Jess Kan
Chinese Team
Jess is a professional translator with a deep passion for empowering the people around her. A life-long language learner, she is currently learning French, Turkish and Dutch. She wishes to make the world a better place by fostering more effective communication among people who speak different languages. At Respond, she leads on volunteer recruitment and partnership outreach for the Mandarin Team. She is proud of boosting the number of volunteers and gathering Chinese speakers from different corners of the world to work together.
What do you do professionally (when you’re not volunteering with Respond)?
I am currently a final year student who is studying Translation and Interpretation in Hong Kong.
What language(s) do you translate?
I translate Chinese - English and vice versa.
What’s something about the language(s) you translate that people wouldn’t necessarily know?
People won’t necessarily know that Cantonese is actually the origin of Chinese, which is used in the ancient time. Putongua and Mandarin are different.
What motivates you to be a part of Respond?
I want to help people understand the world with my translation. I want to show people different cultures neutrally.
What is the most challenging part about doing this work?
I think the most challenging part is to find a common word for different Chinese speakers.
How do you care for your mental health?
I talk to someone I trust.
How has volunteer work had an impact on your life?
I know more about Asylum seekers and it sparks my interest in pursuing my career in similar fields.
Language justice and democracy is one of our core beliefs at Respond. How would you define language justice in your own words?
I define it as expressing ourselves in a neutral way, without the purpose of hurting others.
Can you share a fun or little-known fact about yourself?
I am currently learning French in Turkish, which both of them are not languages that I master.
Favorite word in any language?
Hope, it motivates me to move on whenever I feel down.
