Grouphorse in the News

2020 China Written Translation Contest (Endorsed by the United Nations) (Announcement 1)

Updated:July 02, 2020

China’s language service industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with high-quality translation services in short supply. However, the importance of translation services within the modern service industry is often underestimated. The professional level of practitioners needs to be improved, and their training still cannot meet the market needs. This entails support and investment from a wider range of stakeholders into translation education and practice, with a view to aligning education with market needs. It is important to enhance the sense of fulfillment for translation practitioners, improve people’s understanding of the function and value of translation services, and motivate students majoring in translation to become elite professionals who get paid what they deserve.

 

Promoting translation as a profession will also help combat gender inequality by addressing the imbalance of resources available to women in the language service industry, empowering female translators, and removing the social barriers which obstruct their professional development. As a United Nations vendor for language services and a member of the UN Global Compact, Grouphorse Translations takes practical measures to help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and implement the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact.

 

Soon to launch in China this June, the 2020 China Written Translation Contest will be organized under the guidance and endorsement of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The contest aims to mobilize the next generation of elite translators, promote the development of the global language service industry, and enhance the intercultural communication skills of young people in China. The contest, covering multiple languages and topics, is designed to help fill in the gap in terms of identifying outstanding translators and integrating their translation skills with background knowledge in other disciplines. 

 

The China Written Translation Contest strives to be an authoritative, fair, open and honest contest.

  

I. Organizers


Sponsored by:

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

 

Organized by:

Beijing Grouphorse Translations Co., Ltd.

Shanghai International Intelligent Manufacturing Promotion Center of the UNIDO 

 

Co-organized by:

Alibaba Translate

 

II. Contest Rules 

(I) Contestant Eligibility

Language and translation enthusiasts between 12 and 45 years old (born between January 1st, 1975 and January 1st, 2008 inclusive) around the world are eligible to compete in the contest, regardless of nationality, region, profession or educational background. 

 

All translations must be completed individually. Plagiarism is not permitted and will result in disqualification.

 

(II) Language Sessions and Themes

The China Written Translation Contest will feature 10 parallel language sessions, including the following pairings (translation in both directions) : Chinese-English, Chinese-French, Chinese-Japanese, Chinese-Korean, Chinese-German, Chinese-Russian, Chinese-Spanish, Chinese-Portuguese, Chinese-Italian, and Chinese-Arabic. Contestants can sign up for one or more sessions for competition. In addition, Chinese-English and English-Chinese translations feature four themes: General, Finance, Law and Medicine (contestants need to sign up for each of these themes individually); and translations between Chinese and the languages other than English will feature General theme only.


(III) Contest Structure


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1.The contest consists of four rounds: the preliminary (online), intermediary  (online), semi-final (online), and final (offline) rounds.

 

2.The contest will be held via a dedicated online examination system, where contestants can access the contest questions and submit their answers. The answers  section must not contain the translator’s name, address, or any other personal information including footnotes and endnotes, otherwise it will be deemed invalid. Once submitted, the answers cannot be changed.

 

3.Preliminary Round (July 11-13, 2020):

Qualifying contestants for this round who have successfully signed up and paid their competition fees should pay attention to the WeChat push notifications from the “CEMA-CHINA” official WeChat account on July 8. The electronic admission ticket (including guidelines for logging into the competition’s dedicated online examination system) can be downloaded according to the instructions pushed via the account.

 

The preliminary round will take place at the same time for each language pairing (both directions).

 

In this round, contestants must submit their answers within 48 hours after the questions are distributed to the exam system on July 11, 2020 at 9:00 am. The deadline for submitting answers is therefore July 13, 2020 by 9:00 am.

 

The answers section must not include the translator’s name, address, or any other personal information; otherwise it will be deemed invalid. Once submitted, the answers cannot be changed.

 

4. Intermediary Round (August 22-24, 2020)

The winners of the preliminary round (the top 40% of contestants from the preliminary round) will qualify for the intermediary round.

 

Qualifying contestants for this round who have successfully signed up and paid their competition fees should pay attention to the WeChat push notifications from the “CEMA-CHINA”account on August 19. The electronic admission ticket  can be downloaded according to the instructions pushed via the account.

 

The preliminary round will take place at the same time for each language pairing (both directions).

 

In this round, contestants must submit their answers within 48 hours after the questions are  distributed to the exam system on August 22, 2020 at 9:00 am. The deadline for submitting answers is therefore August 24, 2020 by 9:00 am.

 

The answers section must not include the translator’s name, address, or any other personal information; otherwise it will be deemed invalid. Once submitted, the answers cannot be changed.

 

 

5.Semi-final Round (October 17-18, 2020)

The winners of the intermediary round (the top 15% of contestants from the intermediary) will qualify for the semi-final round.

 

Qualifying contestants for this round who have successfully signed up and paid their competition fees should pay attention to the WeChat push notifications from the “CEMA-CHINA” account on October 14. The electronic admission ticket can be downloaded according to the instructions pushed via the account.


This round will be held under timed conditions. Contestants will have three hours to complete and submit their answers.

 

This round consists of language pairings (translation in both directions) of Chinese-English (covering all four themes: General, Finance, Law and Medicine):

 

(1) The Chinese-English (Finance) semi-final will take place on the morning of October 17, 2020, including two articles of about 1,000 words/characters in total. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on October 17, 2020 at 9:00 am and the deadline for submission is October 17, 2020 by 12:00 pm.

 

(2) The Chinese-English (Law) semi-final will take place on the afternoon October 17, 2020, including two articles of about 1,000 words/characters in total. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on October 17, 2020 at 2:00 pm and the deadline for submission is October 17, 2020 by 5:00 pm.

 

(3) The Chinese-English (Medicine) semi-final will take place on the morning of October 18, 2020, including two articles of about 1,000 words/characters in total. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on October 18, 2020 at 9:00 am and the deadline for submission is October 18, 2020 by 12:00 pm.

 

(4) All remaining language pairings will be on the General theme. The original texts will be published to the exam system on October 18, 2020 at 2:00 pm and the deadline for submission is October 18, 2020 by 5:00 pm.

 

The answers section must not include the translator’s name, address, or any other personal information; otherwise it will be deemed invalid. Once submitted, the answers cannot be changed.

 

6. Final Round (November 21-22, 2020)

The  final round will take place in Beijing, executed offline and under timed conditions.

 

Qualifying contestants for this round who have successfully signed up and paid their competition fees should pay attention to the WeChat push notifications from the “CEMA-CHINA” account on November 18. The electronic admission ticket can be downloaded according to the instructions pushed via the account.

 

For the final round, we will provide online live streaming and commentary to show the contestants’ translating process.

 

Contestants are required to complete their answers within three hours.

 

The detailed arrangements are as follows:

 

The Chinese-English (Finance) finals will take place on the morning of  November 21, 2020. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on November 21, 2020 at 9:00 am, and the deadline for submission is November 21, 2020 at 12:00 pm.

 

(2)The Chinese-English (Law) finals will take place on the afternoon of November 21, 2020. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on November 21, 2020 at 2:00 pm, and the deadline for submission is November 21, 2020 at 5:00 pm.

 

(3)The Chinese-English (Medicine) finals will take place on the morning of November 22, 2020. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on November 22, 2020 at 9:00 am, and the deadline for submission is November 22, 2020 at 12:00 am.

 

(4)The final round for all remaining language pairings will be on the General theme, and will be held on the afternoon of November 22, 2020. The exam texts will be distributed to the exam system on November 22, 2020 at 2:00 pm, and the deadline for submission is November 22, 2020 at 5:00 pm. 

 

III. Prizes, Awards and Benefits

1.The winners of the preliminary round will get the opportunity to become online interns with Grouphorse, receiving online translation practice and guidance, thus helping them prepare for the next contest.

 

2.For every stage of the competition and in every theme, the Organizing Committee will select the contestants who win Champion, Runner-up, and Third Place, as well as First, Second, and Third Prizes. The Organizing Committee will present the winning contestants with: trophies, cash prizes, and award certificates. The winners can also join the translation training programs at Cema Training School of Translation and Interpreting free of charge. Furthermore, the Organizing Committee will recommend the winners for: 1) internships with Chinese translation institutions; 2) employment with government agencies, enterprises, and public institutions or overseas study programs; and 3) working opportunities to translate documents from international organizations (depending on approval from said organizations). 

 

3.Contestants who perform exceptionally well at the contest will be recommended to the Translators Selection Program for International Organizations, which is designed to select and transfer outstanding talents to work on specific tasks, such as translating documents from international organizations.

 

4.Excellent Organization awards will be presented to the organizations which actively engage their students or staff in the contest and to the individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the success of the contest. 

 

IV. Application Procedure and Fees

(1) After having followed the “CEME-CHINA” account, contestants must click “Grouphorse Translators” at the bottom menu and select “China Written Translation Contest”, then fill in the relevant information in the Application Form pop-up. Once the registration information has been confirmed, contestants must pay the application fee as soon as possible to qualify for the contest. Qualifying contestants for this round who have successfully signed up and paid their competition fees should pay attention to the WeChat push notifications from the account on July 8. The electronic admission ticket can be downloaded according to the instructions pushed via the account.

 

(2) Each contestant can only apply for one session of the contest. Contestants who apply for Chinese-English translation can select one or more themes (Finance, Medicine, Law, General). Contestants applying for contest sessions other than Chinese-English can only select the General theme. 

 

(3) To cover the costs of organization, question writing, and appraisal, all the contestants are required to pay an application fee of RMB 99 when they apply for the preliminary round through the Online Application Platform. After the contestants have qualified for the following intermediary, semi-final and final rounds, they must pay an additional fee of RMB 199 through the Platform. Other costs including accommodation, transportation and meals incurred while taking part in the final round (offline) are to be borne by the contestants themselves. 

 

V.  Miscellaneous

(1)  If the contest cannot proceed due to force majeure, the contest will be automatically terminated.

 

(2) The Organizing Committee will provide pre-contest training for all contestants free of change, with the timing for training to be provided on the “CEMA-CHIINA” account.

 

(3) For the students who are graduating this year, they must fill in their educational information and school region in the Application Form according to the school they have graduated from; if they have been enrolled in other schools or employed in other organizations at the time of the contest, these schools or organizations can be listed as the secondary schools or organizations. The graduate registration area shall remain unchanged. 

 

(4) Relevant detailed rules and updates will be posted on the “Grouphorse Translators — China Written Translation Contest” page of the “CEMA-CHINA” account.

 

(5) All times specified in this Announcement are in Beijing Time.

 

(6) The Organizing Committee of the contest shall have the final right in interpreting contest information.

 

Secretariat of the Contest Organizing Committee 

Tel.:+86 010-57435960
E-mail:cwtc@grouphorse.com

Add.: The Organizing Committee of the 2020 China Translation Contest, Room 707, Tower A, Yonghe Plaza, 28 East Andingmen Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Post code: 100007

Organizing Committee 

2020 China Written Translation Contest 

May 21, 2020

 

Introduction to sponsor, organizer and co-organizer

 

Sponsored by:

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

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Established in 1966, United Nations Industrial Development Organization is the UN General Assembly’s multilateral technical assistance organization. UNIDO is the specialized agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mandate of UNIDO is to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition. In recent years, UNIDO has assumed an enhanced role in the global development agenda by focusing on the vision of creating a world of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The organization is recognized as an important, professional and efficient service provider. The agency is responsible for dealing with various interconnected challenges, including reducing difficulties through productive activities, integrating developing countries into global trade through building trade capacity, promoting environmental sustainability in industrial development, and improving access to clean energy.

 

 

Organized by:

Beijing Grouphorse Translations Co., Ltd.

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Beijing Grouphorse Translations Co., Ltd. is a Grouphorse Translations holding company, a United Nations vendor for language services registered at the highest level (ID: 496547) and a participant of the United Nations Global Compact (ID: 109301). As a prestigious international language service provider and global translation talent training center, Grouphorse has been the official language service provider for the IMF, the Boao Forum for Asia, APEC summits, China International Import Expo, Cambridge Assessment International Education, and Cambridge Assessment English. The company has signed an agreement with the Chartered Institute of Linguists to become an authorized test center for the Advanced Diploma in Translation. Grouphorse is the Translation Partner to the China Education Symposium at Harvard and the official sponsor for the XIX FIT World Congress as well as one of China’s first service providers to offer internships and placements for candidates on the national Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) course. Furthermore, Grouphorse is an organizational council member of the Translators Association of China (TAC), a corporate member of the American Translators Association (ATA), and co-organizer of the Eighth National Conference and International Forum on Interpreting. Grouphorse is certified to the ISO 9001: 2015 standard and offers services including translation, interpreting, translator and interpreter training, and linguistic and cultural consultation.

 

 

Organized by:

Shanghai International Intelligent Manufacturing Promotion Center of the UNIDO 

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Shanghai International Intelligent Manufacturing Promotion Center of the UNIDO was established in 2018 in Shanghai according to the requirements of UNIDO’ project titled “Intelligent manufacturing technology and its application in small and medium-sized enterprises”. In cooperation with local governments and industry associations, the center aims to promote the application of intelligent manufacturing technology and advance the innovative development of the manufacturing industry. These aims are integrated with the Made in China 2025 and German Industry 4.0 frameworks, and come as part of this century’s new wave of scientific, technological and industrial revolutions.

 

 

Co-organized by:

Alibaba Translate

 

Alibaba Translate is a subsidiary company of Alibaba (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd. It mainly focuses on multilingual solutions for e-commerce scenarios and provides services helping to take e-commerce products international. Moreover, Alibaba Translate integrates AI into its language innovation products and also makes a substantial commercial output.

 

Alibaba Translate places user experience at its core, providing comprehensive language solutions to support cross-border e-commerce trade and the internationalization of enterprise applications by using a wide range of cutting-edge intelligent technologies. These solutions cover areas such as machine translation, human translation, AI data annotation, internationalization, and localization. Alibaba Translate is aimed at making business free of language barriers.

 

Its solutions and products target areas such as cross-border e-commerce, social communication, technical documents and outbound travel.

 

In the intermediary and semi-final rounds, Alynx, its human-machine cooperative translation platform, will be used to support tasks such as distributing questions, translating documents, marking and giving automatic quality evaluations.

 

 

Inspirational videos (see below) were sent to the contestants by major figures from the field of Chinese translation. 


Xu Yanan

Former Chief of the Chinese Translation Service of the Documentation Division of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) at the UN

Former Director-General of the Translation Office at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chief Advisor on Translation and Interpretation at Grouphorse



Chen Mingming

Executive Vice President of the Translators Association of China

Former Director-General of the Department of Translation and Interpretation at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs




Dr. Ho Yong

Former Chinese Language Supervisor of the UN Chinese Language Program

Winner of the UN21 Awards