Yiting is a Certified Translator (English into Chinese), Certified Translator (Chinese into English) and Certified Interpreter (Mandarin and English)
I was born in a small mountain town in Southwest China, far away from the bustling cities. Growing up, I always dreamed of a bigger world beyond the valleys that surrounded me. In high school, I read a novel where the main character was a woman who spoke English and worked as a translator. She was confident and elegant. That story lit a fire in me. English was already my strongest subject, and I decided I wanted to follow a similar path.
At 18, I left my hometown to study a Bachelor of English Literature in Hainan Province. It was the first time I had ever spoken English out loud, and those 4 years walking on the campus lawns with a big Oxford dictionary gave me a strong foundation of English.
When I graduated, I joined the Confucius Institute program and worked as a Chinese language teacher in Thailand. That year was my first time living in a completely different culture, and I realised how much I loved connecting with people across borders.
After Thailand, I returned to China and completed my Master of Translation and Interpreting. But soon, another opportunity called. In 2017, I was selected to work as a Chinese teacher for the Confucius Institute at Charles Darwin University in Australia. That year in Darwin planted a seed – I fell in love with Australia, with its open beaches, diverse people, and breathtaking sunsets. I wanted to stay and study there, but back then, tuition fees were beyond what I could afford.
So I turned back to Asia and joined Singapore Airlines in 2019 as a cabin crew member, a role I held for three years. When COVID grounded aircraft worldwide, I paused flying and worked in Shanghai as an interpreter. The cabin crew job had taken me across continents and cultures, but more importantly, it gave me the financial means to return to my long-held dream: studying in Australia.
In 2022, as a mature-aged student, I came back to Australia to pursue a Master of Secondary Teaching. During my studies, I drew on the knowledge from my MTI degree and became a NAATI-certified translator and interpreter, accredited in both directions between Mandarin and English. I still remember my very first job as a NAATI translator. It came from a woman I met while dancing at the Australia–China Friendship Society in Darwin. She needed her son’s birth certificate translated. I printed it out carefully and waited for her outside International House Darwin to hand it over. When I gave it to her, she insisted on paying me 10 dollars more than what I asked for. It was such a small job, but I felt so thankful.
After graduating, I began working as a trainer and assessor at the Sydney Institute of Interpreting and Translation. By the end of 2024, I stepped into a new challenge — working full-time as a FIFO Technical Interpreter and Translator in the mining industry of Western Australia. I stand out as the shortest person in my hi-vis among my FIFO mates. I bridge languages and cultures on the mine sites between Chinese management and Australian employees, where communication is critical to safety and production.
Alongside my full-time role, I became a contractor for major language service providers such as TIS, Australia Translation Services, 2M, and All Graduates. Most recently, I founded my own business, YT Translation, to serve both Chinese and Australian clients.
Looking back, my journey has been one of courage, resilience, and reinvention. From a small mountain town in China to the skies as a cabin crew in Singapore, from classrooms in Thailand to mines in Australia, I have carried my passion for language across borders and across industries. And the journey is still unfolding.