Chinese Communist officials rarely publish personal memoirs, however, Ji Chaozhu, renowned interpreter, recently decided to do just that. Chaozhu was a former ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom and an official at the United Nations. He had also been an interpreter for Mao Zedong and Zhou En Lai.
Chaozhu's spent much of his childhood in New York, however his father was a government official and a Communist sympathizer. Upon moving back to China, Chaozhu immediately began working as a translator in the foreign ministry. His favorite dignitary was Zhou En Law, who was the Chinese Premier.
In his memoirs, Chaozhu recounts his experiences at meetings designed to end the Korean War. In addition, he was the official translator when American president Richard Nixon visited China in 1972.
Chaozhu wrote the memoirs himself in English, making the prose even more impressive. The book is full of great charm and humor and demonstrates the importance of interpreters and translators internationally.
28 July 2008
