Wanted: a few good decoders

When Xie Shanqing, vice-president of the Nanjing-based Yilin Press, asked a famous Sinologist to translate the literary works of established Chinese writer Ye Zhaoyan, the Sinologist said Xie would need to wait two years.

Xie, who is also the publishing house's director of international cooperation, was not surprised. She said the shortage of good translators is one of the reasons why Chinese literature hasn't fully reached its potential on the world stage.

"Translation of literature works is very difficult, because translators need to master at least two languages to get over the obstacles from cultural gaps and language differences," Xie says. "High-end translators who are able to translate Chinese literary works into a foreign language successfully are now mostly Sinologists, and they are often very busy with academic and translating work."