A Colombian fluent in Chinese

The 25-year-old Colombian Nicolay Fonseca (right) and his fiancee have been learning Chinese for seven years. Fonseca speaks fluently and can translate seamlessly between Spanish and Chinese. He plans to move to China one day with his fiancee.

When the earthquake happened on April 16, Fonseca was in his home in Cuenca, the third-largest city in Ecuador and not far from the epicenter. He was eager to offer his help to people in the disaster-hit area. On the road, he met a team from the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Ecuador, and they needed a translator. Fonseca joined the team and met Pearl Humanitarian Rescue, an international disaster relief NGO established in Beijing, in Pedernales. Now he is the Latin America representative for PHR.

There are more Chinese living in Ecuador than in Colombia, which is why Fonseca lives there. He plans to have a transition period in Ecuador before eventually settling down in China sometime next year.

- Larry Lee