This book offers Chinese perspectives on translation and interpreting as catalyst for social change, especially in the Chinese context. Translation and interpreting have long been recognized as powerful tools for social change, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers to foster understanding, promote social justice, and drive innovation. From the dissemination of religious texts that shaped spiritual and ethical norms to the translation of scientific and political treatises that catalyzed intellectual and social revolutions, translation has played a crucial role in the development of societies worldwide. This book aims to explore the multifaceted social functions and values of translation and interpreting particularly in the Chinese context, highlighting their roles in driving social change and fostering cultural exchange.

Defeng Li is Distinguished Professor of Translation Studies and Director of the Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition (CSTIC) at the University of Macau. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Chair of the Centre for Translation Studies and reader in Translation Studies at SOAS, University of London; Director of the MA in Translation and Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dean and Chair Professor at Shandong University; and (visiting) Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University. He is currently President of World Interpreter and Translator Training Association (WITTA). He has researched and published extensively in the field of cognitive translation studies, corpus-assisted translation studies, curriculum development in translator training, research methods in translation studies, professional translation (e.g., business, journalistic, and legal translation), as well as second language education.

Yangsheng Guo is professor and director of the Centre for the Study of Translation and Society at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. He received his PhD from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has taught at universities in Canada, Japan, and China. Guo has been serving as editorial member of Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, and member of the Standing Review Board under the Humanities and Social Sciences Panel of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. He has published extensively in areas ranging from curriculum and pedagogy in English language and literature education to translation studies, including research articles ‘The Politics of Translation in a Global Era: A Chinese Perspective’ (The Translator, 2009), and ‘Translation as Vaccination’ (Translation Studies, 2017). He has won a number of prestigious honours and awards for his teaching and research.