Taiwanese writer Yang Shuangzi recently went to Munich, Germany to participate in a lecture, and the performance of the on-site interpreter sparked controversy. Zhao Yanqing, the head of the Taiwan Representative Office in Munich, confirmed today (October 5) that before the event, the Chinese Consulate General in Munich had pressured the organizers and demanded the event be cancelled.
Zhao Yanqing, in an interview with the Central News Agency, stated that Tanja Graf, the director of Literaturhaus München, personally confirmed to him that personnel from the Chinese Consulate had conveyed their hope to cancel Yang Shuangzi’s event and offered to sponsor and arrange for a Chinese writer to hold the event instead of Yang Shuangzi. However, Literaturhaus München rejected this request.
Regarding the controversial interpreting incident, Zhao Yanqing mentioned that the interpreter Cao Changzhen was hired by Literaturhaus München. Due to the Oktoberfest being held at the time to save costs, the literary house decided to hire a local interpreter through contacts from the Taiwan Association in Berlin.
Zhao Yanqing stated that the situation at the event was “very embarrassing” and raised questions about professionalism. Firstly, Cao Changzhen went on stage without bringing pen and paper. Secondly, according to Yang Shuangzi’s account, during the meeting in the conference room before the event, the interpreter and the host had already indicated that there were certain political issues he could not translate but did not explain why.
During the subsequent activities, when the German host spoke in German, Cao Changzhen did not translate for Yang Shuangzi at all. He even avoided words like “Republic of China,” “Taiwan,” and “Mainland China.” When Yang Shuangzi talked about China’s cognitive warfare, the term “cognitive warfare” was not translated and replaced with misinformation. When mentioning the huge threat from the Chinese Communist Party, it was referred to as “a very large neighbor,” with the host then hastily adding “the largest neighbor is China.”
Zhao Yanqing stated that there was a strong reaction from Taiwanese attendees at the event, and he personally protested to the interpreter. He also raised the issue to the German host, interpreter, and officials from the literary house, who were all shocked and embarrassed, emphasizing that this was not what the literary house had intended.
In addition, there were some “Chinese faces” present at the event who tried to ask sensitive questions, but Yang Shuangzi responded well and was not influenced.
Zhao Yanqing admitted that while there is no evidence directly linking the controversy to the Chinese government’s intervention, the fact that the Chinese Consulate attempted to intervene and cancel the event is undeniable. Apart from threatening and attempting to entice the literary house, there may have also been attempts to influence participants in the event, which he stated they have no doubt about.
(Source: Central News Agency)