Ecklonia Maxima (sea bamboo)

The ocean is a vast and magical place filled with amazing animals and exotic plants. This week our Chinese translator travels to Simon’s Town in the Western Cape, to translate at a seminar on bio-stimulant extracted from kelp.

Kelp is a large, brown seaweed found in the ocean. The type of kelp we are looking at here is called Ecklonia maxima known as sea bamboo. They are found along the southern Atlantic coast of Africa. What’s so special about this type of kelp is the fact that its extracts can improve the health, quality, and yield in a wide variety of crops, and this is proven! Currently farmers around the world are using this natural nutrient to improve their crop output.    

At the seminar, the speakers would deliver the presentation in bitesize chunks, followed by our Chinese translator speaking in Chinese to the audience. This mode of spoken translation is called consecutive interpreting, and is best suited to smaller, bi-lingual meetings. In this manner, the audience were shown where and how the kelp is harvested, the process used to extract the nutrients, and the applications. It was then followed by a Q&A session and a short tour to the plant.

Next stop was the kelp harvest site, and that means a short drive to the other side of the Cape Peninsula. During the onward journey we were completely captured by the beauty of the Cape, and nobody seemed to care when we would arrive. But when we did arrive, another attraction was already waiting for us – a colourful spread of South African-style lunch. Needless to say, the visit to the harvest site was a very short one, knowing that there is a lunch waiting for us! Having said that, a good Chinese translator should possess good interpersonal skills and always be ready to speak correctly and appropriately, even over a meal.

Companies would often organize events and functions to promote their products or reward their dealers and customers. It’s important to remember that having a qualified translator by your side will ensure your message is delivered correctly and appropriately. Can you imagine otherwise?