Words like “thanks” and “please” have become pet phrases for Na Yuegang. As one of the volunteers at this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum¹, he assists more than 100 international delegates all from the information desk of Beijing Hotel.

作为2014亚太经合组织（APEC）第三次高官会议的一名志愿者，“谢谢您”、“请……”等词已经成了纳跃刚的口头禅。在北京饭店的咨询台，他为100多名国际代表提供帮助。

But Na Yuegang is not alone. More than 600 volunteers from 13 universities in Beijing contribute to the APEC meeting, according to Beijing Daily.

而纳跃刚并不是一个人，据《北京日报》报道，来自北京13所高校的600多名志愿者为此次APEC会议提供服务。

Students take advantage of opportunities to put their skills and interests to work at the forum, and in return they gain valuable work experience and connections.

在此次会议中，大学生们有机会学以致用、做自己喜爱的工作，同时，也收获了有价值的工作经历和人脉关系。

Language expert

语言“发烧友”

Na Yuegang is an international politics major at Beijing Language and Culture University, and he’s a language enthusiast². In addition to English, he speaks both Thai and Cantonese. He uses his talents to help determine where delegates are from based on their accents.

纳跃刚在北京语言大学就读国际政治专业，他是一名语言“发烧友”。除了英语，他还会说泰语和粤语，因此他能通过代表们的口音判断他们来自哪里。

He even gets to use his language skills to communicate with staffers. When he meets delegates from Thailand and Hong Kong, he greets them in their native tongue. “It helps them feel more at home, ” he said.

他甚至还利用自己的语言优势和大会组织者们沟通交流。遇到来自泰国或香港的代表，他就用他们的母语和代表们打招呼，他说“这能让他们更有宾至如归的感觉。”

Through communicating with delegates, he’s developed a deeper understanding of his college major. “Although we learn about APEC meetings in our textbooks, we never really know what a meeting is like, ” he says. “Here, I learn the meeting’s agenda, how the delegates work, and get a feel for the atmosphere of this international event.”

通过与代表们的交流，纳跃刚对自己的专业也有了更深刻的了解，他说“虽然我们在课本上学过APEC会议，但却并不知道会议到底是怎样的。而现在，我对会议日程、代表们的工作、以及这一国际活动的氛围都有了更多了解。”

In the future, he plans to earn a master’s degree in international politics. “This experience has made me more curious about the relationship between China and other nations, ” he says “I want to study these relationships, if possible.”

未来，他还打算继攻读国际政治专业的研究生，他觉得“这次经历让我对中国和其他国家的关系更加好奇，如果可能，我想在国际关系方面继续钻研下去。”

Spreading culture

文化传播

Xu Han, 21, an English major at Beijing University of Technology, is approaching the conference from a different angle. Her job is to introduce delegates to China’s technological³ innovations like 3D printing machines produced by technological company Tiertime. She is also in charge of showing off cultural relics⁴ like cloisonné metallurgy, and she does it all in English.

来自北京工业大学英语专业的21岁的徐晗则从另一个角度接触了此次会议。她的工作是用英语向代表团介绍中国科技发明，比如科技公司Tiertime制造的3D打印机；以及中国文化遗产景泰蓝工艺等。

Once a Thai delegate showed tremendous interest in the process behind a carved lacquerware technique, but Xu Han wasn’t familiar with the subject.

一次，一位泰国代表对雕漆技术兴趣浓厚，可徐晗对此并不熟悉。

Even so, she did a lot of preparation for the work. In only four days, she read more than 100 pages of notes. Her public speaking skills, which she honed in 21st Century National English Speaking Competition, helped her recall the information she’d learned quickly.

即便如此，她此前已经做了大量“功课”，在4天内，读完了100多页笔记。而她通过参加21世纪英语演讲比赛锻炼出来的演讲能力，也让她能够更好的记住这些速学的知识。

She did her own research online as well. She originally knew very little about traditional Chinese artifacts, but through her own research she’s gained the ability to speak about the subject with confidence.

此外，她还做了一些在线研究。原本对中国传统手工艺品知之甚少的她，现在已经能够自信地对这些工艺品侃侃而谈了。

She’s constantly on the lookout⁵ for opportunities to grow. “I still read about Chinese culture, ” she says.

徐晗一直在寻求不断进步的机会，她说“我还在阅读一些关于中国文化的书籍。”

Bridging the language gap

语言的桥梁

Exactly how delegates work during the APEC forum remains⁶ a mystery to most students. For Zuo Meng, 21, an international economics and trade student from the University of International Relations, the job is a chance to witness the forum firsthand.

APEC会议上代表们是怎么工作的？很多学生对此仍知之甚少。而来自北京外交学院国际经济与贸易专业21岁的左濛则有机会见证代表们的工作。

She volunteers in the APEC Secretariat helping⁷ delegates solve all sorts of logistical problems that arise during work, bridging communication between delegates and other staffers whose English isn’t quite perfect.

她在APEC秘书处担任志愿者，为代表团解决所有后勤问题，是英语欠佳的组织人员与代表之间沟通的桥梁。

The hardworking nature of the delegates and the forum’s friendly atmosphere has impressed her most. At 7 am, when she arrives in the office, the Secretary-General is already hard at work.

让她印象最深刻的就是努力工作的代表团和会议的友好氛围。每天早上7点，当她走进办公室的时候，勤奋的秘书长早已开始一天的工作。

“I respect their professionalism and optimistic outlook on life, and I plan to take what I’ve learned from them into the future, ” she says.

她还说，“我十分敬佩他们的专业精神和乐观的生活态度，将来我也要向他们学习。”