Countercurrent 1982

Chapter 261 Going Abroad Procedures
The following spoken English is very simple.

The old man first picked up a tape and put it into the tape recorder, then gave Duan Yun a piece of paper and a pen, and said, "I will play the recording, and you can translate the words. If the speed is too fast to finish writing, you can call a pause."

"Understood." Duan Yun nodded.

Duan Yun could tell that the old man might speak English, but his level was definitely not very high, otherwise, he could have a direct conversation with himself in English.

Everything was ready, the old man pressed the button of the tape recorder.

“Miss Elizabeth. l have struggled in vain and can bear it no longer. These past months have been a ”

An English dialogue came from the tape recorder. Duan Yun thought it sounded familiar, but soon he remembered that it turned out to be a dialogue from "Pride and Prejudice".

People's speaking speed is definitely much faster than that of recording, but Duan Yun took a shorthand special training class for a period of time when he was in college. Although Duan Yun's shorthand level is not the best in the class, he can keep up with the tape recorder. Rhythm is perfectly fine.

"Swipe!"

Duan Yun's brushstrokes were swift, and it took less than 2 minutes to fill a piece of paper. Although the handwriting is simplified, the fonts are a bit floating, and many of them are shorthand symbols, they can still be recognized.

The old man on the side was also surprised from ear to ear when he saw this scene.

In fact, the old man is a full-time Russian translator for the Bureau of Light Industry. Sometimes, it is necessary to play a section, pause for a while, and then play a section, so that the tester can keep up with the rhythm.

Although the old man's English level is not high, and he is slow to learn when he is old, he still has some basics. Seeing that Duan Yun's note taking speed can keep up with the speaking speed of the tape recorder, he feels a little incredible.

In 10 minutes, Duan Yun copied twelve pieces of letter paper, basically one letter paper per minute.

"Okay!" After the old man finished speaking, he turned off the tape recorder, and then pressed the rewind button.

As soon as a master makes a move, he will know whether there is one. Generally speaking, a strict translation assessment requires translating the entire tape, but just now Duan Yun didn't stop from the beginning to the end. This ability already shows his translation speed and level. Yes, and the translation shorthand symbols used by Duan Yun have many similarities with the shorthand methods he had practiced in the Russian translation before. From this point, it can be seen that Duan Yun's English translation should at least have received special training for a period of time.

Next, the old man asked Duan Yun to read the English he translated, and at the same time plugged in the earphone cable to the tape recorder, listening to the original sound of the tape with one ear, and listening to Duan Yun reading English with the other.

Compared with later generations, this method of testing the translation level seems a bit too simple and casual, but in the era when relevant equipment was lacking, it was already considered the most practical test method.

"Miss Elizabeth. I can't take it any longer..."

Duan Yun picked up the manuscript and began to read at a constant speed.

"Read it in English!" the old man reminded Duan Yun.

“Miss Elizabeth. l have struggled in vain and can bear it no longer…”

Duan Yun's oral English is fairly fluent, and there is basically no difficulty in reading such English manuscripts aloud. Even if one or two words are occasionally inaccurately pronounced, it is estimated that the old man will not be able to make it out.

Sure enough, halfway through Duan Yun's reading, the old man had a smile on his face.

"The young man's English level is very good." After the old man turned off the tape recorder, he glanced at Duan Yun approvingly and asked, "Where did you learn this English?"

"When I went to the countryside, I met a master of English and he taught me." Duan Yun prevaricated casually.

"Sure enough, the master is among the people." The old man didn't delve into the origin of the master Duan Yun mentioned, but said something with emotion, and left his translation room with Duan Yun.

"It's over so soon?"

When Ruiyang saw the old man leading Duan Yun back to the office, he asked in surprise.

"Director Rui, Comrade Duan Yun's spoken English is completely qualified, and he has a solid foundation in translation and shorthand. He has the level of an English translator. He has such a high level of English at a young age. He is really a very difficult translator!" The old man's evaluation of Duan Yun is obviously very high.

"Very good!" Ruiyang nodded in satisfaction when he heard the words, and after signaling the old man to leave, he smiled and said to Duan Yun: "I really found a treasure this time!"

"Director Rui, thank you. English has always been my hobby. If I can apply what I have learned, it will be considered that I have not wasted my hard work all these years." Duan Yun said with a raised brow.

"That's for sure! The bureau will not bury talents like you." Ruiyang tapped the table with his fingers and said, "Next Friday I will lead a team to West Germany to discuss the purchase of automobile production line equipment. This It has been approved by the Ministry, and I will ask your factory to issue a certificate and go through the relevant procedures for you to go abroad. In the past few days, your task is to re-translate some documents that were previously unqualified. There are a lot of documents. Before going abroad The translation must be completed, the task is heavy, this...can you finish it on time?"

"I can only guarantee the completion of the materials for the main equipment parts." Duan Yun clearly remembers that the last time the bureau distributed three boxes of materials, and now the bureau still has more than a week to complete next Friday. The task of translating all the materials is obviously a bit heavy, so Duan Yun did not agree to it.

"That's fine!" Ruiyang nodded. In fact, he also knew that it was impossible for Duan Yun to translate so many materials by himself, so he said, "I will greet your unit and let them give you some time. You are on vacation, and if the negotiation goes well this time, you may be arranged to go to the Daxing Automobile No. [-] Factory to cooperate with their technicians in the equipment installation and transformation work, I hope you can make preparations in advance."

"No problem!" Duan Yun's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he replied straightforwardly.

Duan Yun understood that if everything went well for him to go abroad as an interpreter, he would become a full-time interpreter for the Municipal Bureau in the future, and he would definitely bring himself with him when he went abroad to negotiate with foreign businessmen in the bureau.

In addition, after returning from the purchase of equipment this time, it is also a good opportunity to cooperate with Daxing No. [-] Factory in the installation of equipment. If he can win the praise of the manufacturer, then he will definitely get more attention from the Municipal Bureau, and he will be promoted in the future. The speed will become like a rocket!
"Well, I'll ask the people in the data department to send over all the drawings and materials right now, and take care to keep them safe. If there are other matters during this period, I'll let your factory notify you!" Ruiyang said with a raised eyebrow.

(End of this chapter)