Martina U. Hasse, German translator and sinologist. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"If everything goes smooth, I think the German version of The Three-Body Problem could come out next fall," says German sinologist Martina Hasse.

Having met Liu Cixin – author of The Three-Body Problem - at a dinner in Beijing last Friday, Hasse says the translation project of the book is just about to start.

"Heyne Publishing House signed the translation contract with Liu, and asked if I would like to translate The Three-Body Problem. I said yes. So we met on Friday. And I think I would start right away when I get back to Germany," says Hasse.

According to Hasse, she enjoyed talking to Liu and his friends a lot, and that Liu is a very easy-going and modest person.

"Knowing that I've translated several of Mo Yan's books, he joked that his works are not something profound, and they would not be as hard to translate as those of Mo Yan's. But you know with the physics and all, it can't be easy."

"My daughter is a physicist, my mother is a chemist and my father is an engineer. So if I have anything that I don't understand I can consult them. I can also phone the army for information I need to."