The Translators Association of China (TAC) was founded in 1982. As the only national association in the field of translation in China, it functions as an academic as well as professional association. Made up of institutions, enterprises, associations and individuals all over the country engaged in translation and interpretation, on a voluntary basis, TAC has group, corporate and individual members in China's 34 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative regions.

TAC aims to rally and organize translators and interpreters, and people devoted to the promotion of the profession, from all sectors of society throughout the country, to conduct research in translation and interpretation and academic exchanges, train a large contingent of translators and interpreters, improve the self-discipline and regulation of the translation industry, protect the legitimate rights and interests of translators and interpreters, and facilitate exchanges and cooperation with its counterparts both at home and abroad.

International Communication

TAC joined the International Federation of Translators (FIT) in 1987, and a number of its representatives have been elected Council Members of FIT. As one of the founder members of the FIT Asian Translators Forum, TAC hosted the first (1995) and fourth (2004) sessions of the Forum. TAC has hosted quite a number of academic and cultural exchange activities in cooperation with foreign institutions and the embassies of other countries in China.

Academic Activities

TAC's International Communication Committee often discusses the translation of new political and economic terms in China, provides authoritative foreign-language versions, and publishes them in the Chinese Translators Journal and on TAC's website. TAC's committees for the translation of the languages of China's ethnic minorities and for the translation of scientific and technological terms hold a national symposium every year and every two years, respectively. Other committees and local group members often organize academic seminars, lecture sessions and professional training courses.

TAC has organized summer symposiums on translation as well as on translation and interpretation teaching on a biennial basis since 1999. These academic activities have gained widespread recognition.

Regulation of Translation Services

In response to the rapid growth of the translation industry in China, TAC set up the Translation Service Committee in 2003, marking an extension from the academic field to market regulation. The first national specification for China's translation industry -- the Specification for Translation Service, compiled jointly by this committee and the China Association for Standardization, filled a gap in China's regulations on translation services.

Social Activities

In order to honor the great contributions made by senior translators and interpreters to China's social, economic and cultural development and to encourage young translators and interpreters to learn from them, TAC started to commend senior translators and interpreters through its committees and local members. In November 2004, TAC hosted the first "China Translation Achievements Exhibition," which received widespread media coverage. The Han Suyin Award for Young Translators, launched by TAC's Chinese Translators Journal in 1989, has become the longest-running and most influential translation competition, having the largest number of participants in China's translation circles.

·Chinese Translators Journal

Founded in 1980, TAC's Chinese Translators Journal (bimonthly), originally named Translators Notes, is a national key academic periodical and is highly respected for its pursuit of academic excellence.