[Translation]Translating for Premier Zhou Enlai
[Open Access] Zhang Zhenggang's account of translating for Zhou during Nepali delegation visits to China.
This is a translation of the diplomatic memoir by the then interpreter Zhang Zhenggang who also became the first secretary of the Chinese Embassy of Nepal and later accompanied the Charge d’affairs Zhang Zhenggang to establish the Chinese Embassy in Nepal in 1960.
01 Changing Seats with Marshal Chen
During the Spring Festival of 1964, I returned to China after working for four years at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. I never imagined, even in my dreams, that after returning home I would have the opportunity to serve as an interpreter for Premier Zhou[Enlai]. In August 1965, Kirti Nidhi Bista, Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Nepal, made his first visit to China at the invitation of Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Chen Yi. The Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed me that I would serve as the interpreter. The moment I heard that I would be interpreting for Premier Zhou, I could not help but feel nervous. Since it was such an important occasion, I prepared for it with all my effort.
![[Translation]Foreign Affairs Memoirs | Accompanying the Charge d'Affaires to Kathmandu to Establish the Chinese Embassy in Nepal](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wORt!,w_280,h_280,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4538b29-efd4-4abb-8711-8adfc02f238c_437x614.png)
02 Practicality in Economic Assistance
During this meeting with Bista, Premier Zhou mainly discussed the issue of China’s economic assistance to Nepal. At the time, Nepal was carrying out domestic development projects, and the shortage of electricity was a major problem. Since Nepal possessed abundant hydropower resources, the purpose of seeking economic aid was to build several small-scale hydropower stations.
During the conversation, Premier Zhou learned that Bista and his delegation were scheduled to visit the Xin’anjiang Hydropower Station. He immediately said to Comrade Fang Yi, who was accompanying them: “The Xin’anjiang project is relatively large and does not suit Nepal’s actual conditions. We should instead arrange for the guests to visit some small-scale hydropower projects, so that future aid projects can have shorter construction periods and produce results more quickly.”
Filled with sincere friendship toward the Nepali guests, Premier Zhou approached the issue of economic assistance with a strong sense of practicality. I had long heard about the Premier’s meticulous working style, but this time I experienced it personally.
03 An Incident at the Banquet Table
After the talks, Premier Zhou hosted a luncheon banquet for Bista and his delegation. At the same time, he also entertained a Nepali friendship delegation then visiting China, headed by Kan Bahadur Basnyat1, a Standing Committee member of Nepal’s State Council. I again served as the interpreter. During the banquet, both sides were relatively relaxed, and the conversation covered a wide range of topics. I focused intently on interpreting and hardly ate anything. Noticing this, Premier Zhou humorously remarked to the guests that several of his interpreters rarely ate during banquets, except for one English interpreter who was highly skilled and could eat while interpreting at the same time, managing both without difficulty. The guests all laughed upon hearing this. The hosts and guests chatted cheerfully, and the atmosphere at the banquet was lively.
However, there was one matter that puzzled Premier Zhou somewhat: Delegation leader Basnyat remained seated the entire time without eating anything. Premier Zhou asked whether he was feeling unwell or simply unaccustomed to Chinese food. Basnyat replied, “I am a vegetarian, and there is not a single dish on the table suitable for me.”
Upon hearing this, Premier Zhou immediately apologized to him and called the relevant staff over, saying: “Why didn’t you prepare vegetarian dishes for the delegation leader?” It was later discovered that another unit had been responsible for receiving the delegation, and due to insufficient prior communication, they had failed to inform the Protocol Department about Basnyat’s dietary requirements, which led to this oversight.
Before long, a waiter brought Basnyat a plate of vegetables and a plate of egg fried rice. But Premier Zhou was still dissatisfied after seeing this. He immediately told the staff concerned:
“This is far too simple. The delegation leader is a distinguished guest from our friendly neighboring country who has come from afar. Even vegetarian food should be prepared properly and with care! If I were arranging it, I could prepare vegetarian dishes for the delegation leader that were both varied and delicious.”
Both Bista and Basnyat were deeply moved by Premier Zhou’s sincerity toward his guests and his patient manner of instructing his subordinates. They repeatedly said, “We are close neighbors and good friends. It does not matter, it does not matter.”
During the banquet, Premier Zhou would also personally serve dishes to Bista and the other guests from time to time, making them feel as comfortable and welcome as if they were in their own homes. One of the dishes served at the luncheon was Beijing roast duck, which naturally became one of the topics of conversation.
After the roast duck was brought out, Premier Zhou took a thin pancake and prepared one for Bista with slices of duck, scallions, and sweet bean sauce, inviting him to taste this famous Beijing specialty. Unexpectedly, Premier Zhou loosened his grip slightly, and the prepared pancake slipped into the dish of sweet sauce on the table. He immediately exclaimed repeatedly, “Oh no, oh no, how can this be served to a guest!” At that moment, the guests were somewhat stunned as well.
Seeing this, I quickly said to Premier Zhou, “Please give it to me, I’ll eat it.” Premier Zhou smiled and said, “Then I’ll have to give it to you.” He then prepared another pancake for Bista and invited him to try it. By this point, even without interpretation, Bista understood what had happened. He repeatedly thanked Premier Zhou and said, “Now I understand. I know how to eat Beijing roast duck now.”
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04 “Knowing Only One or Two Foreign Languages Is Not Enough”
From the year I first served as an interpreter for Premier Zhou until 1971, over a span of six years, I worked as his interpreter on seven different occasions. During those years, whenever a Nepali delegation visited China, I was usually assigned as the interpreter.
The last time I interpreted for Premier Zhou was in March 1971. On that occasion, I could clearly see that he had aged noticeably compared to previous years. There were more age spots on his face, yet his spirit remained exceptionally strong. By then, the Cultural Revolution had already been going on for five years, and many cadres had been sent down to May Seventh Cadre Schools. I myself had already spent more than a year at the Jiangxi May Seventh Cadre School.
On the eve of the arrival of the Nepal National Panchayat delegation, the Ministry urgently sent a telegram overnight recalling me from the cadre school back to Beijing. The delegation consisted of more than twenty representatives from different regions of Nepal, and it was also the first delegation ever sent by Nepal’s National Panchayat to visit China.
Premier Zhou attached great importance to this visit. On the evening of the delegation’s second day in Beijing, he met with and hosted a banquet for them. In a very warm manner, he spoke with them at length about China-Nepal friendship and encouraged them to travel around different parts of China to see more for themselves, and to bring the friendship of the Chinese people back to the people of Nepal. Those attending the meeting and banquet included Vice Chairman Guo Moruo, Vice Premier Li Xiannian, and Vice Foreign Minister Han Nianlong.
Premier Zhou possessed extremely broad international knowledge and had a deep understanding of many countries, yet he still made use of every opportunity to tirelessly pursue new knowledge, putting into practice his famous saying: “Learning never stops”[活到老学到老] During the banquet, he asked Speaker Sharma in great detail about Nepal’s Panchayat system and its functions, including the structure of the National Panchayat and its local branches, as well as the terms of office for the Speaker and the representatives. Sharma, in turn, also learned about the system of China’s National People’s Congress.
When Speaker Sharma asked Vice Chairman Guo Moruo about his age, a very interesting exchange took place. After hearing Guo’s answer, Premier Zhou asked him in surprise: “Why did you tell the guest that you are one year older than your actual age?” Guo replied: “I included the one year I spent in my mother’s womb. Since I already had life from that time, it should count as one year old. Calculating age this way is scientific.” After hearing this, Premier Zhou repeatedly said, “That makes sense, it makes sense.” Speaker Sharma also remarked that Vice Chairman Guo’s explanation was very scientific, although it was the first time he had ever heard such an interpretation.
Premier Zhou also asked Sharma about the language situation within Nepal. Sharma replied: “Nepal’s national language is Gorkhali (Nepali). In addition, the Newar people speak the Newar language, and many literary works are written in Newar. English is understood only by intellectuals and is not widely spoken among ordinary people.”
At this point, Premier Zhou said: “Foreign languages are bridges. Every country needs some talented people who understand foreign languages. Only then can countries engage in international exchanges and communication, and only then can friendship among peoples be established. Without bridges, one cannot cross rivers.”
At this moment, Vice Premier Li Xiannian interjected: “For comrades engaged in diplomatic work, knowing only one or two foreign languages is still not enough.” He then turned to Han Nianlong, who was sitting beside him, and said: “You are a vice foreign minister, you should know several more languages.” Premier Zhou expressed his agreement and added that leading cadres in foreign affairs work should also take the lead in studying foreign languages.
Premier Zhou possessed an extraordinary memory. Although I had not served as his interpreter for more than two years, he still recognized me, remembered my name, and knew about my situation. During the banquet, he asked me with concern: “You’ve been at the cadre school for more than a year now. Have you forgotten your Nepali?” I replied: “I haven’t forgotten much, but the cadre school does not specifically arrange time for foreign language study, so I can only squeeze in some time at night to review on my own.”
After hearing this, Premier Zhou immediately said to Vice Minister Han: “The Foreign Ministry’s cadre schools should still pay attention to foreign language study for cadres. After all, they will still have to work as interpreters in the future!” Sure enough, not long afterward, the leadership at the Jiangxi cadre school announced that from then on, 8 to 9 every morning would be designated as foreign language study time.
At that time, the Cultural Revolution was still underway, and many normal activities had been swept away as part of the campaign against the “Four Olds.” Foreign language study was no exception. It was precisely because of Premier Zhou’s concern that many foreign affairs cadres did not completely lose their language abilities during their years at the cadre schools. During that period, Premier Zhou helped preserve a large number of foreign language personnel for China’s diplomatic front.
05 Interpreting in the Language of the Other Country
Premier Zhou consistently attached great importance to, and actively advocated, the use of each country’s own language in interpretation. Whenever interpreters who knew the counterpart country’s language were available, he would never use English or other common intermediary languages. This was true for Nepali, Burmese, Indonesian, and many others.
When I served as Premier Zhou’s interpreter in August 1965, he said: “We should cultivate interpreters who know the languages of different countries. If we interpret in the other side’s own language, the guests will feel friendliness and warmth, and they will see it as a sign of respect for their country and for them personally. It also makes it easier for both sides to become emotionally closer.”
Premier Zhou paid particular attention to this point.
In May 1968, Vice Chairman Bista visited China for the second time. At a banquet held in his honor, the Protocol Department arranged for an English interpreter. During his speech, however, Vice Chairman Bista read from a prepared text in Nepali, yet the English interpreter, who did not understand Nepali, continued translating into Chinese. Premier Zhou found this extremely strange. After the guest had finished speaking, he called the person in charge of the Protocol Department over and asked what was going on. The explanation given was that the interpreter had been translating according to an English version of the speech that had been obtained in advance.
After hearing this, Premier Zhou repeatedly shook his head and said very seriously: “The guest was not speaking English. He was speaking Nepali. Why didn’t you arrange for a Nepali interpreter? In protocol work, one must understand how to respect the guest! One must respect the guest’s national sentiments!”
This incident also revealed how deeply thoughtful and emotionally invested Premier Zhou was in foreign affairs work. In my view, this was precisely one of the qualities that made him a universally recognized great diplomat.
Original source in Chinese: Link here. Cover photo from Nepali times
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The closest name we could figure out from the translation but we find it still unclear as to who was Kan Bahadur Basnyat or if there was a different name that we wrote it incorrectly. If you know the correct name in this case, please do