Helen Chang ─ Accomplished leader with over 20 years of interpreting experience…
March 9, 2022 • 3 Minute Read
Helen Chang
Conference Interpreter
Freelance
Are you looking for an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience interpreting for an impressive range of sectors? We know the person—Helen Chang!
Helen Chang is a UN certified conference interpreter from China. With over 20 years of experience, she is responsible for interpreting for state leaders, Global executives, and Nobel laureates. She has a specialized focus on the IT sector, but covers extensive areas from other sectors including finance, business management, automotive industry, healthcare & Pharma, law & accounting, and more. She has interpreted for global events, including the Beijing Olympic Games and the World Economic Forum, and when she is not working, Helen enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, art, and music.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Helen Chang!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
I am a big fan of art and music, and spend most of my spare time on those two things. I also enjoy watching basketball games, both NBA and CBA.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
Around 30000 miles a year before the pandemic. I’ve been making fewer international travels since my son was born three years ago. Now I’m ready for more longhaul trips as the international travel ban gets lifted.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
I once had fried ants in Kunming, Yunnan province. I was on a business trip in Kunming, and was hosted by the ethnic minority locals during their Water-Splashing Festival. It was exotic and a lot of fun.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
- In 2008, I served as a press conference interpreter for the Beijing Olympic Games. It was an honor, as well as a fun and rewarding experience, to be able to make my own contribution to that great event hosted by China.
- Over the years I have interpreted for many government leaders and MNC executives, learning valuable things from their thoughts and the way they conduct themselves. That helps to shape my business career and my personal life as well.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
Yes. My thesis tutor during my graduate studies has been my career mentor and a lifetime close friend. I’ve learned from her that being a warm-hearted and helpful person makes oneself happy and loved.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Never think of your career as doing the same job day in day out. Instead keep learning as fast as you can and try new things whenever you can, for nothing remains unchanged in this era.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I serve as the extramural advisor for the Master’s of Translation and Interpretation programs of several universities in China. Acting in that capacity, I give lectures, coach the students and introduce to them the career of an interpreter.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
I’ve been interpreting for Tsinghua University FMBA’s study tours at MIT since before the pandemic. The tour offered an eye-opening exposure to many great professors and their latest research, as well as projects being incubated on campus.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
I am now reading books on psychology and communication, as I believe great communication skills are important for anyone aspiring towards happiness and success. I believe the same remains true in the digital economy.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
The Covid-19 pandemic has limited international travel to China for about two years already. On site events are hit seriously, and person-to-person meetings are replaced by virtual meetings. That has reduced the communication experience to a large extent. Hopefully the virus gets contained in the world in 2022 and everything goes back to normal.
