Hongling Song uses her superhuman work ethic to bridge the gap between China and Iceland as a linguist — and finds time to write books and act in between.
Hongling Song, 30, linguist
Before I start sharing my story, I would like to tell you about a very different girl.
She comes from a very small, underdeveloped city in a developing country. It’s a city that’s so small, 99% of people in her country have never even heard of it. Before going to university at 18 years old, this girl never left her hometown — not to study or even to travel. She was very shy, without many friends at school, and was the first person on both sides of her family to attain higher education.
When she was 19 years old, her family arranged a blind date for her. They told her that the most important thing for a girl to do is to find a good husband and a good job; to stay in her hometown; to take care of her husband and kids.
That girl was me. That was how my life was supposed to go. That’s where I was told I was going to end up.
Doing it all
I did not get married or stay at home. Instead, I went to university. I got a bachelor’s degree in Business English, and then a master’s in translation and interpretation. I did well enough to get multiple scholarships — enough to become financially independent.
This enabled me to travel around Europe, India, the USA, and the UK. I speak Chinese Mandarin, English and a little French, Swedish and Icelandic. Eventually, I got a job at the University of Iceland and began teaching Chinese there. Six years on, I’m pursuing a PhD on tourism and language, and teaching Mandarin at Menntaskólinn í Hamrahlíð.
I’ve also published a book called How To Live Icelandic. It’s the first Chinese publication to introduce the Icelandic lifestyle and society, and has sparked significant interest in Iceland among readers in China. As a social media influencer, I also share photos and stories from life in Iceland with people in China.
Pursuing a bigger world
I do a lot of things, but it’s not all for the money. I strongly believe that life is all about adventure. It’s not a package tour. For me, it’s about applied linguistics,to be more specific, corpus linguistics, focusing on tourism language.
That’s why my PhD combines aspects of travelling and language, and it’s why I try my best to convey the things I learn to my audience in China. I want to inspire girls with a similar background to me to pursue a bigger world.
When I moved to Reykjavík, I was surprised at how slow everything was — even how slow the people were. In China, I worked 10 hours per day every day, either studying or part-time jobs, and slept about six or seven hours a night. I’m the kind of person who can’t stop. So I had to find something to do when I wasn’t at work.
Spinning plates
On an average day, I spend a few hours preparing for my lessons and teaching. I take an hour for content creation — drafting posts, editing photos, that kind of thing. Then I spend around three hours on my PhD. When I’ve got spare time, I work as a freelance translator or tutor. I’m currently translating my book, and often work on it until one or two in the morning.
I also work as a translator and interpreter for the Icelandic and Chinese governments. A couple of months ago, I worked as a simultaneous interpreter for the former Icelandic president and Chinese delegates at a conference on geothermal development.
I do take days off occasionally to travel. But I take photos, so I’m still active on social media. When I’m not travelling, I just like to walk around Reykjavík and people-watch. Reykjavík is small, but it’s very international. It’s easy to encounter different cultures and meet people from different backgrounds. It’s a welcoming, friendly place and I feel very safe here. I feel like I can do whatever I want.
Chasing the life you want
It’s this way of life that I am really keen to educate Chinese readers about. It’s partly why I wrote my book. The first thing I really want to convey to them, as a woman, is that gender doesn’t matter. Everyone is equal. As a girl, you have the right to chase the life you want. You don’t have to live for a man or your family. You have the right to choose your own life. That’s what I think Icelandic culture does very well.
The other thing is that people shouldn’t push themselves too much. Chinese people work too hard. It’s good for the economy, but you will not get a balance between life and family and work. That’s not easy. You’ve got to learn to enjoy life, nature, and what’s in front of you.
Working as an actress
As well as all of my work as a linguist, I have also acted in a number of productions. I never had any experience working as an actress or model before when I was in China, because the competition is fierce. For ordinary people like me, it’s not something you get a chance at. But, after living in Reykjavík for one year, I saw a casting advert looking for Asian actresses for commercials, TV shows and movies, and I applied. And wow, it was so easy to get a job! So now I regularly sign up for projects.
I acted in the Netflix film, Heart of Stone starring Gal Gadot, as well as the Icelandic movie Northern Comfort. It has meant I’ve been able to meet some famous movie stars and I’ve even been in the Icelandair commercials. This really is something I could not have ever imagined while I was living in China.
Want to share how you’re making ends meet? Email us at grapevine@grapevine.is with the subject line “Side Hustle.” We’ll happily keep your identity anonymous.
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