Shanghai Study Tour (2023)

Shanghai Study Tour: English/Putonghua Interpreter Training Programme & Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

Programme coordinator: Prof. YAN, Xiu Jackie

Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong
Shanghai International Studies University（上海外國語大學）

May - June 2023 (28 days)

The programme aims to:

provide students of Translation and 1nterpretation major (T&I) who are interested in the subject of Putonghua-English interpretation a chance to study and live in Mainland --- a Putonghua speaking environment;
help T&I students achieve professionalism by enhancing their Putonghua and interpretation skills and enriching their knowledge in translation through attending lectures provided by trainers in one of the world’s most prestigious interpreting programme;
offer students who major in Linguistics and Language Applications (LLA) an opportunity to learn to teach Chinese as a second language (TCSL) at this leading institute in language studies and teaching;
provide them an opportunity to exchange learning experience and establish personal and academic relationship with college students in Mainland and international students who are learning Chinese there; provide students an opportunity to experience the culture in Shanghai, one of the most dynamic cities in China.

Upon completion of the project, students should be able to:

enhance skills in translation, interpretation and languages, Putonghua and English through exploration, innovation and a discovery-enriched training programme;
describe the differences between the Putonghua-English interpreting programmes provided in Hong Kong and the Mainland;
have basic ideas of the methods employed in teaching Chinese, and improve their specialized knowledge in the Chinese language;
compare the advantages and differences of teaching Chinese in Mainland and Hong Kong; apply cultural knowledge gained in this tour to T&I and TCSL practice.

Lectures: Attending lectures (specially designed for our students) provided by scholars in the field of T&I training, and observe classes of professional interpreter training.
Courses: Taking non-credit bearing courses in TCSL designed for native Chinese speakers, and special T&I courses offered by the host university. Students will be given the chance to sit in the classroom of various regular courses on campus and blend in with mainland students.
Evaluation session: All the participants will be assessed by the end of the student tour. T&I major students will be assessed on their Putonghua-English Interpreting skills; LLA students will be assessed by their grades of the TCSL courses.
Exchange activities: Participating discussion sessions and other activities with Mainland students. Students will also be provided opportunities to meet international students at the host university and observe teaching Chinese to foreigners by themselves.
Culture tour: Conduct group projects related to translation studies and language teaching through data/material collecting tours in places with educational and cultural value to the students.

Quota: about 15 LT full-time UGC-funded undergraduates

Selection criterion:

At the end of the tour, the T&I students will be assessed by an interpreting test. The source text used for the interpreting test is equivalent to the Intermediate-level Interpreter Qualifying Test in Mainland China. For the LLA students, they will be given both a written and an oral exam to test their abilities in Chinese language and TCSL practice.
A tour questionnaire survey.
During and after the tour, the students are required to work in groups submit a report. The teacher and the students will work together in gathering evidence of achievement based on the students' reports.
Student will give a group project presentation based on each group’s unique experience and learning outcomes.
Vlogs (video blog) and photos submitted by the students.
A brochure will be produced with the joint efforts of the teacher and the students. In this task, the roles of the Editor-in-Chief, editors, photographers, designers will all be played by the students.

Page last updated: 14 September 2023