On April 15, Bai Liye, Associate Senior Editor of Phoenix Publishing and Media Inc. was invited by the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures to deliver a lecture titled “Translators’ Role in Academic Foreign Translation” and share his insights with young teachers and researchers from the school. The lecture focused on the key roles of academic translators in introducing Chinese academic works to international readers. It also provided a platform for enhancing practical capabilities under the guidance of industry insiders and facilitating experience exchange among faculty members.

The lecture was hosted by Fan Na, Deputy Director of the Postgraduate Teaching Department. Attendees included Professor Zhang Zhiyi, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Professor Qin Wenhua, Professor Xu Shiyan, and a dozen of young teachers and researchers from the school.

Bai Liye has more than a decade of field experience in international publishing, and has curated major translation and publishing projects including the Jiangsu Scholars Translated Series and Jiangsu Literature Translated Series. His extensive expertise in translation and publishing makes him an ideal mentor to help the university’s young scholars gain practical knowledge of the entire workflow for overseas academic translation projects.

Bai’s presentation was divided into three main parts: case studies on the Jiangsu Scholars Translated project; production and reproduction: the translator’s role as a content producer; and translators’ responsibilities in national-funded projects. He began by outlining Phoenix International Publishing’s guiding principle of “sharing the flame of ideas and minds,” as well as the progress and specific cases involved in translating Jiangsu’s prominent academic and literary works in recent years. From the standpoint of a publishing professional, he explored ways to integrate cultural concepts into translated publications and effectively convey academic exchange through publishing practice. He noted that translators undertaking Chinese academic translation should prioritize “professional rigor” and develop scholarly awareness, a strong sense of authorship, and a commitment to being faithful reproducers of the original text. Meanwhile, he stressed that professional refinement and collaborative teamwork are indispensable cornerstones of high-quality translation.

Through detailed case analyses of the academic translations of Bi Feiyu’s Literary Lectures and Fan Jinmin’s Clothing the World: A History of Jiangnan Silk (Ming–Qing), he put forward a key insight: in academic translation and publishing, translators are just as important as authors. No matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, human content producers can never be replaced. Particularly in the translation of Chinese academic works, translators should recognize that most cross-cultural academic texts require a gradual shift from literal translation to adaptive rewriting. Mere literal translation is insufficient to convey the profound cultural connotations embedded in Chinese texts or to produce fluent and readable works for international readers.Concerning the implementation of overseas translation projects, Bai emphasized that translators should position themselves as content producers and value the autonomy and integrity of content reproduction. He cited the view that “each text is unique, yet at the same time it is the translation of another text” to encourage practitioners dedicated to the globalization of Chinese academia.

In addition, he outlined the full application procedure for Chinese academic translation projects under the National Social Science Fund. Drawing on his insights into academic translation practice, he clarified the responsibilities of translators as well as the key criteria for successful project applications.After the lecture, the participants shared their own project application experiences, raised specific questions concerning project implementation, and conducted in-depth interactive discussions.

This lecture has established a targeted exchange platform for young teachers to promote the application and practice of academic translation. It has further clarified the professional standards, practical approaches, and essential responsibilities of translators in cross-cultural communication. The event helps advance the global dissemination of high-quality academic achievements from Jiangsu and Chinese classics, while equipping young scholars at the university with solid professional expertise from the publishing industry.

(Contributors: Fan Na, Wei Xinmin, Li Yating)