From 18 to 19 April 2026, the China-ASEAN Conference on Translation, Interpreting and Communication was held at Xiamen University Malaysia. The conference brought together scholars from over 20 renowned universities and institutions across China and ASEAN countries to address topics on translation and communication. 

This event aimed to further consolidate academic consensus, contribute to building a closer and more dynamic China-ASEAN academic community for translation and communication, and provide sustained momentum for regional people-to-people exchanges and social development.

VIPs unveiling the plaque during the opening ceremony, signifying the beginning of the conference

During the first day, scholars such as Surinderpal Kaur (Universiti Malaya, Malaysia) and Marlon James Sales (University of the Philippines Diliman, the Philippines) discussed intercultural dialogue and the local-global nexus, addressing the future of translation and interpreting education in Malaysia as well as translation and interpreting practices in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Dechao Li (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China) and Phouvong Phimmakong (National University of Laos, Laos) explored AI-driven innovations in translator and interpreter training, discussing whether artificial intelligence mirrors human emotions and the use of machine translation for Lao-English translation.

On the 19th, interdisciplinarity and new paradigms in translation, interpreting, and communication studies were examined by scholars including Quang Dong Lam (University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam) and Sajarwa Sukiyo (Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia). They addressed major challenges in literary translation and the management of transforming French politeness strategies into Indonesian. Wei Su and Qixuan Li from Xiamen University, China, presented on practices, pedagogy, and market dynamics in translation and interpreting, sharing the results of a survey on translation and interpreting education in China and ASEAN.

Group Photo

Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Ivy Song JiaYang, Head of the English Language and Literature Department remarked:

"This conference was not only a successful academic event, but also marked the establishment of a new association - China-ASEAN Association of Translation, Interpreting and Communication. It is a bridge that will connect people from different fields, not only translation, interpreting, communication, but also literature and linguistics in the future, because now no research can be done independently. " 

(Contributed by Shim Huan Ling)