Before entering ATS, I was very interested and enthusiastic about sharing traditional Chinese culture and promoting friendly exchanges between Chinese and people all over the world. However, at the time, I didn’t have an in-depth understanding of how to effectively share Chinese culture with the world. After joining ATS and taking courses like Contrastive Language Studies: English and Chinese, Media Translation, and Culture and Translation, I discovered how important translation is in cultural transmission. I also learned how translators can help target audiences actually appreciate the profound meaning of a source text and feel the humanistic spirit embedded within it by carefully selecting and reorganizing the source text’s content. In short, my experience at ATS has solidified my goal of promoting cultural exchange,

Looking back on these 4 years, I am genuinely elated that the inclusiveness of ATS is compatible with the Whole-person education in UIC, which grants me sufficient freedom to probe what I am interested in. ATS boasts a wide range of curriculums, among which a lot of courses are interdisciplinary, such as Media Translation, Translation of Scientific and Technological texts, Commercial Translation and so on. All of them well broadened my vision, offering me opportunities to try and fail. In addition, our teachers are also very supportive of our ideas and allow us to explore what we are curious about in different assessments. The most impressive experience in these courses was that my group mates adapted a clothing website into a brand book. These courses validate if we can apply what we learned practically and spice up our curricular life.

Studying in a bilingual and intercultural context, students of applied translation studies (ATS) can not only enhance their bilingual competence but can also gain an international insight. ATS is equipped with strong teaching resource, which can be demonstrated by the professionalism of teachers who have experience in translating various types of texts and have worked in China’s mainland, UK, and Hong Kong. In addition to on-campus lectures, ATS students can also promote their translating skills of in extracurricular contests by receiving guidance and support of teachers. Additionally, major courses of ATS like computer-aided translation and sci-tech text translation is tightly related to the trend of the translation market, thereby enabling students to gain more understanding of the future workplace. Moreover, by cooperating with renowned companies and other departments of UIC, ATS offers students various internship opportunities, which can be beneficial to their postgraduate study and career development. Therefore, for students who are desired to further their study in translation and those who are eager to work in the translation industry, ATS can surely be your best choice.

The curriculum at ATS is well-designed. Principles and Methods of Translation and Contrastive Language Studies helped me to build a solid foundation of language competency; General Translation and General Interpreting allowed me to explore the pleasure of cross-cultural communication in practice; Translation Theories and Philosophies and Research Methods for Translation Studies equipped me with academic research capabilities; courses in specific areas such as Media Translation, Commercial Translation, Translation of Scientific and Technological Texts consolidated my language transfer skills while at the same time preparing me for interdisciplinary studies.

In addition to this, the group projects have taught me how to communicate effectively with group members, countless deadlines have made me a master of time management, and translating unfamiliar terms in source texts has improved my information searching skills.

"Sooner or later, translators will be replaced by artificial intelligence." This opinion never panics me at all, because everything I have learnt in my translation studies is very flexible and practical, and these skills are my most valuable assets that will accompany me confidently towards my future Masters, PhD and beyond.

“What do we learn in Applied Translation Studies?”

Some people may think studying translation at an English-teaching college is effort-wasting. After all, everyone can be a translator as long as he or she has bilingual competence. However, translation studies is much more than mastery of languages. To become a qualified translator, one not only needs to have a good command of languages, but also needs to fully understand the cultural background and thinking logic behind languages.

In the past three years, I was exposed to various courses including Principles and Methods of Translation, Culture and Translation, Media Translation, Commercial Translation, Translation Theories and Philosophies, and Research Methods for Translation Studies in ATS program, which significantly honed my translation skills and research abilities. Besides translation, ATS program also offers interpreting courses like Introductory Interpreting, General Interpreting, and Professional Interpreting, which enhanced my interpreting abilities step by step. My interest in translation studies was ignited by these well-designed courses and I was determined to pursuit further education in this field.

In translation studies, a qualified translation should “know something of everything and everything of something”. Translation cannot be achieved overnight, it is a long-term process of accumulation. I hope every student majored in translation studies can follow your heart and make progress on this path.

Time flies, and in the twinkling of an eye, I have changed from a "newbie" in translation four years ago to a "veteran" who is about to graduate. The four years of study in the programme of Applied Translation Studies have benefited me a lot, not only have I learnt knowledge, but I have also made a group of good mentors and friends. I am very grateful for the companionship and nurturing I have received from the programme.

Whether you are a practical person or an academic with a passion for research, you will find satisfaction in the programme’s carefully designed course list. ATS also has leading faculty and hardware configuration, and the most impressive of which is the interpretation lab, which is equipped with two sets of systems, one for interpretation, which provides students with a realistic interpretation simulation training, and the other for computer-aided translation, which is equipped with most of the mainstream CAT software for students to use, providing them with the most realistic workplace translation experience, which I firmly believe will be of great benefit to the future development of the students.

I'm proud to be an ATSser! One of the most appealing characteristics of ATS’s curriculum is its course diversity in terms of translating and interpreting. The courses focus on media, gender, commerce, computer technology, etc., putting translation studies into practice, which not only in an all-round way advance my translation proficiency but also allow me to explore my academic interest. Through my undergraduate period in ATS, I have learnt that "the mindset of the translator" is both cross-linguistic and cross-cultural. Regardless of whether they will pursue advanced studies on translating or interpreting in the future, it is nothing but a blessing for ATSers as it equips them with outstanding bilingual proficiency, an inclusive attitude towards different cultures, and the ability to think critically.

When it comes to ATS’s lecturers, they are both mentors and friends of us. Academically, they encourage all novel ideas with an open mind and spare no efforts to offer help to us. Meanwhile,  they are always willing to share their life experience, inspiring us to develop our own insight into our life planning.

Applied Translation Studies (ATS) is my dream major when I applied for UIC. I have learned so much throughout these years and met many good teachers and friends here. And thanks to the cultivation of the program, I have received an offer from my dream school.

The curriculum of ATS is richly designed and includes courses in different directions in the field of translation and interpretation. The courses tend to be applied practical teaching, but there are also courses that focus on translation theory, which allow us to have a wide range of intercultural knowledge of China and the West, develop bilingual cultural literacy, and improve our translation skills. Various Major Elective courses allow us to choose the areas we are interested in for in-depth study. For example, I chose Research Methods in Translation, Gender and Translation and Computer-Aided Translation, which gave me a deeper understanding of translation and laid the foundation for my future study and career development. The teachers have a humorous teaching style, and we can express our opinions freely in class, and they are very patient in answering our questions after class.

ATS cooperated with two top-ranking translation companies, Talking China and Shanghai YGYM Translation Services Co., Ltd. The two-month internship at Talking China has helped develop my interpersonal skills and professional skills for a career in translation.

Four years ago, I became an ATSer with ignorance and curiosity. During the four years, I have acquired abundant theoretical and practical knowledge about translation and gotten along well with many good teachers and helpful friends. Therefore, I would like to introduce my beloved ATS  programme to you.

Firstly, the curriculum of ATS is progressive, which is from a general curriculum to a special one. When we were first- and second-year students, we needed to learn some introductory courses, like Introduction to the Study of Language and General Translation, etc., which provided us with a preliminary understanding of translation. When we were senior students, we could freely choose courses in a specific field, like Drama Translation, Media Translation, etc., which helped us practice translation in different areas. Secondly, ATS emphasises professional ethics. It provides courses about Applied Ethics, which taught us what a real-life translator should be like. I think this is quite important to the student, the industry, and even society. Lastly, the teachers of ATS are great. They tried their best to help students in their studies. And they encouraged students to chase their dream bravely.

The four years in ATS are my precious treasure. Even after I graduated from UIC, I still missed that experience. It’s my honour to meet you all.

Words are not enough to express my attachment to ATS. Recalling my college life, every stage was meaningful to me. As freshers, we had the opportunity to chat with teachers and professors face to face thanks to Lunch with Professor, a regular activity held by ATS, which significantly eased my tension. ATS pays high attention on practice, thus, students have a lot of chances to practice and apply the skills they learnt in class such as working as the interpreter in academic and governmental symposiums and participating in national translation/interpretation competitions. After graduating from UIC in 2018, among other top universities around the world, I chose to study my master’s degree in Translation Studies at University College London. During that year, I realized the solid academic foundation of mine built by ATS has assisted me to fit into the new environment quickly.Now, with what ATS has prepared me for, I am studying at HKU for my PhD degree.

I value all my time in ATS. Based on the up-to-date translation theories and sufficient practices, ATS provides me with high-quality translation and interpretation training. I benefit a lot from not only the lectures given by our knowledgeable and patient teachers, but also the group projects discussed with my intelligent and hard-working classmates. Furthermore, my Final Year Project enormously contributed to my current study, for the freedom to choose research topics based on personal interest endowed to us by the programme. The demanding but rewarding research on multimodality was successfully accomplished with my supervisor’s encouragement and support. During the process, I became more confident to extend my study to different disciplines as well as manage time, stress, and workload. All the experience with ATS guides me to find my research interest and enhances my competence to achieve a higher level of study.

I have experienced great changes in the four years study in ATS, and I really cherish all my time here. Not only have I developed proficient language skills that allow me to shuttle between the diverse systems of English and Chinese, I have also developed in an all-round way. Benefited a lot from the systematically-designed courses taught by knowledgeable and patient teachers, I acquired advanced specialist expertise and professional codes needed to be a good translator and interpreter; while group discussions allowed me to discuss with my industrious classmates, and therefore teamwork abilities as well as strong ties of friendship were developed. In addition, various major elective courses gave me the freedom to choose the courses I am interested in and suit my future career goal. For instance, Simultaneous Interpreting course have helped me to extend my study and better prepare for the challenging postgraduate study. All the experience in ATS are valuable to me, it equips me with all the qualities needed to be enrolled in a higher level of study, lays the foundation for my life-long learning process, and guides me to become a better me.

My four years of college in the programme of Applied Translation Studies genuinely fly, and throughout the years I have learnt so much here and will always appreciate the cultivation of the programme.

The course design of Applied Translation Studies covers a wide array of directions in the field of translation and interpretation, emphasizing both translation theory and practice and enhancing students’ comprehension in interdisciplinary studies. Via translating and interpreting practice, our competences in Chinese and English languages are constantly improved and we are able to tap on the rich cultural contexts underlying the art of translation. The manifold Major Elective Courses also allow us to further study the fields that we are interested in, such as Simultaneous Interpreting, Gender and Translation and Computer-aided Translation. These courses have profoundly influenced my future career development path. With excellent professional capacities, humorous teaching style and approachable personalities, the faculty is well respected and they are so supportive that not only do they give me academic guidance, but also help me with my future career plans and personal anxieties. The programme is also equipped with an interpretating training lab, which provides us with facilities and a place to practice interpreting.

Looking back on the four years of studying in Applied Translation Studies Programme, I am very grateful for all the knowledge and self-development brought to me by ATS. What lays the foundation for my translation ability is undoubtedly the diverse curriculum of the Programme. The major courses in the first two years introduced me to the field of translation step by step, so that I could gradually develop my own understanding and cognition towards translation, while the courses in the later two years trained my specific translation skills in various fields, thus showing the direction for my future study and career. The various major elective courses always cover those most innovative research directions and cutting-edge scientific and technological development in the field of translation, which strongly reminds me that I am so fortunate to witness and participate in the latest development and revolution of the subject “Translation”.

The faculty of ATS would definitely be who I miss so much after graduation.They are highly specialized in translation studies and training translators, and they can always impart professional knowledge to us clearly and interestingly in class. Besides, ATS teachers have always been friends to us. We often discuss academic issues, exchanging our thoughts freely, or even do sports together. At last, I really want to thank myself for choosing ATS firmly when entering UIC, which greatly drives and helps me in climbing the academic and life ladder.

Before entering ATS, I was very interested and enthusiastic about sharing traditional Chinese culture and promoting friendly exchanges between Chinese and people all over the world. However, at the time, I didn’t have an in-depth understanding of how to effectively share Chinese culture with the world. After joining ATS and taking courses like Contrastive Language Studies: English and Chinese, Media Translation, and Culture and Translation, I discovered how important translation is in cultural transmission. I also learned how translators can help target audiences actually appreciate the profound meaning of a source text and feel the humanistic spirit embedded within it by carefully selecting and reorganizing the source text’s content. In short, my experience at ATS has solidified my goal of promoting cultural exchange,

Looking back on these 4 years, I am genuinely elated that the inclusiveness of ATS is compatible with the Whole-person education in UIC, which grants me sufficient freedom to probe what I am interested in. ATS boasts a wide range of curriculums, among which a lot of courses are interdisciplinary, such as Media Translation, Translation of Scientific and Technological texts, Commercial Translation and so on. All of them well broadened my vision, offering me opportunities to try and fail. In addition, our teachers are also very supportive of our ideas and allow us to explore what we are curious about in different assessments. The most impressive experience in these courses was that my group mates adapted a clothing website into a brand book. These courses validate if we can apply what we learned practically and spice up our curricular life.

Studying in a bilingual and intercultural context, students of applied translation studies (ATS) can not only enhance their bilingual competence but can also gain an international insight. ATS is equipped with strong teaching resource, which can be demonstrated by the professionalism of teachers who have experience in translating various types of texts and have worked in China’s mainland, UK, and Hong Kong. In addition to on-campus lectures, ATS students can also promote their translating skills of in extracurricular contests by receiving guidance and support of teachers. Additionally, major courses of ATS like computer-aided translation and sci-tech text translation is tightly related to the trend of the translation market, thereby enabling students to gain more understanding of the future workplace. Moreover, by cooperating with renowned companies and other departments of UIC, ATS offers students various internship opportunities, which can be beneficial to their postgraduate study and career development. Therefore, for students who are desired to further their study in translation and those who are eager to work in the translation industry, ATS can surely be your best choice.

The curriculum at ATS is well-designed. Principles and Methods of Translation and Contrastive Language Studies helped me to build a solid foundation of language competency; General Translation and General Interpreting allowed me to explore the pleasure of cross-cultural communication in practice; Translation Theories and Philosophies and Research Methods for Translation Studies equipped me with academic research capabilities; courses in specific areas such as Media Translation, Commercial Translation, Translation of Scientific and Technological Texts consolidated my language transfer skills while at the same time preparing me for interdisciplinary studies.

In addition to this, the group projects have taught me how to communicate effectively with group members, countless deadlines have made me a master of time management, and translating unfamiliar terms in source texts has improved my information searching skills.

"Sooner or later, translators will be replaced by artificial intelligence." This opinion never panics me at all, because everything I have learnt in my translation studies is very flexible and practical, and these skills are my most valuable assets that will accompany me confidently towards my future Masters, PhD and beyond.

“What do we learn in Applied Translation Studies?”

Some people may think studying translation at an English-teaching college is effort-wasting. After all, everyone can be a translator as long as he or she has bilingual competence. However, translation studies is much more than mastery of languages. To become a qualified translator, one not only needs to have a good command of languages, but also needs to fully understand the cultural background and thinking logic behind languages.

In the past three years, I was exposed to various courses including Principles and Methods of Translation, Culture and Translation, Media Translation, Commercial Translation, Translation Theories and Philosophies, and Research Methods for Translation Studies in ATS program, which significantly honed my translation skills and research abilities. Besides translation, ATS program also offers interpreting courses like Introductory Interpreting, General Interpreting, and Professional Interpreting, which enhanced my interpreting abilities step by step. My interest in translation studies was ignited by these well-designed courses and I was determined to pursuit further education in this field.

In translation studies, a qualified translation should “know something of everything and everything of something”. Translation cannot be achieved overnight, it is a long-term process of accumulation. I hope every student majored in translation studies can follow your heart and make progress on this path.

Time flies, and in the twinkling of an eye, I have changed from a "newbie" in translation four years ago to a "veteran" who is about to graduate. The four years of study in the programme of Applied Translation Studies have benefited me a lot, not only have I learnt knowledge, but I have also made a group of good mentors and friends. I am very grateful for the companionship and nurturing I have received from the programme.

Whether you are a practical person or an academic with a passion for research, you will find satisfaction in the programme’s carefully designed course list. ATS also has leading faculty and hardware configuration, and the most impressive of which is the interpretation lab, which is equipped with two sets of systems, one for interpretation, which provides students with a realistic interpretation simulation training, and the other for computer-aided translation, which is equipped with most of the mainstream CAT software for students to use, providing them with the most realistic workplace translation experience, which I firmly believe will be of great benefit to the future development of the students.

I'm proud to be an ATSser! One of the most appealing characteristics of ATS’s curriculum is its course diversity in terms of translating and interpreting. The courses focus on media, gender, commerce, computer technology, etc., putting translation studies into practice, which not only in an all-round way advance my translation proficiency but also allow me to explore my academic interest. Through my undergraduate period in ATS, I have learnt that "the mindset of the translator" is both cross-linguistic and cross-cultural. Regardless of whether they will pursue advanced studies on translating or interpreting in the future, it is nothing but a blessing for ATSers as it equips them with outstanding bilingual proficiency, an inclusive attitude towards different cultures, and the ability to think critically.

When it comes to ATS’s lecturers, they are both mentors and friends of us. Academically, they encourage all novel ideas with an open mind and spare no efforts to offer help to us. Meanwhile,  they are always willing to share their life experience, inspiring us to develop our own insight into our life planning.

Applied Translation Studies (ATS) is my dream major when I applied for UIC. I have learned so much throughout these years and met many good teachers and friends here. And thanks to the cultivation of the program, I have received an offer from my dream school.

The curriculum of ATS is richly designed and includes courses in different directions in the field of translation and interpretation. The courses tend to be applied practical teaching, but there are also courses that focus on translation theory, which allow us to have a wide range of intercultural knowledge of China and the West, develop bilingual cultural literacy, and improve our translation skills. Various Major Elective courses allow us to choose the areas we are interested in for in-depth study. For example, I chose Research Methods in Translation, Gender and Translation and Computer-Aided Translation, which gave me a deeper understanding of translation and laid the foundation for my future study and career development. The teachers have a humorous teaching style, and we can express our opinions freely in class, and they are very patient in answering our questions after class.

ATS cooperated with two top-ranking translation companies, Talking China and Shanghai YGYM Translation Services Co., Ltd. The two-month internship at Talking China has helped develop my interpersonal skills and professional skills for a career in translation.

Four years ago, I became an ATSer with ignorance and curiosity. During the four years, I have acquired abundant theoretical and practical knowledge about translation and gotten along well with many good teachers and helpful friends. Therefore, I would like to introduce my beloved ATS  programme to you.

Firstly, the curriculum of ATS is progressive, which is from a general curriculum to a special one. When we were first- and second-year students, we needed to learn some introductory courses, like Introduction to the Study of Language and General Translation, etc., which provided us with a preliminary understanding of translation. When we were senior students, we could freely choose courses in a specific field, like Drama Translation, Media Translation, etc., which helped us practice translation in different areas. Secondly, ATS emphasises professional ethics. It provides courses about Applied Ethics, which taught us what a real-life translator should be like. I think this is quite important to the student, the industry, and even society. Lastly, the teachers of ATS are great. They tried their best to help students in their studies. And they encouraged students to chase their dream bravely.

The four years in ATS are my precious treasure. Even after I graduated from UIC, I still missed that experience. It’s my honour to meet you all.

My four years of college in the programme of Applied Translation Studies genuinely fly, and throughout the years I have learnt so much here and will always appreciate the cultivation of the programme.

The course design of Applied Translation Studies covers a wide array of directions in the field of translation and interpretation, emphasizing both translation theory and practice and enhancing students’ comprehension in interdisciplinary studies. Via translating and interpreting practice, our competences in Chinese and English languages are constantly improved and we are able to tap on the rich cultural contexts underlying the art of translation. The manifold Major Elective Courses also allow us to further study the fields that we are interested in, such as Simultaneous Interpreting, Gender and Translation and Computer-aided Translation. These courses have profoundly influenced my future career development path. With excellent professional capacities, humorous teaching style and approachable personalities, the faculty is well respected and they are so supportive that not only do they give me academic guidance, but also help me with my future career plans and personal anxieties. The programme is also equipped with an interpretating training lab, which provides us with facilities and a place to practice interpreting.

Looking back on the four years of studying in Applied Translation Studies Programme, I am very grateful for all the knowledge and self-development brought to me by ATS. What lays the foundation for my translation ability is undoubtedly the diverse curriculum of the Programme. The major courses in the first two years introduced me to the field of translation step by step, so that I could gradually develop my own understanding and cognition towards translation, while the courses in the later two years trained my specific translation skills in various fields, thus showing the direction for my future study and career. The various major elective courses always cover those most innovative research directions and cutting-edge scientific and technological development in the field of translation, which strongly reminds me that I am so fortunate to witness and participate in the latest development and revolution of the subject “Translation”.

The faculty of ATS would definitely be who I miss so much after graduation.They are highly specialized in translation studies and training translators, and they can always impart professional knowledge to us clearly and interestingly in class. Besides, ATS teachers have always been friends to us. We often discuss academic issues, exchanging our thoughts freely, or even do sports together. At last, I really want to thank myself for choosing ATS firmly when entering UIC, which greatly drives and helps me in climbing the academic and life ladder.

I have experienced great changes in the four years study in ATS, and I really cherish all my time here. Not only have I developed proficient language skills that allow me to shuttle between the diverse systems of English and Chinese, I have also developed in an all-round way. Benefited a lot from the systematically-designed courses taught by knowledgeable and patient teachers, I acquired advanced specialist expertise and professional codes needed to be a good translator and interpreter; while group discussions allowed me to discuss with my industrious classmates, and therefore teamwork abilities as well as strong ties of friendship were developed. In addition, various major elective courses gave me the freedom to choose the courses I am interested in and suit my future career goal. For instance, Simultaneous Interpreting course have helped me to extend my study and better prepare for the challenging postgraduate study. All the experience in ATS are valuable to me, it equips me with all the qualities needed to be enrolled in a higher level of study, lays the foundation for my life-long learning process, and guides me to become a better me.

I value all my time in ATS. Based on the up-to-date translation theories and sufficient practices, ATS provides me with high-quality translation and interpretation training. I benefit a lot from not only the lectures given by our knowledgeable and patient teachers, but also the group projects discussed with my intelligent and hard-working classmates. Furthermore, my Final Year Project enormously contributed to my current study, for the freedom to choose research topics based on personal interest endowed to us by the programme. The demanding but rewarding research on multimodality was successfully accomplished with my supervisor’s encouragement and support. During the process, I became more confident to extend my study to different disciplines as well as manage time, stress, and workload. All the experience with ATS guides me to find my research interest and enhances my competence to achieve a higher level of study.

Words are not enough to express my attachment to ATS. Recalling my college life, every stage was meaningful to me. As freshers, we had the opportunity to chat with teachers and professors face to face thanks to Lunch with Professor, a regular activity held by ATS, which significantly eased my tension. ATS pays high attention on practice, thus, students have a lot of chances to practice and apply the skills they learnt in class such as working as the interpreter in academic and governmental symposiums and participating in national translation/interpretation competitions. After graduating from UIC in 2018, among other top universities around the world, I chose to study my master’s degree in Translation Studies at University College London. During that year, I realized the solid academic foundation of mine built by ATS has assisted me to fit into the new environment quickly.Now, with what ATS has prepared me for, I am studying at HKU for my PhD degree.