Recently, I spoke with Coffee, a former student of Liu Yanzhi, about the scholarship she received and about the dreams she wants to achieve. As some of you know, Coffee is a university student in Guangzhou and lost her leg last year to cancer. Though she spent months out of school, she studied over summer to make sure she graduated on time, and has now received a $20,000 USD scholarship to study French and learn to how to become a UN translator. I wanted to share this conversation I had with Coffee.

Dawei: Tell us a little bit about the scholarship you received to study translation.

Coffee: Yeah，I should say‘ thank you’ to my French teacher, he is so kind. He has high expectation on us and so he is strict with us in class, but he is easy-going after classes. I know what it means the moment he decides to grant me this opportunity. I will not let him down. Of course I will grab this opportunity to improve my French proficiency.

Dawei: Will you tell us about your dreams for yourself and why you wanted to study translation?

Coffee: I am always ambitious, I want to learn more about the languages and the cultures about the world, and I want to be a bridge between China and other countries in the world, to be a translator. I am fond of French; Luckily, I got this chance, thanks to the kindness of one of my former teachers at my school. I am now taking French as a second foreign language, and I will keep improving it.

Dawei: What are your dreams for your family and community?

Coffee: Yeah, I’ve been dreaming of changing the condition of my family for a long time. Dad and Mum are now getting old, and they have been swinking all their lives, it’s high time I did something for them, I want to make their lives better, and enjoy their lives in their old ages. I am now living in a small village, it’s far away from Guangzhou, most of my peers receive a secondary school education, and then pour into the job world. I am the only one to get a college education in my village. I hope I can change all this, and to make more children get access to higher education.

Dawei: Dreams are often held back by fears. What is your biggest fear about your dreams, and how have you overcome it?

Coffee: I always tell myself not to put all the eggs in one basket. I am always trying different ways to do things better, to be frank，when striking for my dreams, I am not fear of anything. I have confidence on myself. And I wish I could get a job as a translator, that’s the first step of fulfilling my dreams.

Dawei: What do you encourage others to do in order to achieve their dreams?

Coffee: I want to do my best and to be excellent and to show people life is to be conquered however hard it is. As long as you have a will, nothing is difficult. It is important keeping optimistic while facing difficulties.

Dawei: What do you hope to do with your scholarship and after you complete your training?

Coffee: I will keep on learning , as the saying goes : It’s never to late to learn. It does not mean my French proficiency is good enough after attending the training, there are lots of things I need to learn about. I hope I can learn more during my work. And I know clearly that to be a good translator, I should keep renewing my knowledge.

Keep Dreaming:

1.能谈一谈关于你获得学习翻译课程的事吗？

Coffee：当然，我很感激我的法语老师能给我这样一个机会。他对我们期望很高，所以他上课时对我们都很严厉，但是在课余时间他很随和。我明白他给予我这样一个机会意味着什么，我不会让他失望的，我会好好把握这个机会提高法语能力。

2.能谈谈你的梦想吗？你为什么想要学习翻译课程呢？

Coffee：我总是雄心勃勃的，我想要了解更多世界各国的语言和文化，我想要成为中国和世界上其他国家的桥梁，成为一名翻译家。我喜欢法语，很庆幸，我得到了学习法语的机会，这要感谢我以前的老师。现在法语是我的第二外语，我会继续努力提高。

3.你对你的家人和你的社区有什么样的梦想吗？

Coffee: 是的，我一直都梦想着能够改变家里的现状，爸爸妈妈现在已经不再年轻，他们辛苦劳累了大半辈子，现在是我为他们做点什么的时候了，我想让他们生活得更好一些，在晚年可以尽享天伦之乐。

我家人住在一个小乡村，那离广州很远，我的很多同龄人读完初中便出来工作了，我是整个村子唯一的一个大学生。我希望可以改变这样的现状，让更多的孩子接受更多教育。

4.很多时候人们会因为畏惧心理而使梦想受阻，你最担心的是什么？你又是怎么解决的？

Coffee： 我经常提醒自己不要用一篮子就装掉所有的鸡蛋，我总会尝试不同的方法做好一件事情。老实说，在为实现梦想的奋斗过程中，我没有什么可担心的，我相信我自己，我希望我可以从事翻译工作，那是我实现梦想的第一步。

5.你是怎么鼓励人们去实现梦想的？

Coffee：我希望能做到最好，让大家都知道，不管有多难，人总是可以征服生活的。只要你意志坚定，没有什么事情可以把你难倒。不管遇到什么困难，一定要保持乐观的心态。

6.你想要怎么处理你的奖学金呢？培训完毕之后，有没有打算做些什么呢？

Coffee：我会继续学习深造，所谓：活到老学到老嘛；呵呵……法语培训并不代表我的法语程度达到了炉火纯青的地步，还有很多的东西等着我去学习呢。我希望在工作中能学到更多，而且我知道要做一名好的翻译师，就要懂得不断更新自己的知识。