Training interpreters



Trainer from the Accreditation Center for Interpreters and Translators, Xiamen University (ACIT,厦门大学口笔译资格证书考试中心), gives presentation at a training session held in Dublin by the Dublin City University (DCU) Ireland. The recently completed session, which lasted from Jan. 10-14, was sponsored by the EU-funded ASIA LINK Project named Interpreting Asia Interpreting Europe. The project aims to promote economic, business and diplomatic ties between Europe and Asia through training qualified interpreters in the four partner countries, namely UK, Ireland, China and Vietnam. Xiamen University is one of the four core partners involved in the project and the only university from China. ACIT hosted an intensive training course for the project in Xiamen in June 2004. The Dublin training session basically followed the Xiamen model. Apart from Xiamen University and DCU, the other two universities involved in the project are the University of Westminster UK and the Hanoi University of Foreign Studies Vietnam.

 

 

Economics

Local contracted FDI exceeds USD 1 bln.
厦外资合同超10亿美元
In 2004, Xiamen approved a total of 435 new foreign investment projects, with contracted foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to USD 1.05514 billion, surging 57.69% over the same period last year; utilized FDI totaling USD 570.24 million, jumping 35.13% over the previous year. The percentage of FDI contracts fulfilled ranks No. 1 in the province.

RMB 5 billion earmarked for transportation network
50亿元打造交通网络
Local authorities will spend RMB 5 billion in 2005 to build a major transportation network for Xiamen as a central city. The planned spending represents an increase of 2.46% over last year. Of the total amount, RMB 2.4 billion will be spent on highway construction, surging 85.04% over last year. The construction includes the eastern thoroughfare and the airport express road, whose construction will start this year.

Local container throughput ranks 7th
集装箱吞吐量列第七
According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Communications, Xiamen Port handled a total of 2.8717 million TEUs in 2004, which represented an increase of 23.2% over the same period in 2003, making Xiamen the 7th largest port in China for three consecutive years in terms of container throughput.

Local farmers top earners in Fujian Province
农民收入全省第一
The average annual net income of farmers in Xiamen reached RMB 5,647 in 2004, rising RMB 495 or 9.6% over 2003, with the growth rate and absolute increased amount both leading the province.

 

 

Society

Yellow stickers for vehicles exceeding emission standards
尾气超标将贴黄标
In an effort to stop motor vehicles from exceeding exhaust emission standards, local authorities are deliberating a series of measures, including beefing up inspections and tests and implementing administration by attaching green or yellow stickers to vehicles. Vehicles exceeding exhaust emission standards will be identified with yellow stickers and subject to many restrictions, including being barred from certain road sections or prohibited from certain sections during certain hours of the day.

Zhonglun Park to open during Lunar New Year
忠仑公园春节开放
With the construction of its eastern and western gates nearing completion, Zhonglun Park will be officially opened to the public around February 6. Apart from its interesting stone inscriptions and peach groves, Zhonglun Park presents many grotesquely-shaped rocks on its highest point, the peak of Dongfang Hill.

RMB 4.21 mln. donated to tsunami-hit countries
为海啸受灾国捐款421万
Xiamen has turned in an impressive performance in raising donations for tsunami-hit countries around the Indian Ocean. The local Red Cross has managed to raise donations topping nearly RMB 3 million, which is one of the highest amount in Fujian Province. This amount, plus the RMB 1.2156 million raised by the local Charity Fund, adds up to RMB 4.21 million, making the donation the single largest international aid in local history.

Help greatly needed
海景援手助员工
It is but a few short days that more than RMB 27,000 has been donated by the staff of Crowne Plaza Harbourview Xiamen, to one of their colleagues, Miss Su Qiaoyun, whose mother was seriously injured in a traffic accident and who needs another large amount for a second operation to save her life. "Every staff member of the hotel belongs to the same large family. We should do what we can to help others," the general manager, Mr. Simon Jim said. The faculty was very concerned and organised a helping hand quickly to help her in great burden.

Per capita spending exceeded RMB 10, 000 last year
去年人均花费首超万元
A survey reveals that in 2004, the per capita disposable income of local residents rose by more than 10 percent, and that the per capita spending broke the RMB 10,000 mark for the first time, with the increase of spending outstripping the increase of income. The significant price hikes of food in the past year didn't have much impact on the living quality of local residents.

 

 

City News
Edited by Lily

Beijing 北京

Unemployment rate at 2.3 percent
失业率控制在2.3%
Beijing has vowed to keep its unemployment rate under 2.3 percent this year.
It is predicted that the number of urban jobless people will reach 285,000 this year, 126,000 of whom are migrant workers, people living on government subsidies and jobless handicapped people. As one of the government's efforts to increase employment, a program with the purpose of helping 300,000 people to find jobs in three years is going on smoothly in neighborhood communities across the city.

Improving manners for Olympics
讲究礼仪迎奥运
Beijing has launched a three-year campaign to improve residents' manners to prepare them for the 2008 Olympic Games.
It coveres manners in daily life and social situations, at sports grounds, at work and at school, as well as etiquette in dealing with foreign cultures.
The education drive would also target taxi drivers, teenagers and the migrant population.

Restaurants sell out seats for festival feasts
春节年饭饭店爆满
It is hard for Beijingers now to book a table for festival feast in popular restaurants some 20 days before the Spring Festival day on Feb. 9.
A feast that costs 1,000 to 2,000 yuan (120.92 to 214.83 US dollars) is the most popular among residents. Even McDonald's has launched a new hamburger for the Spring Festival and decorated its stores with China Red.
Foreigners showed more enthusiasm on Valentine's Day, that follows the Spring Festival.

Shanghai 上海

Postnatal care center established
新生儿康复中心
Shanghai's first rehabilitation center providing postnatal care and pediatric medicine has opened. It targets wealthier families willing to pay 15,000 yuan (US$1,807) to 20,000 yuan for one month of care.
Traditionally, new mothers in China must rest at home for one month. This period is called yuezi. If the mother doesn't recover well in this month, it is believed she will suffer various ailments afterward.
Though there are many health concerns during yuezi, few facilities provide postnatal care. The center has specialists in nutrition, pediatrics, traditional Chinese medicine and psychology to provide well-rounded care to both mother and child.

Students could be allowed to get married
大学生有望获准结婚
Local students are overwhelmingly pleased to know that the current restriction on marriage and childbearing for college and postgraduate students will be lifted.
Currently, no undergraduate students in the country are allowed to marry while in school, and postgraduates must apply to the university for permission to tie the knot.
Shanghai would strictly comply with the national regulation, but specific cases will be handled by individual universities.

More bus stop signs to be written in Braille
更多站台备盲文
A bus stop sign written in Braille is set up at a bus station in Putuo District. More such facilities will be built citywide for blind passengers.



Guangzhou & Shenzhen 广州 & 深圳

Zoo's animal adoption program stagnant
动物领养计划受滞
Fewer than 30 people, and only 14 organizations have been involved in Guangzhou Zoo's animal adoption program, since it was launched in 1998.
And only foreigners participated in the panda adoption program.
Guangzhou Zoo developed an animal adoption program in 1998 to raise funds for animal care and research, as well as to raise people's awareness to protect wild animals. However, the zoo has collected only 64,000 yuan (US$ 7,900) for animal programs throughout seven years.



Free education for HIV children in Guangdong
HIV儿童免费上学
A new rule has been announced to tackle the difficulty that children from HIV-carrier families face when seeking education in Guangdong.
The new rule would protect the right to free compulsory education of HIV-carrier children and any school violating the rule will be severely punished. Schools are obliged to keep confidential personal information of HIV positive students and children. Schools or their staff will be held responsible for any discriminating comments or behavior toward HIV-positive students.

Car accidents top killer in Shenzhen
车祸成为头号杀手
Traffic accidents were the top killer in Shenzhen over the past three years. Traffic accident deaths include those who died at the scene or later from injuries. 40 percent of those killed were aged 20 to 40, one of three vulnerable age groups. The other age groups were under 12 months and over 70.
The top three killers in Shenzhen dropped to the fifth place in the national list, in which cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were at the top. The top 10 killers include poisonings, drowning, electric shock, cancers and respiratory diseases among others.

Chongqing 重庆

12 confirmed dead in coal mine accident
12人死于煤矿事故
The two miners formerly missing in a coal mine accident have been confirmed dead, raising the death toll to 12.
The gas leakage accident happened shortly after a production safety inspection team left the coal mine. A total of 36 people escaped and ten were killed at site.
Rescuers had restored the coal mine's ventilation system and searched for the two missing miners earlier.

Hong Kong & Macao 香港 & 澳门

Plan considered on mainland babies born in HK
控制港内出生的内地婴儿
Hong Kong is discussing preventive measures with the mainland authorities as an increasing number of mainland women come to Hong Kong to give birth.
According to Hong Kong laws, babies born in the territory automatically gain permanent resident status even though their parents are not local residents. This is the biggest attraction for mainland mothers to deliver there, though the public hospitals have already required all non-eligible patients to pay a fixed deposit of HK$ 19,800 on admission. The mainland police used to forbid pregnant women from travelling to Hong Kong. But the enforcement of this policy has become very difficult with the increasing exchange across the border.

Air Macao to add 137 flights during Spring Festival
澳航增加137班春运航班
In preparation for the pending travel spree during the Spring Festival or China's Lunar New Year, Air Macao has planned to add 137 flights to meet passengers' demand.
They will increase the flights on route linking Macao to China's mainland and Taiwan from Jan. 31 to Feb. 18, when passengers are either returning for family reunions or on travel vacations. It will be the highest number of flights the company has prepared for the Spring Festival period. Most of the operation will be added to facilitate the service on routes between Macao and Taipei in Taiwan, and Macao and Shenzhen.

HK biometric passports set for 2007
生物统计护照2007年启用
Biometric passports for Hong Kong residents may be available in early 2007 to meet the international trend for enhanced passport security.
This will tie in with the first tide of applications for renewal of 429,000 Hong Kong passports issued in 1997. Each biometric passport will be embedded with a contactless integrated circuit chip containing the facial image and personal information of the holder as it appears on the biodata page of the passport.

Taipei 台北

Students "sad" at being excluded from cross-straits flights
学生无缘直航深感失望
Students from Taiwan say they are disappointed by their inability to buy tickets for the direct chartered flights between Taiwan and the mainland during the imminent Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.
Under the arrangement, some mainland and Taiwan airliners will carry out two-way operations during the busy holidays to and from the island province. The passengers will enjoy non-stop flights and cheaper ticket prices, making the journey much easier and more convenient. Students, nevertheless, are not covered by the program.

Vocabulary
postnatal 出生婴儿的
rehabilitation 康复
pediatric 儿科的
ailment 失调
Braille 盲文
cardiovascular 心血管的
cerebrovascular 脑血管的