Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) hosted a seminar on AI-empowered translation and international communication on Nov 2. The seminar was the opening event of the international communication and translation technology literacy improvement initiative, which is scheduled to take place across a hundred universities.

Jia Dezhong, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, addresses the seminar on AI-empowered translation and international communication. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Addressing the opening ceremony, Jia Dezhong, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, emphasized BFSU’s commitment to building a Chinese-specific national translation capacity theoretical framework, as well as its engagement in relevant applications and studies. 

By evaluating the translation abilities of different entities through scientific means, the university has provided references for the construction of national translation capacity and contributed translation discourse with Chinese characteristics to the international translation community, he said. 

Jia said he hopes the event will build an open, shared and mutually beneficial platform for cross-sector collaboration, advancing the economic development of translation technology and international communication and fostering a more cohesive industry-academia-research ecosystem.

Chen Mingming, a former official in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivers a keynote speech during the seminar’s invited report session. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

The seminar’s keynote speakers included Chen Mingming, a former official in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who delved into the impact of AI translation on practical translation work, highlighting its rapid progress while noting challenges of translation in the face of complex linguistic contexts. He stressed the importance of human-AI collaboration in enhancing translation accuracy and quality. 

Experts and scholars deliver keynote speeches. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Further speeches were made by Ren Wen, dean of BFSU’s Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, iFLYTEK vice-president Wang Wei, Xiang Debao, professor at BFSU’s School of International Journalism and Communication, and Yang Hao, director of the Huawei Translation Services Center.

Their presentations centered on national translation capacity construction in the GenAI era, large language models-based translation and international communication, AI-empowered international communication and the role played by large language models in boosting international competitiveness and cultivating global talent.

Experts and scholars exchange views during the roundtable session. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The event also featured a roundtable discussion on how to build a translation education system adapted to the GenAI era. The session sparked exchanges on training schemes, professional development, teaching and research and industry-university-research collaboration to nurture students' innovation and practical skills. 

The seminar was hosted by BFSU under the guidance of the Translators Association of China and the Academy of Translation and Interpretation, China International Communications Group. 

More than 300 representatives from various universities and research institutes attended while the livestream attracted over 20,000 viewers.