Head's words
Language is fascinating! It is what makes us unique!
Language is what we live with and live by. It is all around us, but do you know what language is, how language works, and what you can do with language? The Linguistics and Translation Department is here to provide the most comprehensive, appliable and dynamically growing programs of ALL language-related studies, for academic pursuit as well as professional development. You are welcome to come and explore the fascinating language wonderland with us!
Prof. SCHILLER, Niels O.
Head, Department of Linguistics and Translation
The Department of Linguistics and Translation offers programmes of study at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels designed to address the growing needs of Hong Kong and other Chinese communities for language professionals well versed in linguistics and language applications, translation and interpretation.
The Department offers a B.A. major programme and a minor programme at the undergraduate level, and M.A., MPhil. and PhD programmes at the postgraduate level, as specified below:
- B.A. major programme: B.A. in Linguistics and Language Applications
- B.A. minor programme: Minor in Linguistics and Language Applications
- M.A. in Language Studies with four streams - Corpus and Empirical Linguistics, Pedagogical Linguistics, General Linguistics, and Translation and Interpretation
- Research degree studies toward M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in the core research areas of the Department
The Department actively encourages and supports research in areas such as general linguistics, language technology, intelligent linguistic applications, and translation and interpretation studies. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, Linguistics at City University of Hong Kong is ranked 38 among universities worldwide in 2025. The Department’s research priorities include experimental linguistics (psycho- and neurolinguistics), corpus linguistics, computational linguistics, computer-assisted language learning, interpreting, (human and machine) translation, terminology, semantics, syntax, phonology, and phonetics.
The Department maintains strong ties with The Halliday Centre for Intelligent Applications of Language Studies (HCLS) and operates three specialized laboratories.
The Language and Cognition Laboratory (LCL) is recognised as one of the most well-equipped (neuro)cognitive research facilities for language studies in the region. It houses a comprehensive range of basic and advanced tools, along with cutting-edge technology, to support research on various aspects of language-related cognitive processes.
The Phonetics Laboratory, established in 1995, focuses on research areas such as the phonetics and typology of Chinese dialect sounds, phonetic explanations for sound changes in Chinese, and phonetics in second language acquisition. The lab is equipped with a wide array of tools to explore the acoustical, articulatory, perceptual, and physiological properties of speech sounds.
In addition, the Department operates a Simultaneous Interpretation Laboratory featuring state-of-the-art equipment designed for professional training in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, as well as for advanced language learning.