It was a competition that drew thousands of hopefuls; a battle of minds and tongues, Shen Wendi reports.

Interpreting may relate to a lucrative career, but it's also a skill that can bring out the purest of competitive instincts, as was illustrated by the finals of the 4th annual Chinese Translation and Publishing House All-China Young Interpreters Competition in Beijing last Sunday.

Some 20,000 people from all over China had battled for glory for the past months. The number had been whittled down to a field of just 20, the youngest being 12 years old.

In the first half of the final round, six of the 20 were singled out for their more mature linguistic skills, stronger psychological qualities and sharper minds. This half dozen fought it out for the top three accolades in a test of interpreting dialogue.

For this challenge three special guests were asked to discuss a topic with the host, doing so in both English and Chinese. Two contestants were required to consecutively interpret as they took notes, each sitting behind the host and the guest.

Ultimately Li Yichen of Chengdu, Zhong Zijia of Shanghai and Wang Congwen of Nanjing stood out.

Although Li seems to have all the makings of a highly competent professional interpreter, she made it clear that it is not a career path she has set for herself. Rather, she is keen to do research in biochemical engineering.

"I don't think being a contestant necessarily means being a professional interpreter," she said. "I think this platform offers us more possibilities, instead of putting limitations on us."

Li, a grade two student from Chengdu Foreign Languages School, the first school in Sichuan province with foreign language teaching as its primary focus, said: "Training in translation and interpreting has hugely improved my linguistic skills and the ability to understand different cultures. More importantly, it makes me articulate, cool-headed and quick-minded. This will be a valuable asset for whatever career I choose to pursue."