* Review of applications starts before the deadline and continues until all places are filled. Early application is strongly recommended.
A. Background
Established in 1984, the Master of Arts in Translation Programme has the longest history among all postgraduate translation programmes in Hong Kong. This two-year part-time or one-year full-time programme aims at enhancing students’ abilities in translation and interpretation.
The programme curriculum, designed to meet the changing needs of society, equips students with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, and stresses interaction between teachers and students.
B. Admission Requirements
In addition to the general qualifications required for admission to the Graduate School, applicants need to have obtained a Bachelor's degree from a recognized university, or an equivalent professional qualification. Applicants are required to attend an interview.
C. Study Scheme
1. Course Requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum of 24 units of courses for graduation.
(b) A student who obtains a cumulative grade point average (GPA) below 2.0 in the preceding term will be put on academic probation. For details, please refer to Clause 13.0 "Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies" of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage: https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/.
For study scheme of 2016–17 or before, please click HERE.
Elective courses are quota courses and not all are offered every year.
E. Tuition Fee
$143,000 per programme
a). Full-time (1 year)
$71,500 x 2 instalments
b). Part-time (2 years)
1st year:
$35,750 x 2 instalments
2nd year:
$35,750 x 2 instalments
TRAN6001: Advanced Translation Studies
This course offers a comprehensive survey of major translation theories, such as the linguistic, communicative, cultural-literary and the deconstructive translation theories. The focus is on the history, approaches and main theses of each theory. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a theoretical and methodological base for evaluating and studying translation.
TRAN6002: English-Chinese Translation Workshop
This course aims at improving the translating abilities of the students through group discussion. Under the supervision of the teacher, students are required to conduct group presentations on the translation of an assigned source text. They are also required to discuss in class their translations, as well as those of their peers.
TRAN6003: Chinese-English Translation Workshop
This course aims at improving the translating abilities of the students through group discussion. Under the supervision of the teacher, students are required to conduct group presentations on the translation of an assigned source text. They are also required to discuss in class their translations, as well as those of their peers.
TRAN6101: Advanced Business Translation
This course studies the format, features and related translation methods and techniques in translating commercial texts. Included in this course are topics on translation of business correspondence, business contracts and certificates, annual reports, minutes, notices, memos, catalogues, operational manuals, advertisements and other promotional materials.
TRAN6102: Financial Translation
The course prepares students to translate banking and finance-related documents. Topics include stock market operations, prospectuses, annual reports, shareholders' AGM notices and meeting minutes, international banking operations, investment and funds, loan and credit, and insurance.
TRAN6103: Translation of Legal Writings
This course aims at familiarizing students with the language used in legal documents in both English and Chinese and developing their skills in translating these documents. Students are required to do home and class assignments. Group discussions are held to study issues related to legal translation.
TRAN6104: Government and Public Affairs Translation
This course introduces the principles and techniques of government and public affairs translation. Different kinds of documents used in the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and other public sector organizations are given as examples illustrating common problems encountered in translating these documents and the solutions to these problems, with emphasis on style and register.
TRAN6106: Translation of Public Relations Writings
This course aims at training students in the skills of translating public relations writings. Students are introduced to a variety of PR materials such as press releases, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, etc. Translation techniques will be discussed with emphasis on the specific language styles targeted at different audiences. Through in-class discussions and exercises, students will learn to build up a sensitivity towards translating for different types of PR work.
TRAN6107: Mass Media Translation
This course gives students intensive training in translating a wide variety of print and non-print media texts selected from newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet. Special attention will be given to news coverage, editorials, features, profiles, and advertisements.
TRAN6108: Translation of Subtitles
The course teaches the skills required in translating film and television subtitles. Emphasis is placed on the particularities of these text types and their translation. Students are expected to adopt the receptor-oriented and market-based approaches and study the limitations imposed by the different media and their special requirements.
TRAN6109: Science and Technology Translation
This course aims at training students to translate science and technological writings. Topics include medicine, energy, environmental protection, and computer application.
TRAN6110: Literary Translation
The course studies the rhetorical features which characterise literary writing and the ways to reproduce these features in the translation. Special attention is paid to stylistic transfer between languages, cultural differences, and illocutionary meaning. Frequent seminars are conducted by students to examine the particularities of different literary genres, such as poetry, drama, and fiction, and the special strategies required for their translation.
TRAN6111: Arts Translation
This course aims at familiarizing students with the language used in different forms of arts, such as painting, sculpture, drawing, music and architecture, hence enhancing the skills in translating these materials.
TRAN6112: Readings in Translated Works
This course comprises critical studies of Chinese translations of English writings and English translations of Chinese writings, covering chiefly literary classics of various genres and from different periods. The approach is cultural as well as linguistic, and the aim is not only to introduce the skills and the art of translating, but also to help students appreciate the stylistic treatments and philosophic attitudes involved. Apart from presenting a written paper, students are also expected to actively take part in the oral commentary and analysis of selected works.
TRAN6113: History of Translation
This course is an introduction to the history of translation in China and foreign countries. The focus is on the translation between Chinese and English. Topics include major historical events that have influenced translation activities, the most prominent translator, and the historical relevance and impact of the translated texts.
TRAN6114: Translation Criticism
This course aims to facilitate students’ systematic exposure to translated materials of various genres and to help them appreciate critically both the merits and the demerits in the translation products concerned. It is hoped that students will finish the course with new insights into different possibilities of treating a variety of texts for translation.
TRAN6115: Translation Process and Methodology
The course introduces translation process and methodology. Topics include bilingual encoding and decoding processes, concept transfer, and bilingual competence in relation to translation. The aim is to familiarize students with the principles relating to translation practice.
TRAN6116: Comparative Language Studies
The aim of this course is to introduce the subject of comparative language studies, with a focus on Chinese and English. Word order and major sentence constructions of Chinese and English will be analyzed in a systematic manner and in a comparative and contrastive fashion. Students have the opportunity to do hands-on work that relates translation into/from Chinese and English to comparative analysis of the languages.
TRAN6117: Bilingual Editing Skills
This course aims at training students in the techniques of editing Chinese, English and translation texts, copywriting and electronic publishing.
TRAN6119: Special Topics
This course aims at offering a variety of special topics on different aspects of translation studies.
Subject to the approval of the Division Head, students are allowed to take the above course more than once and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
TRAN6204: Conference Interpreting
This course aims at providing intensive training in conference interpreting. Students are trained to handle both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in various kinds of conference environments.
TRAN6205: Consecutive Interpreting I: C/E
The course teaches consecutive interpreting at the introductory level. Students will gain general conceptual knowledge about the process and practice of consecutive interpreting. They will be trained in the basic skills of consecutive interpreting, including voice and speech skills, active listening, memory, re-presentation of messages, short consecutive interpreting without notes, note-taking and short interpreting with notes. Students will also be guided to develop deliberate practice habits, including reflection, goal-setting, peer-feedback and journaling.
The language combination of the course is Cantonese and English. Classes are conducted in the multimedia classroom.
(Not for students who have taken TRAN6305 Consecutive Interpreting I: P/E)
TRAN6206: Consecutive Interpreting II: C/E
The course teaches consecutive interpreting at the advanced level. Building on the conceptual and practical knowledge they will have gained in CI (I), students will continue to build up their knowledge about the latest interpreting research to inform their skill acquisition. They will continue to enhance the skills of consecutive interpreting, with a focus on long CI in simulated real-life interpreting context. Students will also be introduced to interpreting in various settings, and develop an understanding of the social and ethical demands on their performance in those settings. Mock conferences and study trips will be organized, as appropriate, to enhance skill and professional development.
The language combination of the course is Cantonese and English. Classes are conducted in the multimedia classroom.
(Pre-requisite: TRAN6205 Consecutive Interpreting I: C/E or TRAN 6305 Consecutive Interpreting I: P/E or Division’s consent; Not for students who have taken TRAN6306)
TRAN6207: Simultaneous Interpreting I: C/E
This course teaches simultaneous interpreting at the introductory level. Students will be introduced to the practice and process of simultaneous interpreting. Sight translation will be learnt both as a skill and a transitional activity to simultaneous interpreting. Students will train in the basic skills of simultaneous interpreting, including dual-audio processing, chunking, the linear approach to text processing and anticipation. They will learn the methods of glossary preparation and research for interpreting assignments. They will also be introduced to the SI technical equipment, familiarize themselves with its operations and learn and practice booth etiquette.
The language combination of the course is Cantonese and English. Classes are conducted in the simultaneous interpreting laboratory.
(Not for students who have taken TRAN6307 Simultaneous Interpreting I: P/E)
TRAN6208: Simultaneous Interpreting II: C/E
This course teaches simultaneous interpreting at the advanced level. Students will build on skills acquired at the introductory level and work on more challenging speech types in various subject domains. They will build up their knowledge and language proficiency in major domains, including political, economic, social, environmental affaires, among others. They will also be exposed to real-life working conditions to enhance their resilience. SI with text will also be introduced and trained as a regularly used form of interpreting in the professional practice. Mock conferences and study trips will be organized, as appropriate, to enhance skill and professional development.
The language combination of the course is Cantonese and English. Classes are conducted in the simultaneous interpreting laboratory.
(Pre-requisite: TRAN6207 Simultaneous Interpreting I: C/E or TRAN6307 Simultaneous I: P/E or Division’s consent; Not for students who have taken TRAN6308)
TRAN6305: Consecutive Interpreting I: P/E
The course teaches consecutive interpreting at the introductory level. Students will gain general conceptual knowledge about the process and practice of consecutive interpreting. They will be trained in the basic skills of consecutive interpreting, including voice and speech skills, active listening, memory, re-presentation of messages, short consecutive interpreting without notes, note-taking and short interpreting with notes. Students will also be guided to develop deliberate practice habits, including reflection, goal-setting, peer-feedback and journaling.
The language combination of the course is Putonghua and English. Classes are conducted in the multimedia classroom.
(Not for students who have taken TRAN6205 Consecutive Interpreting I: C/E)
TRAN6306: Consecutive Interpreting II: P/E
The course teaches consecutive interpreting at the advanced level. Building on the conceptual and practical knowledge they will have gained in CI (I), students will continue to build up their knowledge about the latest interpreting research to inform their skill acquisition. They will continue to enhance the skills of consecutive interpreting, with a focus on long CI in simulated real-life interpreting context. Students will also be introduced to interpreting in various settings, and develop an understanding of the social and ethical demands on their performance in those settings. Mock conferences and study trips will be organized, as appropriate, to enhance skill and professional development.
The language combination of the course is Putonghua and English. Classes are conducted in the multimedia classroom.
(Pre-requisite: TRAN6205 Consecutive Interpreting I: C/E or TRAN 6305 Consecutive Interpreting I: P/E or Division’s consent; Not for students who have taken TRAN6206)
TRAN6307: Simultaneous Interpreting I: P/E
This course teaches simultaneous interpreting at the introductory level. Students will be introduced to the practice and process of simultaneous interpreting. Sight translation will be learnt both as a skill and a transitional activity to simultaneous interpreting. Students will train in the basic skills of simultaneous interpreting, including dual-audio processing, chunking, the linear approach to text processing and anticipation. They will learn the methods of glossary preparation and research for interpreting assignments. They will also be introduced to the SI technical equipment, familiarize themselves with its operations and learnt and practice booth etiquette.
The language combination of the course is Putonghua and English. Classes are conducted in the simultaneous interpreting laboratory.
(Not for students who have taken TRAN6207 Simultaneous Interpreting I: C/E)
TRAN6308: Simultaneous Interpreting II: P/E
This course teaches simultaneous interpreting at the advanced level. Students will build on skills acquired at the introductory level and work on more challenging speech types in various subject domains. They will build up their knowledge and language proficiency in major domains, including political, economic, social, environmental affaires, among others. They will also be exposed to real-life working conditions to enhance their resilience. SI with text will also be introduced and trained as a regularly used form of interpreting in the professional practice. Mock conferences and study trips will be organized, as appropriate, to enhance skill and professional development.
The language combination of the course is Putonghua and English. Classes are conducted in the simultaneous interpreting laboratory.
(Pre-requisite: TRAN6207 Simultaneous Interpreting I: C/E or TRAN6307 Simultaneous I: P/E or Division’s consent; Not for students who have taken TRAN6208)
TRAN6601: Introduction to Computer-aided Translation
This course aims at teaching students the use of translation technology in translation practice. Translation tools such as concordancers, localization software, and translation memory systems will be introduced.
TRAN6811: Bilingual Lexicography
This course introduces concepts and methods in the field of bilingual lexicography and their relationship with natural language processing.
TRAN6821: Computer Translation
This course trains students on the use of fully automatic or interactive translation systems.
TRAN6823: Terminology Management
This course aims at enhancing students’ theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of terminology and terminology management. It is especially designed for the students to understand the norms in terminology and its connections to translation and localization. State-of-the-art TM tools are included in this course. It provides students with access to the field of terminology and enables students to manage domain-specific terminologies by using modern software packages.
TRAN6910: Research Seminar in Translation I
This course provides a forum for research students in translation to develop and share research skills and findings in both theoretical as well as empirical dimensions. Students are required to give presentations on literature review, data analysis, theoretical frameworks, and methodology-related topics.