From competitive tenders and site inspection reports to event previews, you’ll be amazed at the range of materials that need translating before the games even get started.

从竞标文件到现场检查报告，再到赛事预览，你会惊讶地发现，在比赛开始之前需要翻译的材料种类如此之多。

The summer Olympic and Paralympic games are truly global events – 206 countries will be represented at the Olympics and 184 at the Paralympics. The opening ceremony for Paris 2024 will see thousands of competitors sail into the city along the River Seine on 26 July. But have you ever wondered how they, and the thousands of others involved in the event, manage to communicate with one another when they come from all four corners of the world and speak dozens of different languages? That’s where translators and interpreters come in.

夏季奥运会和残奥会是真正的全球盛事——奥运会将有206个国家参加，残奥会有184个国家参加。2024年巴黎奥运会的开幕式将在7月26日举行，届时将有成千上万的选手沿着塞纳河乘船进入这座城市。但是，你是否想过，这些来自五湖四海，说着几十种不同的语言的参与者，是如何彼此沟通的呢？这正是笔译和口译人员的作用所在。

And it’s not just during the games that linguists are essential to break down the barriers of communication. My first assignment in preparation for this event came almost six years ago, in the chill of December 2018. As a French- and Spanish-to-English translator who specialises in sports, I have worked on a steady flow of related assignments since then, all building up to the big day, and you might be surprised at the range and variety of the translation work required. 

语言学家不仅在比赛中至关重要，在打破沟通障碍方面也是必不可少的。我为此次赛事准备的首个任务始于六年前，2018年那个寒冷的12月。作为一名专门从事体育领域的法语至英语和西班牙语至英语的译员，从那时起我便开始持续不断地完成相关任务，所有这些任务都在为这个重要的日子做准备，你可能会对所需的翻译工作的范围和多样性感到惊讶。

Most obviously, there is a demand to offer fans information and opportunities for engagement, so there is plenty of online content to be translated. For example, I have been involved in translating event previews that are intended to entice spectators and ratchet up excitement levels.

显而易见，为了满足粉丝的信息需求和参与机会，有很多在线内容需要翻译。例如，我参与了翻译旨在吸引观众并提高兴奋度的赛事预览。

Some assignments have looked at the prospects of up-and-coming young talents in countries where my source languages (the languages I translate out of) are spoken, as far afield as Mali and Cameroon. Others have taken a more journalistic turn, including retrospective articles that took me on a deep dive into past Olympics and interviews with former breakout stars.

有些任务聚焦于那些我所说的源语言国家里的后起之秀的发展前景，远至马里和喀麦隆。其他文章则更偏向于新闻报道，包括深入挖掘历届奥运会的回顾性文章，以及与前明星运动员的访谈。

I was even tasked with translating an overview of every single event scheduled to feature at the Games. One of the highlights of this particular project was learning more about the range of sports involved and helping my client to shine a light on some of the lesser-known disciplines. For example, “breaking” is one of the new sports due to be introduced at Paris 2024 and it was fascinating to delve into why this term is preferred over the more familiar “breakdancing” and to explore its etymological roots in hip-hop culture. All these assignments required me to call upon complementary skills such as editing, research and fact-checking (after all, us sports fans love a few stats!)

我的任务甚至包括翻译奥运会每项赛事的概况。该项目的一个亮点是，我得以了解更多关于涉及的体育项目的范围，并帮助我的客户为一些鲜为人知的项目增色。例如，”霹雳舞 “是 2024 年巴黎奥运会上新引入的新运动项目之一，深入探究为何这个术语比“街舞”更受欢迎，并探索其在嘻哈文化中的词源，是一种令人着迷的体验。所有这些任务都要求我运用编辑、研究和事实核查等辅助技能（毕竟，我们这些体育迷都喜欢一些统计数据！）。 

I have read that the Paris Games will put an “unprecedented” security operation in place to protect all those involved. With that in mind, one of the most important jobs I have been entrusted with is translating certain site inspection reports to ensure that venues are ready for athletes and spectators alike and that they meet health, safety and security requirements. On a lighter note, translating contracts for hospitality packages and luxury hotel accommodation for dignitaries also gave me a vicarious taste for what VIPs can expect when they arrive in the City of Light. It is fair to say that hotel accommodation will be at a premium since I was translating agreements to block book rooms four years in advance!

我了解到，巴黎奥运会将采取 “史无前例 “的安保措施，以保护所有相关人员。考虑到这一点，我承担的最重要的工作之一就是翻译某些场地的检查报告，以确保场地对运动员和观众都已准备就绪，并符合健康、安全和安保要求。说点轻松的，翻译贵宾接待套餐和豪华酒店住宿合同，也让我间接体验了VIP们可以享受的待遇。可以说，酒店住宿将会非常紧张，因为我正在提前四年翻译预订房间的协议！

Despite these incredibly varied assignments, you may be surprised to learn that I have not sought or carried out a single piece of work from the International Olympic Committee directly. Instead, my work has come from a number of other clients in the sports, legal and hospitality sectors. They all share an understanding that there is no room for error in their translations. When it comes to matters like spectator safety or contracts worth millions of euros, experienced and professional translators who specialise in the field cannot be beaten.

尽管我承担的任务种类繁多，你可能会惊讶地发现，我从未直接从国际奥委会那里寻求或执行过任何工作。相反，我的工作来自于体育、法律和酒店业的其他客户。他们都有一个共识，那就是他们的翻译不允许有任何错误。在涉及观众安全或数百万欧元的合同等重要事务上，专精于该领域的经验丰富的专业译员无人能敌。

Several clients approached me because I have successfully helped them with similar work in the past . For obvious reasons, the fact that I work in the French to English language pair has been a real asset this time around. I have also been pleased to be able to refer jobs to excellent colleagues working in the opposite direction (English to French). I hope that our work will have helped these clients to collaborate with the very best partners across the globe to host a truly spectacular event which everyone can enjoy safely.

数位客户之所以找到我，是因为我过去成功地帮助他们完成了类似的工作。原因显而易见，在法语与英语语言对的工作这一事实，如今成了一笔真正宝贵的财富。我也很高兴能把工作介绍给在相反方向（英语到法语）工作的优秀同事。我希望我们的工作能够帮助这些客户与全球最优秀的合作伙伴合作，举办一场每个人都能安全享受的真正的盛举。

When I watch the Games on TV this year, I will certainly have a much better understanding of the Herculean effort that goes into putting on such a spectacle and I will enjoy cheering on some of the teams and athletes I have “met” through my translations along the way. The stunning Parisian backdrop is sure to feature in iconic and memorable moments and I am so excited to see how the city looks when it is decked out in all its finery.

今年在电视上观看比赛时，我肯定会对举办这样一场盛大活动所付出的艰巨努力有更深的理解，我也会为我在翻译过程中“结实”的一些团队和运动员加油。巴黎迷人的背景一定会成为令人难忘的标志性时刻，我非常期待看到这座城市身着盛装的样子。