In March 2025, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), a joint venture between Beijing Normal University and Hong Kong Baptist University, officially renamed itself Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU).

The Applied Translation Studies (ATS) programme at UIC began in the fall of 2010. The present proposal is in response to a new four-year curriculum at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). As the College awards HKBU degrees, it is pertinent for the College to align its programmes with those at HKBU as closely as possible. The Programme bears the ambition to provide first-class educational experiences for the young people who aspire to be bilingual professionals in China. As a whole, it is designed to train bilingual practitioners in the fields of translation and interpreting in order to meet market demands in China. It is teaching- and student-oriented and aims to offer a unique learning experience in translation and interpreting.

Programme Aims, Objectives and Learning Outcomes

The programme emphasizes both translation theory and practice. Such emphases provide ATS students with the requisite broad framework to work simultaneously on the Chinese and English languages while also tapping the rich cultural contexts underlying the art of translation.

As an outcome of the training in theory and practice, ATS graduates are equipped to work independently as professional translators and/or interpreters in government and/or the private sectors. The Programme provides its graduates, in sum, with the lifelong skills necessary to compete in a rapidly changing global marketplace where bilingual competence, critical thinking and strong communication skills remain for the foreseeable future a profound asset.

Learning Outcomes

Upon satisfactory completion of the programme, students should have achieved the following:

1. Communicate and translate effectively as a bilingual and bicultural professional in Chinese and English and in written and verbal forms;

2. Compare and contrast differences in cultural contexts in order to build a strong sense of bicultural sensitivity;

3. Apply various theories and concepts to facilitate and to analyze the practices of translation and interpreting;

4. Develop the necessary interpersonal skills and professional ethics for a career in translation and/or interpreting as well as in language and communication fields;

5. Conduct independent basic research in translation studies.

Teaching Staff

Full-time faculty members are recruited from all over the world. All professors recruited possess a Ph.D. and have relevant teaching and research experience. Professionals in the fields of translation and interpreting with exceptional skills and extensive industrial knowledge may also be recruited. Currently, the Dean of the Division of Humanities & Social Sciences is Professor Adrian BAILEY and the Programme Director is Dr. Hong QIAN.

Teaching Methods and Medium of Instruction

In view of the inter-disciplinary nature of Translation and Interpreting Studies, the programme employs a wide range of teaching methods to ensure the quality of teaching as being first-class as well as teaching- and student-oriented. Teaching will be conducted by a combination of lectures, tutorial discussions, seminars, guest lectures, assignments, individual and group presentations, quizzes, peer comments, and self-reflective journals. Students will be given plenty of exercises for translation practice and analysis, both in and out of classroom. Some courses require end-of-semester examinations. For courses of a practical nature (e.g. TRA 2010 & TRA 2020 General Translation I and II), continuous assessment in the form of in and out of class assignments and/or quizzes will be used to supplement formal examinations. Continuous assessment will normally carry a heavier weight than a formal examination for the General Translation courses.

It is agreed that students’ autonomy, initiative, capacity for adaptation and a strong sense of responsibility are essential to achieving good learning outcomes. Efforts are constantly made on the part of faculty members to improve their teaching skills and learning strategies for students. Details concerning the specific means of teaching methods are fully explained for each course in the attached syllabi.

The medium of instruction will be in English while teaching materials will both be in Putonghua/Chinese and English for C-E and E-C translation/interpreting.

Situated in Zhuhai, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU) is the first full-scale cooperation in higher education between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. BNBU shoulders the historical mission of advancing the internationalization of Chinese higher education and taking the lead in implementing liberal arts education in China.

Exceptional Location

BNBU is located in the beautiful coastal city of Zhuhai in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As one of China's most liveable cities, Zhuhai is adjacent to Macao and Hong Kong, connected by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Zhuhai was one of the first places where modern Chinese met Western culture.

International Higher Education

With English as the medium of instruction, BNBU's education is of international standards with high-caliber academic performance. The college has established the Divisions of Business and Management, Culture and Creativity, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, in addition to the Graduate School. Altogether BNBU offers 28 undergraduate programmes, and is approved to offer nine research and five taught postgraduate programmes for over 7,000 students. Undergraduates receive HKBU Bachelor's Degrees and BNBU Graduation Certificates, and postgraduates earn HKBU degrees.

Liberal Arts College

Aiming to serve China and the world, BNBU has built a new model for liberal arts education in China by tapping into traditional Chinese and Western cultural resources. A liberal arts education cultivates open-minded, well-rounded talents, enabling students to dig into their academic field of expertise with an interdisciplinary approach. BNBU provides a student-centered learning environment and encourages a healthy student-teacher interaction that benefits both parties in terms of mentorship and collaboration.

Diversity and Development

BNBU enrols students from 30 provinces and regions of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas. More than 72% of the graduates from the Class of 2020 chose postgraduate studies home and abroad, 74.4% of which were admitted to the world’s top 100 universities. Many of the graduates have started their careers in Fortune 500 companies, government agencies or non-profit organisations. There are also alumni listed in Forbes 30 under 30.

Features:

• 4 Divisions providing 25 Undergraduate Programs
• 6000+ Undergraduate students; Above 70% Graduates go onto further study abroad.
• Faculty and students from more than 30 countries and regions.
• Liberal Arts Education & Whole Person Education
• Graduation Certificate Awarded by BNBU and HKBU Degree.
• English-taught Curriculum with Special Programmes on Chinese Culture and Society.
• Career Development for more possible future.

You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it