Many years later, when looking back on my decision, I can't help but think that a few things in life seem to be coincidences, but in fact they are imperceptibly predestined, just like my dream of translation and my experience with the Chinese language.

In 1977, when I was 18 years old, Ain Shams University in Egypt established the Chinese department. This was the only Chinese department among Egyptian universities for the following two decades. I was fortunate to be one of the first 12 students in the department and later to be among the first five students sent to China for further study in 1979. Since then, I have forged an indissoluble bond with China and Chinese culture, which has lasted for more than 40 years.

My own experience has once again confirmed that "interest is the best teacher." I am addicted to translation and have had a dream of becoming a translator since I was a child. But at that time, it seemed naive. In my sophomore year of college, I started to translate English works into Arabic. My Chinese proficiency was not good enough at that time, but I was confident in my Arabic proficiency. I love my mother tongue, and I am willing to use this beautiful language to express the ideas of great works in other languages.