Recently, the national football team drew 0-0 with Lebanon in the Asian Cup group stage. At the post-match press conference, coach Jankovic's long speech triggered a controversy over the translation work. The translator said that he had chosen to skip part of Yankovic's speech because it was too long, which immediately triggered a heated discussion among the media and the public. On the one hand, some people criticized the professionalism and sense of responsibility of the translator. On the other hand, journalist Ma Dexing stood up to defend the translator, saying that his approach was the best choice in desperation.
Ma Dexing pointed out that the incident occurred at the post-match press conference. When Jankovic answered reporters' questions about game tactics, he spoke continuously for about 3 minutes. Faced with such a long speech, the translator expressed that it was difficult to fully translate and selectively skipped some parts of the speech. Jankovic later apologized, admitting that he had not considered the need for a translator. However, this move was seen as irresponsible by some, who believe that translators should do their jobs faithfully, regardless of the length of the speech.
Ma Dexing believed that the choice of "translator Xiao Gu" was reasonable given Yankovic's long speech and the actual situation at the scene. Ma Dexing pointed out that since note-taking is usually not allowed on site, it is difficult for translators to convey the content of long speeches completely and accurately. He also believed that Jankovic's three-minute speech did not take into account the difficulty of translation at all. This incident was over-interpreted and was a manifestation of the public looking for an outlet against the poor background of Chinese football. Ma Dexing said that this "rumor-mongering" "It caused great harm to the parties concerned.
Some fans have put forward different views on Ma Dexing's views. They believe that as a translator, you should convey the speaker's meaning as much as possible. Even if you cannot translate word for word, you should still convey the content roughly. They believe that Ma Dexing's comments actually do not fully respect the expectations and needs of the fans.
Overall, this incident reflects the importance and complexity of communication and translation work in important international events. On the one hand, as the head coach, Jankovic has the right to let the interpreter accurately convey his meaning; on the other hand, the interpreter also faces the challenge of how to strike a balance between faithful communication and practical operation, but it is really inappropriate to refuse to translate. In the sport of football, respect is a basic requirement. Whether it is coaches, translators or fans, they should be fully respected and understood. (Lao Qiu Chinese Super League Football Commentator)
