On the afternoon of May 8, 2025, Allan Hepburn Barr, a renowned sinologist, translator and professor emeritus from Pomona College in California, USA, visited the School of Foreign Languages. Mr. Barr  delivered an academic lecture titled "The Joys and Sorrows of Translating Xu Xiake's Travel Diaries". The lecture was hosted by Wang Jinbo from the Translation and Cross-Cultural Center, and was attended by students and teachers of various majors. 

Barr focused on the two major problems in the translation of "Xu Xiake's Travel Diaries": (1) How to translate? How to determine the most appropriate English equivalents for the ancient Chinese vocabulary in Xu Xiake's writings? (2) What to translate? For the abridged translation of "Xu Xiake's Travel Diaries", how to determine what to include and what to exclude? Professor Barr first introduced the challenges of vocabulary and terminology in the translation , and cited "岩" as an example with two basic interpretations:"cliff；crag" and "cave; cavern". Through detailed research of Chinese and foreign literature and multiple on-site visits，Bai Yaren solved the problems of word understanding and translation.

Barr pointed out that the mountain tours in "Xu Xiake's Travel Diaries" accounted for about 8% of the entire book. Favored by previous translators, they can have limited circulation in the English-speaking world. The scenery descriptions were interesting but hard to translate and less appealing to contemporary readers, who prefer picturess and videos for understanding. Barr focused more on the humanistic sentiments and personal experiences in Xu Xiake's travel diaries. In his opinion, Xu Xiake's encounters with his servants, local officials and scholars, and ethnic minorities highlighted human nature and were more appealing to contemporary readers. Therefore, Bai Yaren favored translations of travelogues from Zhejiang and the southwestern regions, aiming to fill the gap in the selection of previous translations. 

During the lecture, Barr analyzed Xu Xiake's observations by citing his own translations, showing the joys and sorrows of translating classical literature. The teachers and students raised questions about the selection of travelogue stories, the design of the book cover, the acceptance and evaluation of the translation, and the learning of the Chinese language and Chinese culture, creating a lively atmosphere. 

After the lecture, Barr met with Zhu Yifan, the party secretary of the School of Foreign Languages, and Shang Biwu, the dean of the School of Foreign Languages, to discuss academic cooperation. Both sides expressed willingness to further deepen exchanges and promote academic prosperity.