the surface goal is linguistic communication, but the essence is cultural integration. This core idea runs through all his translation practices and theoretical contributions.
Outline of Film and Television Translation: Selected Works of Ma Zhengqi
The Educator: A Human Touch in the Age of AI
"Whenever I stand in the classroom, I feel like the happiest person in the world", Professor Ma often says, a sentiment that encapsulates his over thirty years of teaching. Dedicated to the frontline of education, he has ignited the translation dreams of generations of students with his expertise and passion. His classes are dynamic and warm, and he insists on handwritten assignments, which he personally reviews and annotates in detail. To him, the act of writing by hand is a ritual of knowledge absorption and deep thinking, while the meticulous feedback on each assignment serves as a bridge for intellectual and emotional exchange between teacher and student.
Amid the profound changes and challenges brought by artificial intelligence to translation, Professor Ma maintains a clear and open-minded perspective. While he recognizes technology as a powerful tool that enhances efficiency, he insists it can never replace the translator's deep interpretation of cultural nuances, sensitive grasp of emotions, and creative judgment rooted in humanistic spirit. In his teaching, he encourages students to embrace new technologies while doubling down on their bilingual proficiency, cross-cultural horizons and artistic sensibilities—the irreplaceable core value of a human translator.
Professor Ma Zhengqi visited the Film and Television Translation Salon to discuss the artistic and cultural aspects of film and television translation. (Image sourced from the internet)
The Scholar: Understanding China, Telling Its Story
Professor Ma's impact extends well beyond the podium. Under the Ministry of Education's "Understanding China" initiative, students from the School of International Studies conducted in-depth interviews with him under the guidance of Secretary Li Yehui and teacher Chen Lina. This experience not only earned the students awards in essay and micro-video competitions but also served as a profound spiritual and professional inspiration. Through direct interaction with a master translator, they gained a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a translator—a role that goes beyond linguistic proficiency to encompass cultural awareness, rigorous scholarship, artistic sensitivity, and a strong sense of mission.
To "understand China" from the unique perspective of translation means that students of foreign languages must recognize that effectively telling China's stories to the world relies on precise and dynamic language conversion. It requires not only mastering foreign languages and Chinese but also understanding the world and China, achieving cultural fluency.
By deeply grasping the nuances of both Chinese and Western cultures, one can identify emotional resonance and rhythmic dialogue, ensuring translation builds bridges rather than barriers. Thus, translation itself becomes a critical methodology for "understanding China". Through translating others and themselves, students gain a clearer understanding of their own cultural threads and a more confident, vivid, and compelling ability to share China's development path, values, humanistic spirit, and contemporary character with the world.
Professor Ma Zhengqi was awarded the honorary title of "Senior Translator" by the Chinese Translation Association (second from left)
Participating in the "Understanding China" initiative has also provided students with a profound revelation: their current studies and future careers naturally position them as interpreters and facilitators of cross-cultural dialogue. Every foreign language learner, future translator, media professional, or cultural communicator has the potential to become an interpreter of Chinese culture. Through translation, students introduce outstanding global cultural achievements to enrich Chinese civilization and translate texts about China to present a true, multi-dimensional, and panoramic view of the country to the world.
From a meticulous translator to an inspiring educator and an innovative scholar, Professor Ma Zhengqi has used his pen to tell timeless stories and his teaching to nurture a new generation. His life's work reminds us that to translate is to understand, and to understand is to connect.
The grand narrative of China and the world eagerly await more young people like the students of the School of International Studies. Armed with knowledge and inspired by the ideals of cultural exchange, they are not just language learners; they are the future narrators of China's story, ready to compose a new symphony of mutual learning and integration.
Editor: Fang Yiran
Managing Editor: Shao Jianyu
Editor-in-chief: Yu Ran,Yang Zhongtian
