China on Thursday gave awards to more than 1,700 interpreters and translators for "outstanding contributions" to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

The Beijing Olympic organizing committee and the China Translators' Association (CTA) also honored 13 organizations, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China International Publishing Group.

A team of more than 1,700 translators and interpreters, including 400 professionals and 1,300 volunteers, provided simultaneous interpretation, consecutive interpretation and written translation for some 2,000 international conferences and press conferences in up to 44 languages during the games, said Zhao Huimin, an official with the committee.

They helped more than 11,000 athletes and some 25,000 registered media workers from some 200 nations and regions, he said.

Their work also helped deepen understanding and friendship among people from across the world and brought China and its civilization closer to the world, said CTA head Liu Xiliang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2008)