Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

As the drawbacks of centralized translation became increasingly apparent, the higher authorities finally made the painful decision to partially disband the translation bureau.

Translation work was distributed among various departments. The health department translated its own medical documents, the physics department translated its own physics documents, and so on.

So what if you need to translate documents but your department can't find a qualified translator?

Wasn't the translation bureau in a semi-disbanded state? It wasn't completely disbanded; a group of staff remained. In other words, the translation bureau is no longer a translation agency, but rather an administrative body.

You can find translators outside through the Translation Bureau. The Translation Bureau also has the most complete information on translations across all disciplines nationwide.

Therefore, as Zhuang Zhongchen continued to publish translated papers, he quickly came to the attention of the translation bureau. The reason was simple: scarcity increases value!

In later introductory articles, it was mentioned that the master of the Republic of China era must have been very famous, and his income was quite high, with annual income of several thousand silver dollars and royalties of several thousand silver dollars.

But few people know that back then, the average annual salary for engineers in China was around 1 yuan.

So those STEM students just smiled and watched silently as you bunch of Republic-era masters (liberal arts students) put on airs!

Furthermore, even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, these veteran engineers retained their salaries. In other words, their annual income was over 1 yuan.

This shows just how scarce qualified engineers are. Not to mention professional translators. Therefore, the moment Zhuang Zhongchen peeked out, he was immediately targeted from all sides.

"Mr. Zhuang, if I may ask, which school did you graduate from?"

"I graduated from the training class for workers and peasants cadres."

"A training course for workers' and peasants' cadres?"

"Yes! You should know that our foundation is much weaker than that of college students with formal training. So when I was learning, I just crammed everything in. I tried my best to memorize all the knowledge points by rote and then try to understand them later."

"Oh, I see. What about your English?"

"I basically learned it all on my own. Maybe I have a natural talent for languages. Back when I was with my classmates, I even learned several dialects from them."

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but one of the translators was from Haidu. So the two of them exchanged a few words in the Haidu dialect.

Seeing Zhuang Zhongchen's performance, most of the people at the translation bureau were already convinced. One of them laughed and said, "Professor Zhuang, what a pity. You should have studied foreign languages."

Zhuang Zhongchen smiled and said, "I was trained by the Labor Bureau, so I will definitely obey the organization's arrangements. Actually, it's not a pity. It's always good to have more skills. Being able to learn more cultural knowledge will also allow me to work better for the country."

"That's true." The two men exchanged glances, having basically grasped Zhuang Zhongchen's situation. "Mr. Zhuang, here's some information. Could you please translate it? I wonder if you're confident in your ability to do so?"

"Oh?"

Taking the stack of documents, Zhuang Zhongchen quickly glanced through them, his expression slightly strange. This... is too simple, isn't it?

This material covers some basic knowledge about electronics. It's roughly at the level of a first- or second-year undergraduate major course textbook.

"No problem. When do you need it?"

"Hurry up. How about a month and a half?"

Let's try to get it done within a month!

"That would be great. But... how will the payment be calculated? Don't worry, the payment for translating such a large amount of data might be lower than that for regular translations."

"It's alright. Just give me whatever you think is appropriate!"

Without a doubt, when the translation bureau staff showed up, Zhuang Zhongchen already knew that he had been targeted by the "regular army".

Since they've already set their sights on us, we might as well be "incorporated into the regular army" and accept the olive branch they're extending.

In this way, he would have the status of an "official translator" and be registered with the translation bureau. This would give him a legitimate reason to receive payment for his work—it would also be considered working for the country.

The amount of royalties is not important; the main thing is official status!

Furthermore, with the translation bureau's exoneration, his "language talent" was proven, thus eliminating a potential problem.

"Zhang Ke, Lao Wang, there are some things that need to be explained beforehand."

"Please speak."

"Perhaps I have some insights into translation theory, but I lack practical experience. This is my biggest weakness. So, my current approach to improving myself is to learn through translation while also studying with senior engineers at my workplace. If I'm forced into it too early, I'll just be all talk and no action, which could lead to serious problems."

"We understand." The two chuckled, their trust in Zhuang Zhongchen growing even stronger. At least he hadn't been boasting, and had even proactively exposed his weaknesses.

But that's understandable. At such a young age, being skilled in translation is already quite impressive. If someone were omniscient and omnipotent, one would definitely suspect they'd encountered a prodigy!

……

In late spring, orioles fly in the air in March.

Inside a building, an elderly man was looking at a thick stack of translated manuscripts. But the more he read, the more surprised he became.

"Tell me, did Xiao Zhuang really translate these? This is clearly the work of a veteran; the format is neat and the wording is precise."

"Professor Hu, I think so! He has published quite a few translated articles, so he has a lot of experience."

"That's not what I'm asking. The format is manageable, but precise word choice? That's definitely not something a young person can do."

"Mr. Hu, perhaps he has this talent? You've seen Xiao Zhuang's basic information, haven't you? There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Okay, let's not dwell on that. Has the person who did the background check returned? What did they say to Xiao Zhuang?"

"The background check report just arrived. Xiao Zhuang's family background is very clean. His father died in the line of duty, and his mother..."

"So, there's absolutely no problem, and it's a child we raised ourselves?"

"That's true, Mr. Hu. And his entire background is clear. He's never left Beijing; after graduating from school, he started working at the Labor Bureau. However, I heard from his workplace that he's quite hardworking, performs well, and is a member of the Party and the Youth League. But in terms of engineering skills, he does lack something. He lacks experience in practical operations. That's the same as what Xiao Zhuang said in his self-introduction. Perhaps he's just unbalanced in his specialties!"

"That's good. It doesn't matter if someone is good at one subject or another. A person who excels in translation is still a talent. We can still provide him with some classified information through the translation bureau. Cultivating key personnel in a specialized field will also be of great benefit to us."

"Should we notify Xiao Zhuang?"

"Hmm... Let's observe him discreetly for now! Training takes time, so hopefully he can mature quickly within three to five years! For now, let's maintain contact as usual through translation. We'll still pay him according to the amount of material translated."

"Yes, Elder Hu!"