Mining Indaba in Cape Town
If you are a South African or someone working in the mining industry, you would have heard about “Mining Indaba”, which is a big conference that takes place once a year in Cape Town. During the week of the conference, the traffic in and around CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Centre) is noticeably worse and you will struggle to find a hotel or B&B in the city. This tells you something about the size and importance of Mining Indaba. And for that, our Chinese translators traveled to Cape Town, and this is what happened.
As you read this post, Mining Indaba would have celebrated its 30th this year. It all started in 1994 when South Africa became a democratic country. Today, some 8000 people attend this event every year, providing a platform for important industry discussions and connecting mining companies with leading investors, all for the long-term economic and sustainable growth across the continent. Okay, this is all very well, but what does it mean for our English Chinese translators? A lot of formal speeches and complicated presentations to translate from English to Chinese and from Chinese to English! As you know, mining is a specialized field that involves a lot of engineering and geology. For that reason, translating for mining is often challenging for any translator. Fortunately, our Chinese translators are seasoned professionals, so they know a thing or two when it comes to events of this nature and magnitude.
Okay, you may think that our Chinese translators can just walk into a conference and translate, right? The reality is not that simple. Imagine this: you have just walked into a meeting at another company and were asked to comment on a matter unfamiliar to you. This is what it’s like for our Chinese translators when they sit in a meeting. Most people are unaware of this, but a good translator is a prepared He always does his homework beforehand to make sure that he is well-prepared for the job.
Mining Indaba is a week-long event, and the program includes plenary and breakout sessions, exhibitions, and site visits, etc. Fortunately, our Chinese translators are only needed at the plenary sessions, and that means two and a half days of sitting inside a soundproof booth, listening to speeches in English while speaking in Chinese. If you were at the conference, you probably would not have noticed them because they are always discreet, and they work quietly behind the scenes.
We are Chinese translators in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Until next time…