Bulletin No. 2, 2009

Our Humanities Scholars   A famous poet in Hong Kong, Professor Wong’s association with CUHK began in 1974 when he was appointed as a tutor in the Department of English Language and Literature. After four years of teaching, he decided it was time for a change and chose to work in the Centre for Translation of the Institute of Chinese Studies. He spent a total of six years at CUHK in the 1970s. In 2006 Professor Wong returned to the University as Professor of Translation and chairman of the Department of Translation. Besides teaching, research and administration, Professor Wong shoulders another important task: writing citations for the recipients of the University’s honorary degrees and fellowships. He says, ‘Writing citations is interesting and exciting, because the honorary graduates or fellows I write about all have outstanding achievements in their respective fields. Presenting their impressive achievements adequately in some 2,000 characters can be a challenge though, since I am not sure whether I can do justice to them.’ Professor Wong believes that an eye for detail is a trait that characterizes all translation students. Translation students are trained to be inquisitive, with a keen eye for detail. If they can be like the novices at Shaolin Temple who train hard under the guidance of old monks, they would probably have an eye for detail and be able to outshine their counterparts from other martial arts schools like Wudang, Emei and Kunlun at the end of their apprenticeship.’ With Professor Wong as their master, the ‘young monks’ of the Department of Translation at CUHK will surely become accomplished translators, capable of packing a mighty punch. Professor Wong’s most recent work is a fully annotated Chinese translation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet , which will be published soon.