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Programme Overview
BA (Hons) in Translation, Cross-cultural studies, and Corporate Communication, offered by the Department of Translation, provides students with a quality bilingual and cross-cultural education. On graduating, they will have a high level of linguistic awareness and competence in Chinese and English, in addition to a critical and creative mindset. In this programme, equal emphasis is placed on the academic and practical study of translation, to which students are introduced through wide range of courses: different genres of specialized translation, interpreting, linguistics, and translation theory, criticism, and history.
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Careers & Alumni Stories
In a tri-lingual and bi-literate society like Hong Kong, there is consistently a strong demand for university graduates with effective bilingual skills. Our graduates are quite competitive in a wide range of sectors where good bilingual skills are required. They are often hired as translators, administrators, teachers, and executives in public and private sectors.
Mr. Sean Tsoi, Assistant Lecturer at IVE
(Year of Graduation: 2017)
“Interpreting skills were my proudest takeaway from LU. I had never thought of winning a prize in an interpreting contest and getting to be an interpreter for a variety of clients.”
Mr. Sean Tsoi
Ms. Tang Wing Shan, Tammy, Assistant Project Officer at Vocational Training Council
(Year of Graduation: 2017)
“The teachers of Lingnan are not only great language trainers, but also my lifelong mentors.”
Ms. Tang Wing Shan, Tammy
Mr. Cheng Ka Lok, Joe, Secondary School English Teacher
(Year of Graduation: 2017)
“Studying translation at Lingnan University will open your mind to a new world as well as a new way of seeing the world. With the diversified curriculum and the comprehensive academic support the Department of Translation offered, you will definitely enjoy your learning journey here and be able to build up practical skills which are beneficial to your future career.”
Mr. Cheng Ka Lok, Joe
Programme Structure
The programme design ensures a broad and balanced curriculum with practical translation courses catering to the needs of the job market, to train students’ critical thinking and prepare them for postgraduate studies. To learn more view full programme details here.
Programme Required Courses:
Students have to take compulsory courses need to be taken in the first 4 years.
- Required Courses
Course Code Course Name Credits TRA2101 Introduction to Interpreting (C-E) 3 TRA2102 Introduction to Interpreting (E-C) 3 TRA2103 Introduction to Translation (C-E) 3 TRA2104 Introduction to Translation (E-C) 3 TRA3107 Literature, Culture and Translation (I) 3 TRA3203 Introduction to Translation Studies 3 TRA3204 Translation Criticism I (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA3227 English Writing Workshop for Translators 3 TRA4318~
TRA4319~
TRA4320~
TRA4325~Translation Project (E-C and C-E) or
Translation Project (E-C) or
Translation Project (C-E) or
Translation Studies Research Project6
Programme Elective Courses:
(Total 6 courses, 18 credits, to be taken from Years 2 to 4)
Students have to take at least one course (3 credits) from each category of elective courses, for a total of three courses, and the remaining three elective courses can be chosen by students from the three categories.
- Elective Courses Category A: Bilingual Studies
Course Code Course Name Credits TRA2001 Introduction to Computer-aided Translation 3 TRA2105 Language Studies for Translation: Phonology and Morphology 3 TRA2106 Language Studies for Translation: Syntax 3 TRA3001 Chinese Writing Workshop for Translators 3 TRA3002 English through Subtitles 3 TRA3214 Bilingual Oral Workshop (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA3224 General Interpreting (P-E & E-P) 3 TRA3228# Liaison Interpreting 3 TRA3243 Translation for Advanced Industries (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA4310 Translation for Science and Technology (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA4321 Selected Translation Project (E-C) 3 TRA4322 Selected Translation Project (C-E) 3 - Elective Courses Category B: Cross-cultural Studies
Course Code Course Name Credits TRA3205 Literary Translation (C-E) 3 TRA3206 Literary Translation (E-C) 3 TRA3217 Translating Cultures 3 TRA3221 Topics in Bilingual Studies: Love in Chinese and Western Literatures 3 TRA3226 Studies in Comparative Literature 3 TRA3238 Cross-cultural Perspectives in Film: Thematic Comparisons 3 TRA3241 Studies on Translators 3 TRA3242 Translation and Sino-Western Cultural Exchange 3 TRA3244 Translating Travel Literature 3 TRA4303 Contemporary Translation Theory 3 TRA4307 Gender, Language and Translation 3 TRA4308 History of Translation 3 TRA4329 World Literature and Translation 3 - Elective Courses Category C: Multimedia and Corporate Communication
Course Code Course Name Credits TRA2107 Subtitling: Issues in Audiovisual and Digital Translation 3 TRA3208 Translation for News and the Media (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA3209 Translation of Texts in Popular Culture (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA3211 Translation of Texts in the Arts (E-C & C-E) 3 TRA3213 Bilingual Digital Publication Workshop 3 TRA3218 Translation in the Hong Kong Context 3 TRA3222 Business Translation (C-E) 3 TRA3223 Business Translation (E-C) 3 TRA3239 Corporate Communication and Translation 3 TRA3240 Localization and Project Management 3 TRA4326@ Conference Interpreting 3 TRA4327 Eco-translation 3 TRA4328^^ Legal Translation (E-C & C-E) 3
Note:
# Students who have taken TRA3201 General Interpreting (C-E) or TRA3202 General Interpreting (E-C) are not allowed to take this course.
@ Students who have taken TRA4301 Advanced Interpreting (C-E) or TRA4302 Advanced Interpreting (E-C) are not allowed to take this course.
^^ Students who have taken TRA4323 Legal Translation (C-E) and TRA4324 Legal Translation (E-C) are not allowed to take this course.
English Language Requirements
Students admitted from the 2017-18 intake, including students admitted to first year or directly to second year or above, are required to satisfy the following English language requirements.
Special Note for 2020-2021 intake
Effective from Term 2, 2020-21, students will take the Password Test in place of DELTA. An administrative system for booking of test sessions will be accessible on CEAL’s website (details to be announced by CEAL). Students are fully subsidised for their required attempt(s) for taking the Password Test in place of DELTA. If students would like to take the Test voluntarily, it would be at students’ own cost.
I. Diagnostic English Language Tracking Assessment (DELTA)
- Undergraduate students who are admitted to Year 1 or directly to Year 2 are required to take DELTA twice respectively in their first year and second year of studies at Lingnan.
- Undergraduate students who are directly admitted to year 3 are required to take DELTA in their first year of study at Lingnan.
- Native English speakers who are exempted from taking the following courses are exempted from this requirement:
- For students admitted in 2018-19 or before: required LCE courses, viz. English for Communication I, II & III.
- For students admitted from 2019-20: University English I, University English II, English Language Enhancement elective(s) and Discipline-related professional communication course.
II. English Language Graduation Requirement
An overall band score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Academic) is set as the University-wide English language minimum graduation requirement while students of the following programmes shall attain different minimum threshold scores:
| Major Programme | Minimum Overall Band Score in IELTS (Academic) |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts in Translation, Cross-Cultural Studies, and Corporate Communication | 7.0 |
For more details, please visit https://www.ln.edu.hk/reg/undergraduate-programmes/english-language-requirements/.
Enquiry
If you have any question, please contact us at (852) 2616 7970 or trans@ln.edu.hk
FAQ
- I know English and Chinese well already. Why should I spend 4 years studying translation?
While competence in English and Chinese is essential, a translator has to understand the culture contained in these languages as well. In addition, there are a series of extra-linguistic factors to consider when we translate. Apart from further developing students’ linguistic competence, our programme will train their sensitivity towards cultural differences and their ability to apply bilingual skills in the workplace. They will learn the latest development in the translation industry. Our programme also provides courses in translation theory and research skills such that students will be able to pursue further studies after graduation.
- What is unique about Lingnan’s BA (Hons) Programme in Translation, Cross-cultural Studies, and Corporate Communication?
We are the only translation programme in Hong Kong that puts equal emphasis on students’ bilingual/cross-cultural knowledge and their practical abilities to take up jobs in the business and cultural sectors. In addition to required courses that provide students with foundational training in translation and interpreting, the programme offers electives in three streams, namely bilingual studies, cross-cultural studies, and multimedia and corporate communication. This programme structure draws on the traditional strengths of Lingnan’s Department of Translation, which was first established in 1989, while adding new elements such that our students will be equipped with the latest knowledge to meet challenges in the ever-changing world.
We have strong faculty members from different backgrounds and with diverse research interests such as literary translation, bilingual studies, cultural studies, interpreting studies, media translation, and computer-aided translation. Our (Hons) Programme strikes a balance between the development of bilingual/cross-cultural knowledge and practical abilities for jobs in the business and cultural sectors. The newly designed courses, such as “World Literature and Translation”, “Translation and Sino-Western Cultural Exchange”, “Studies on Translators”, “Eco-translation”, “Corporate Communication and Translation”, “Localization and Project Management”, and “Translation for Advanced Industries”, address how translation adapts to the transition from print to digital culture, to the globalization of Chinese literature and culture, and to translation technology.
- What are the career prospects of the graduates from this programme?
Our graduates mostly land on administrative/management executive, management consultant, marketing/sales executive, and teachers and other educational positions. In 2020, 22.6% of our graduates worked in business services, and 38.7% worked in the education sector. Some students have continued to pursue postgraduate studies in a number of disciplines, both in Hong Kong and overseas.
- Do we have exchange opportunities?
Yes. Our University offers students valuable opportunities to “Engage the World” and to study in our partner institutions in Mainland China or overseas countries such as US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea. Students usually go on exchange in their 2nd or 3rd year of study. They will remain registered at Lingnan during their one-term exchange duration and are expected to return to Lingnan to complete their studies. Students may apply for Student Exchange Programmes (SEP) through the Office of Global Education and Interdisciplinary Studies (OGEIS).
- Do we have internship opportunities?
Yes. The Office of the Students Affair of the University will offer some internship opportunities to our students. The Department also liaises with relevant organizations so as to identify and create internship opportunities. Some of our courses, e.g. “Subtitling: Issues in Audiovisual Translation”, “Bilingual Cyber Culture”, etc. offer service-learning opportunities in organizations such as Yan Oi Tong, Yuk Chi Resource Centre (a centre for parents and children with special education needs), Silence (an organization serving the deaf and hard of hearing), etc.
- How can I apply for BA (Hons) Programme in Translation, Cross-cultural Studies, and Corporate Communication?
School applicants sitting for Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination in some/all subjects must apply via JUPAS and via their respective schools. Applicants who seek admission to our programme on the basis of qualifications other than HKDSE examination results are regarded as non-JUPAS applicants and should apply directly to the University through the non-JUPAS route.
We are grateful to Phrase for giving us free access to their platform, which is one of the Computer-aided Translation tools we use in our teaching.