China: Literature’s crème de la crème

Veteran translator Liu Fang won one of the top prizes at the Fu Lei Translation and Publication Awards ceremony held December 12 at the French Embassy in Beijing, with few people more surprised at her success than the 81-year-old scribe herself.

Liu said in her acceptance speech that she viewed her job translating French literature into Chinese as “just a hobby.”

“I wasn’t prepared to give this speech. I’d never even heard of the awards before I was nominated,” Liu said.