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Hu Daxin: Barrier-free language services for 2008 Olympic Games

My name is Hu Daxin, I was born in Beijing in 1980. After graduating from Beijing Foreign Studies University, I served as an interpreter and commentator in Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. As a staff member in the service industry, my working state and spirit is directly linked with the image of our capital, Beijing. Ever since Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, I decided to make use of my English specialty to offer barrier-free foreign language services for the Olympic Games, and accomplish the reception task during the Olympic Games.

I am mainly responsible for checking translations with regard to foreign affairs and English signs in the exhibition hall. It requires me to be accurate and precise in my work; mistakes are not acceptable. To make the English signs in the hall more compliant with the norm, I check them one by one, record and correct existing problems and choose the best solutions. After work, I also go to other large-scale museums and exhibition halls to study and compare the English signs there, in order to ensure the correctness of the signs under my jurisdiction.

I also undertake the task of interpretation for important groups from abroad; this job is even more important because my image represents the capital and the country. I must not only be very familiar with what I explain, but also keep learning and substantiating myself through various means, and applying the Olympic Games concept into the commentary. I try my best to make guests understand Beijing, like Beijing and obtain knowledge and gain happiness through my explanations. I often tell my colleagues that "we should make one more gesture to show more care to visitors. If you are more patient, you will have more understanding of visitors; if you show more smiles, you will bring more warmth to visitors."

With a sincere smile, hospitable service, excellent and vivid explanation in foreign languages, I have fulfilled important reception tasks satisfactorily. I successively received the Tanzanian president, the First Vice-president of Sudan, the Queen of Jordan, the First Lady of Indonesia,  the American ambassador to China, the Minister of the US Department of Commerce, the Mayor of Cologne, Germany, the First Lady of Vanuatu, the Maldivian Foreign Minister, the Samoan speaker, the wife of the Australian premier, the husband of the New Zealand premier, Vice-governor of Maryland, U.S.A, the Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, the Mayor of Manila, and other important leaders and groups. I have received high praise from foreign guests.

I refuse to stay idle. In order to help other colleagues in the hall improve their English level, I volunteer to provide English training to the whole staff. Moreover, I spend my spare time browsing and consulting books and writing training materials for internal use. I insist on teaching English free of charge after work every Thursday, and my colleagues have improved their English skills a lot since taking classes with me. In addition, when I can, I often go to Capital Museum and other museums to serve as volunteer commentator, to offer free explanation services for foreign visitors.

Though my post is ordinary, I realize that I can make unique achievements as long as I have a good attitude and unselfish spirit of devotion. I was successively praised as a special individual for Olympic Games training work in the capital service trade, and as a "Smiling Service Ambassador" for the Olympic Games.

I feel my volunteer work brings happiness to not only to others but also to myself. A volunteer's smile is the best reflection of Beijing. Our great capital has much advanced culture which needs to be spread around the world by us. The Olympic Games is a perfect chance; we should realize the one-century-long dream with our talent, enthusiasm and youthful strength, and create irreplaceable spiritual wealth for our life and for our country.