The boss reacted the fastest. In their small town, it was just too difficult to recruit anyone who knew English. Anyone with even a little English knowledge would head to the city, and no one wanted to come to such a shabby place like theirs.
They said it had no future, no development opportunities.
Their publishing company hadn’t hired a new translator in over two years. Seeing Ye Manman, the boss guessed she was still young, maybe just a freshman who had learned a bit of English and wanted to test the waters during vacation.
But even so, he still didn’t want to let any opportunity slip by.
Even if she only knew a little English, it could at least ease some of their stress.
Ever since the college entrance exam resumed, the demand for literature had surged rapidly, while truly capable translators were few and far between. The first batch of enrolled university students hadn’t even graduated yet. Society desperately needed such talent, and their company was no exception!
"I’m not a university student yet, I haven’t been accepted."
Seeing the eager expression on the boss’s face, Ye Manman realized she was right; no one was willing to come to such a small publishing house.
She had a great opportunity.
"But I’m planning to apply to the Foreign Languages Department. Right now, I just want to see if I can translate some literary works or journal articles here."
"Do you have such materials here? Or is it just English magazines?"
When the boss heard she hadn’t even passed the college entrance exam, the light in his eyes dimmed. Hearing her boldly claim she wanted to translate literature, he was even more disappointed.
It seemed she didn’t recognize her own abilities.
What a waste of excitement.
He sighed, hung his head, and was about to return to his work.
"Comrade, without any systematic English studies wanting to be a translator is impossible. There are many technical terms and arcane words in literature, and I fear you may not even understand them. Perhaps you should first get into university and study for a year before reconsidering."
The boss had lost hope. If not for the resumption of the college entrance exam and the few students needing to buy materials, their publishing house would have closed long ago.
Every year they envied the translators in the city who could translate entire novels or documents into Chinese for publication. They would import the finished publications and be envious.
But the boss was well aware that he lacked that skill.
Of course, this confident and pretty young girl certainly didn’t have that skill either.
Otherwise, she would have passed the college entrance exam long ago, so why would she end up here, sigh.
The boss sighed again, his disappointment affecting even the other staff members, who all lowered their heads and resignedly continued with their work.
But behind him, a soft voice from the young girl spoke again.
"Isn’t it a bit too hasty to say I can’t do it without giving me a book to try?"
Ye Manman walked into the room to the workbench closest to the door, where she noticed several books awaiting translation. These were the same ones she had asked He Chen to buy for her to read at home not long ago.
"I’ve already read these. If you translate them, I can narrate what I’ve read to you to see if my translation matches yours, alright?"
Since there were no Chinese versions of those books published yet, she was confident she could match their translations.
But as soon as she said this, everyone, including the boss, looked shocked.
"You’ve read all of these?"
The boss looked incredulous as the light returned to his eyes.
"You understand them? You can translate them?"
"Yeah, what’s wrong?"
Ye Manman thought the books hadn’t had a Chinese version simply because they hadn’t been released yet, unaware that no one had translated them fluently into Chinese.
She spoke so casually, exuding confidence, that everyone was stunned and stopped what they were doing to gather around.
"Did you really finish all of them? What’s it about? I wanted to try translating too, but there are so many obscure words in these books that I can’t make sense of them."
"Yeah, yeah, I’ve been trying for days, and still, it feels like I’m lost in a fog, not understanding what it’s about."
"Where did you learn English? You really understood this; that’s amazing!"
Everyone chattered excitedly, pushing the boss into the background.
He Chen worried that Ye Manman might be jostled, stepped behind her.
His six-foot-three frame cast a shadow over the lean staffers who were used to sitting at their desks, making the room seem darker.
They belatedly realized that Ye Manman had come with an "escort."
He Chen already looked stern, and now under his watchful eyes, they felt a chill down their spines, like being eyed by a predator, and subconsciously took half a step back.
"Um, sorry, comrade, we didn’t mean anything by it."
The male colleague closest to Ye Manman was notably nervous, unsure if his apology was directed at her or He Chen.
Ye Manman smiled to show she didn’t mind and picked up the book on top. Not only did she translate the first page for them, but she also gave a brief overview of the book’s main plot.
With this, everyone including the boss was impressed. Hungry for knowledge, not having seen such an exceptional translator in ages, they were like starving mice finding cheese, eagerly inviting Ye Manman to sit down.
No one was afraid of He Chen anymore.
The threat he brought had long been dispersed by the joy and excitement of meeting a translation prodigy, forgetting him entirely.
"I’m sorry, comrade, I’m Xu Lai, the boss here. I didn’t know I was in the presence of such talent. I hope you’re not upset; it really wasn’t intentional. It’s just that our company... sigh..."
The boss, Xu Lai, sighed heavily, feeling a mix of excitement, joy, and worry, his expression complex beyond measure.
"Yes, yes, our boss is really nice. He just thought you looked too young, like a little girl coming for fun. Don’t mind what he said; we all really welcome you!"
Seeing this, the other staff quickly chimed in to support Xu Lai, eagerly hoping Ye Manman would join them.
Of course, Ye Manman wasn’t angry at all.
She had already planned to demonstrate her capability before negotiating, so this aligned with her expectations. The boss and staff seemed friendly enough.
She smiled, put the book down, and began to share her thoughts.
"Actually, I don’t intend to take a position at the publishing company since I still have to take the college entrance exam. But I want to enrich myself in the meantime, so I wanted to ask if you have any complex books that need translating."
"I don’t need other benefits; we can negotiate the fee per whole book or major section. I’ll handle the translation, and you provide the latest foreign books. How about that?"