Rex Chen moved from Shanghai to Australia when he was 17 years old and became fluent in English after living there for eight years. Now, at 33, he even considers himself more Western than Chinese. After working in news, advertising and public relations, Rex decided to cut all strings and become a full-time freelance interpreter. He now travels all over China, participating in conferences and business meetings to help people communicate between English and Chinese. Bridie Anderson’s Year 3 class at Dulwich College had him explain a few things about his unique profession.
Ben Wong, 8, from Hong Kong
Why did you want to be a translator?
I like talking. It’s great because I don’t need to carry anything to work. I can go with someone into a meeting, help them communicate, and in the same process, at the same time, I can learn about their work.
Gabriel Chi, 7, Japanese
How hard is it to be an interpreter?
Many of you can speak more than one language, but if someone is born into a family where they only speak one language, they have to learn the other language very well, and that’s very hard. You also have to know a lot of different things, because one day I could be talking about agriculture, or about how people grow things, one day I could be talking about sports, and the next day I could be talking about film. You have to learn a lot about a lot of different subjects. You have to work very hard and listen very hard to find the best way to put it into a different language. That’s very different as well. It can be quite hard, but it can be quite fun because I meet a lot of different people.
Mina Kim, 8, Korean
How many hours do you work a day?
It depends because sometimes I don’t work any at all. Sometimes I’ll go to a meeting and the meeting lasts half an hour. Sometimes I can follow someone around to many meetings, so I start very early in the day and finish very late at night. I can work 17 hours a day sometimes.
Rachel Gibbons, 7, Malaysian/British
How much money can you make a day?
I can make between four and six thousand yuan a day. Those are the very good jobs. I wish I could make that much money every day because then I could be very rich, but I can’t. Some days I only work half days.
Eric Yi, 8, Japanese
How many languages can you speak?
As an interpreter, I work with English and Mandarin. I can speak other dialects of Chinese, but I don’t speak other languages, which I interpret from or into.
Ben Wong, 8, from Hong Kong
What places do you like to work in the best?
I like working in big hotels because they always have nice lunches. Sometimes I go to courthouses and watch judges work. Sometimes we go and visit factories or schools. Sometimes we go sightseeing, because if an important visitor comes to China from overseas, they might want to see China.
Claudia Lyons, 7, Australian
What is your favorite country?
My favorite country is Australia, but I love a lot of other countries. I recently went to Canada and it was beautiful. It was snowing a lot of the time. It was cold and it was pretty. I’ve been to Japan; I like the food in Japan. I’ve been to the UK, and London is wonderful – it’s so crowded, but it’s so organized. And I love the Tube.
Dana Grynwalk-Altman, 7, Israeli
Do you like to travel around the world?
I like to travel around the world, but I don’t get many chances. I do get to travel throughout China. Tomorrow, I’m going to a conference in Guangzhou in southern China. I get to spend two days there for a conference. If someone needs to find someone who can translate between English and Chinese they can find someone in America, because flying someone all the way there can be very expensive.
Mina Kim, 8, Korean
How many countries have you been to?
I have been to many different countries, but not always for work. I generally work in China because that’s where people come and need Chinese interpreters. Recently, I went to Canada; there were Chinese judges visiting Canada and they needed someone to interpret for them. So I traveled with them to Canada. I’ve been to many countries on holiday, but I don’t travel overseas for work very often.
Ben Wong, 8, from Hong Kong
Have you ever been late to a meeting?
Yes, I have, and I always feel so terrible. I have been late to a meeting once because my alarm clock didn’t go off. That was my fault because I didn’t set it right. Another time I was late for a meeting because my clients – the people I was supposed to interpret for – didn’t pick me up! I was waiting in the hotel lobby and they forgot me. That wasn’t very good for them.
