Peking University, Dec. 30, 2016: On the afternoon of December 16, 2016, the second session of the 2016 Fall Foreign Affairs Training Series Lecture was held at Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center. He Shu. PhD, one of the top-ten teachers at PKU and an expert on international communication from School of Journalism and Communication, was invited to deliver the speech.
He started the speech with a piece of news broadcast by a foreigner with pronounced accent. She adopted the example to illustrate the difficulties in transmitting news by Chinese foreign media. The lecture focused on four points: 1. Which leading competitors of China’s English-language media are facing? 2. How do Chinese and foreign media contrast on reporting news related to China? 3. What privileges do Chinese English-language media have? 4. How to deal with cultural differences, eliminate misunderstandings and communicate effectively?
With China’s globalization being accelerated, China’s English-language media have been strengthening their voices. From the establishment of China Radio International in 1941, the first issue of China Daily in 1981, English News of Wuhan Television in 1993, the foundation of CCTV’s first English International channel to the contemporary household names of the English version of the People’ Daily, CCTV News, the English version of the Global Times and so on, we’ve witnessed Chinese media more and more inclined to participate in cosmopolitan affairs. He Shu analyzed briefly the development of China’s English-language media and adoptability of their foreign mainstream counterparts by comparison.
Interweaving seven videos in her speech, He explained the ingenuity of selected topic, changes in transmitting information, the polish of language and future tendencies. Later, she took the example of Xinhua Press to elaborate on advantages of China’s English media. Most of China’s English media abound in capital support and governmental help. Xinhua Press has 31 domestic subdivisions and about 200 overseas branches, making it the most influential media in China. Xinhua Online, on the other hand, publishes multi-lingual news 24 hours incessantly and release videos of about 900 minutes every day, topping the world list (while BBC has a total amount of about 400 minutes.) All of those adds to Chinese media’s competiveness. Meanwhile, many overseas versions of our televisions (CCTV America News) have hired foreign presenters who are more skilled at English. Some doubt whether Chinese presenters will be replaced completely. At this, He responded that it’s impossible for CCTV’s headquarter. Presenters from mainland China have unrivalled privileges on topics such the “two meetings”, internet attacks and the two-child policy.
To sum up, China’s English-language media face both opportunities and challenges. He Shu also explained what PKU should do in international communication. She concluded the lecture with micro video news and recent developments in translator techniques.
Written by: Wang Xi
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
