News from Yuqing Cao

Greetings from Shanghai, China! After graduating from WFU in 2020 with my M.A. degree, I have landed at a CRO (Contract Research Organization) in the pharmaceutical industry in Shanghai and currently work as the supervisor of the translation team at the Department of Toxicology. The works that my team do here are to ensure the quality and accuracy of the translation, from Chinese to English or vice versa, of the preclinical toxicology reports that the sponsors submit to the drug regulatory authorities like FDA (Food and Drug Administration, U.S.) and NMPA (National Medical Products Administration, China) for approval of further clinical trials. 

 

Looking back to the days at WFU, I always feel empowered. The expertise in the area, the management mindset, and the insights for the industry are the precious assets that I gained from courses and my strength to overcome any challenges. I bet that some of the students in translation studies/interpreting are challenged about their pursuit of this career path. I, for example, once had this question from my colleague who is an analyst from another department: “Yuqing, what’s your job like as a translator? Don’t you guys just copy and then paste from Google translation?” I was shocked but just replied: “Oh, you shall know it when you become a translator.” I think I can just laugh it off because I’m respected as a professional and don’t need to waste my time for people’s ignorance or lack of education. Even with clients, I would not hesitate to educate them when necessary for their better understanding about translation. To be honest, I’ve seen so many clients who confused “translating” with “writing.” I’m obligated to explain the difference and tell them “no” when they require more than a translation. 

 

In addition to my role as a translator, I lead a team of four translators for my department. I have to confess that management is not easy when I once thought all I have to do is to be a good translator. Luckily, many electives provided at ITS are interdisciplinary studies, and I took advantage of that. I remember I was the translation manager for one of our group assignments and I did a good job at the end of the semester. That is basically my daily life now. I could go on and on as the past really shaped me into the person I am today. I would stop here and end this with a big thank you for my two years at WFU. Hope to hear from everyone soon!