One of our wonderful translators, Sarah, in the room with the film director, Kay. The translator in the room would translate the questions from Kay into Chinese to the interviewees. A second translator in an adjacent room (out of earshot) would simultaneously translate what the interviewee said in English that would be transmitted wirelessly for the film crew that they would listen to via their personal headphones. This process worked very well and gave the interviewees freedom to speak continuously, knowing that the interviewer could understand them. It also saved a lot of time in the interviews as well!
Having spent years working with Chinese translators prior to “Finding Courage,” we were aware of how biases and agendas of a translator can affect their translations. We chose translators who were younger and had a lack of Chinese political knowledge. Older translators generally have more political awareness and opinion, and may unintentionally put their slant on the content.
Over a period of 18 months, we found and interviewed close to thirty Chinese Communist Party (CCP) insiders, including a handful of particularly high-ranking officials. We wanted them to share their experiences candidly. Many mainland Chinese, after having lived under Communist rule, have developed habits of being guarded in what they say. One wrong word could end their career, themselves, and their families.
In many of these interviews, it was a cathartic experience for the interviewees. The occasion for them was one filled with emotions of guilt, remorse, and I’ve-never-told-anyone-this-before experiences, tragedy, awful mental trauma, and physical torture.
We are forever humbled and thankful for the insiders’ bravery and for sharing with us their knowledge, experiences, and stories which helped shed light on the inner world of the CCP that so few in the outside world know about. Their testimony, information, and contacts helped tremendously to inform the research required for our movie “Finding Courage.”
Director of “Finding Courage,” Kay Rubacek, wrote “Who are China’s Walking Dead?,” a book that will be available this September about her experiences in interviewing the many ex-CCP officials and the valuable information they shared.
Learn more at www.ChinasWalkingDead.com