Jim Brown (interpreter)
James W. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Language and Protocol Adviser to the US Ambassador to China | |
| In office 2005–2014 | |
| President | George Bush |
| Vice President | Dick Cheney |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Vice President | Joe Biden |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1953 (age 70–71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Fu-Jen University |
| Alma mater | University of San Diego, (China Center Fellow) |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Translator, Interpreter |
| Nickname | "Jim" |
James W. Brown[1] (born 1953) is a retired American diplomat, mainly specializing in Mandarin Chinese. More commonly known simply as “Jim” he has translated for 6 U.S presidents since Ronald Reagan to more recently Donald Trump’s visit to China in November of 2017[2]
Brown was born in Washington D.C. as the son of a U.S. diplomat, and studied history and international relations at the Fu Jen University in Taiwan before joining Pan-American Airlines in the late 1970s.[3] In 1980, he was hired by the U.S. Department of Defense, and joined the U.S. State Department the following year. Although admitting that he wanted to be a "generalist", the U.S. government considered his proficiency in the Chinese language to be an asset as China reopened its once-closed gate to the world at that time, and assigned Brown to multiple tenures at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. He retired from the State Department in 2021.[4] In 2021 Jim became a fellow at the University of San Diego’s China Center.
Brown's languages include Cantonese, French, Japanese, and Korean, but is best known for his knowledge of the Mandarin language.[3] Brown remarked that his proficiency in the Chinese language had caught locals off-guard.[3] Brenda Sprague, then the State Department's Director of Language Services, explained that the ability to perform consecutive and simultaneous translation during formal diplomatic and senior-level functions was the highest level of language expertise, but that "At Jim's level, there is only one Jim".[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "美利坚合众国大使馆" [Embassy of the United States of America]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (FMPRC). 2013-09-25. Archived from the original on 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
- ^ "James Brown". china.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ a b c Mong, Adrienne. "'Mystery' interpreter reveals disappearing act". NBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ jimenezla (2021-03-01). "Retirements | March 2021". State Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ Mong, Adrienne. "Mystery Mandarin expert is one of a kind". NBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
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