英语新闻丨Media center ready for influx of international reporters

A media center was put into use on Tuesday in Beijing, ready to serve the influx of international reporters who will cover the upcoming annual two sessions of the nation's top legislative and political advisory bodies.

2024年2月27日，北京的一个媒体中心于投入使用，为报道即将到来的“两会”的国际记者们做好了服务的准备。

The two sessions — the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the second session of the 14th National People's Congress — will open on March 4 and 5, respectively.

两会——中国人民政治协商会议第十四届全国委员会第二次会议和第十四届全国人民代表大会第二次会议将分别于3月4日和5日开幕。

The center, at the Media Center Hotel in Beijing, said in a news release on Tuesday that over 3,000 reporters have registered to cover the event, including about 1,000 from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad.

位于北京媒体中心酒店的新闻中心在周二的一份新闻稿中说，已经有3000多名记者注册报道这次活动，其中包括约1000名来自香港、澳门、台湾和国外的记者。

The center said it is equipped with a news conference hall and several interview rooms, which news outlets are welcome to use.

该中心表示，它配备了一个新闻发布厅和几个采访室，欢迎新闻媒体使用。

"Digital versions of the main conference documents will be provided to journalists, eliminating the need for media reporters to wait in long queues on-site to collect them," the release said, adding that venues will also be available for conducting interviews at the hotels where NPC deputies and members of the CPPCC National Committee stay.

“主要会议文件的电子版将提供给记者，不再需要媒体记者在现场排队领取，”公告称，还将提供在全国人大代表和全国政协委员下榻的酒店进行采访的场所。

Shortly after the media center opened on Tuesday morning, correspondents and videographers, including those from Hong Kong Cable Television and Phoenix Satellite Television, streamed into the center for a glimpse of the venue and exchanged contact information with peers.

周二上午，媒体中心开放后不久，包括香港有线电视(Hong Kong Cable Television)和凤凰卫视(Phoenix Satellite Television)的记者和摄像师涌入中心，一睹会场，并与同行交换了联系信息。

A staff member at the center, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said his colleagues had handled a number of phone calls from foreign reporters who sought help with registration or requested additional information about the two sessions.

该中心的一名工作人员说，他的同事接了很多外国记者的电话，他们寻求帮助登记，或要求提供有关两会的更多信息。由于无权接受媒体采访，他要求不具名。

"Journalists typically want more information than what is officially available," he said.

他说：“记者通常希望获得比官方提供的更多的信息。”

The multimedia hall on the second floor has been repurposed into a news conference hall, with more than 150 seats facing a podium with eight chairs and a blue background. At the back of the hall, stands have been set up for videographers.

二楼的多媒体大厅被改造成新闻发布会大厅，150多个座位面对着一个有8把椅子和蓝色背景的讲台。在大厅的后面，为摄像人员设置了看台。

Free refreshments such as cake and coffee were available in the media center's cafeteria. At this year's two sessions, media access for in-person interviews and on-site reporting will be fully restored to pre-pandemic levels.

媒体中心的自助餐厅提供免费的点心，如蛋糕和咖啡。在今年的两会上，媒体面对面采访和现场报道的机会将完全恢复到疫情前的水平。

Workers mopped the floors while others tested scanning machines at security checkpoints and erected glass-front display counters to be filled with commemorative stamps and postcards issued by China Post.

工作人员在拖地，其他人在安检点测试扫描仪，并在玻璃柜台上摆放中国邮政发行的纪念邮票和明信片。

A TV correspondent from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who only gave her name as Emily and worked with a laptop in the cafeteria after completing some footage, said it is her first time to cover the two sessions. "Not many reporters have shown up yet," she said, "but maybe in just a few days, the place will be packed."

来自香港特别行政区的电视记者艾米丽(Emily)说，这是她第一次报道两会。在完成了一些镜头后，她在食堂用笔记本电脑工作。“到目前为止还没有很多记者来，”她说，“但也许几天后，这个地方就会挤满人。”

Sessions

n.会议

correspondent

n.通讯员