Spreading the word across the world

As China takes a bigger role on the international stage, teams of translators are working hard to ensure the country's voice is heard in a variety of languages. Luo Wangshu reports.

Every year, just before dawn on March 5, correspondents working for foreign media outlets in China line up in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to collect the annual Government Work Report and hope to be the first to publish details of the previous year's GDP growth and the target for the next 12 months.

English-language versions of the report are usually snapped up quickly because although many foreign correspondents now speak Chinese, they are still more comfortable reading the Western alphabet than Chinese characters, particularly when the clock is ticking.