"For example, to finish a book of 600,000 Chinese characters, it would require about 20 people for two to three years," he said, holding a volume of the second edition of the "Complete Works by Marx and Engels."

"All the words were written over 100 years ago, and translators have to gain a thorough understanding of the society and culture at that time so that they can accurately understand what the writers said," Chai said.

The first edition of the "Complete Works by Marx and Engels" was translated and compiled from the 1950s to the 1970s, when there was a lack of German speakers, and most of the works were translated from Russian.

The second edition, however, is translated directly from the original languages, according to Chai.

"About 60 percent of the works of Marx and Engels are written in German, 30 percent in English, and the others in French, Danish, Czech and Italian," translator Li Chaohui said, adding that the variety of languages added to their work load.

"Hard as it is to translate, the second edition will help people gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of Marxist theories," she said. The second edition is intended to include all work published by Marx and Engels during their lifetimes as well as numerous published manuscripts and letters.

It is estimated that it will take at least another 20 years for the completion of the second edition of the "Complete Works by Marx and Engels."

【国内英语资讯:China Focus: For translators, Marxist works a lifetime labor of love】相关文章：

★ 美国数百万人断电民众受困于黑暗和寒冷

★ 护照地图引燃中印领土矛盾

★ 消费量长期下降 美国牛奶业陷入危机

★ 丰田上调全年盈利预测

★ 中国汽车销售逆势高增长

★ 英男子因看奥运面无表情 被警方逮捕

★ 双语幽默：十二星座对情人节的感受

★ 节日荷尔蒙 让我们的圣诞欢乐又疲惫(双语)

★ 别妄想跳下财政悬崖

★ 巴菲特投资太阳能