CEO, Lichi Translations
Received the Polonsky Travel Grant in 1992
People always ask me “Why Chinese?”, expecting to hear the obvious reply: “China is the future of global economics, a waking giant with which everyone will want to do business in the near future.” However, I surprise them with an unexpected answer: “Because I really like it...”.
At the age of 22 all I knew was that I wanted to study languages, but not the “usual” ones like French or Spanish. When I began my studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, East Asian studies was considered a strange or esoteric choice. At that time, 1989, Israel did not even maintain any diplomatic relations with China, not to mention business ties, and the option to learn Chinese was reserved for the eccentric who were crazy about it (“Meshigane”)... like me.
Over the next three years I found myself fascinated by the language and intrigued by this culture, which was so different from anything I had known. It was clear to me that after my graduation I would continue to engage with this immense land that lies beyond the Great Wall in my professional life. What exactly would I do? I had no idea. Fortunately, I turned out to be a pretty good student and the opportunity to realize my dream presented itself in form of a scholarship for one year of studies in Beijing University with full funding from the Polonsky Foundation.
In October 1992 I found myself in the student dormitories of Beida, Beijing University, surrounded by Chinese students and foreign students from around the world, including Israel. My year at Beijing University was a momentous event in my life. Beyond the demanding studies, which were conducted in Chinese only, life in Beijing was nothing like anything I had known. I became acquainted with a great culture that was no younger than our own, the signs of which were visible on every corner, and with a nation emerging from decades of Communist slumber, opening its big eyes towards the Western world.
As an El-Al employee during my studies, I was lucky to live an independent and comfortable life. On the one hand I had a steady income while on the other I had no expenses and could afford anything I wanted because everything was so cheap – I actually felt "rich" for the first time in my life.
There is no doubt that this year, along with the scholarship and Polonsky Travel Award, constituted a pivotal springboard for the career which I would develop later in life.
Following graduation I returned to Israel without knowing exactly what to do with the knowledge I had acquired and the new language I spoke. It was during that year that people had started becoming aware that China had not just a fascinating culture, but was an economic powerhouse that would continue to grow, offering huge potential for business relationships between the two countries.
I began working as an international marketing specialist in Tadiran, however, my greater contribution to the company was as an interpreter to Chinese delegations visiting Israel. After a few short years in this position I understood my destiny was to engage in independent business with China and the Far East.
When I first started the translation agency I did most of the work myself – The daily contact with the Chinese delegations enabled me to preserve my language skills and become better acquainted with the mentality of Chinese businessmen, something one is unable to learn in university... During the first 3 years I offered only Chinese language translation–interpretation work, which I did myself, and written translations which I completed with the assistance of Chinese students who were living in Israel.
I subsequently founded “Lichi Translations” which I continue to manage to this day. With five permanent employees and hundreds of professional translators worldwide, in its early years the company focused on work with the Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets only. However, as time went by and demand increased, we expanded and began working with many new areas around the world, offering translation services for almost any language. Today Lichi Translations offers translation services in all languages to large companies from both Israel and abroad. Among our customers are large companies such as Amdocs, Israel Aircraft Industries, Teva, the Israel Export Institute and more.
In 2010 I founded the "Asia-Israel Business Forum" which serves as a networking platform for business people who are active in Asia in general and China in particular. The purpose of the forum is to provide business people with a place in which they can meet, learn from each other, and share their own experience in work with such markets, which are so different from our own. Forum meetings are held on a bimonthly basis and are attended by hundreds of business people, academics and government officials from a wide range of disciplines. In the last meeting we had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Matan Vilnai on his last night in Israel prior to his departure for China as Israel's new ambassador to the country.
In 2010 Lichi Translations became an LTD company, and I, as company CEO, cannot help but nostalgically remember that young girl, a student of East Asian Studies, who was repeatedly asked “Why Chinese?” and had no idea what to say - and I am proud, very proud indeed.