UD planning new master's program in technical Chinese translation

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8:10 a.m., Nov. 2, 2010----The University of Delaware expects to launch a new master's degree program in technical Chinese translation next fall in response to growing industry needs. China Monitor Inc. (CMI), a Delaware corporation with major dealings in China, already has pledged full-tuition scholarships for the program's first 15 students.

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According to George Watson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UD, three graduate-level courses in Chinese technical translation will be offered through the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures during the spring semester. Then, pending approval by the University's Faculty Senate and the Board of Trustees, the Graduate Program (M.A.) in Technical Chinese Translation would begin in the fall semester of 2011.

“Translation has become one of the fastest-growing professions in today's globalized world,” Watson said. “The rapid rise of transnational business between China and the United States has necessitated the translation of vast business and scientific texts from Chinese into English. The exemplary program being developed in our Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, in collaboration with industry, will prepare students for rapid advancement in this growing field. It also will mark the first professional master's program in the humanities at UD.”

Dennis O'Brien, president of CMI, a major information processing company, has pledged to provide full-tuition scholarships for 15 UD students, and also has offered the company's base in Newark, Del., as a potential training facility for the program.

CMI recently was granted an exclusive license from the China Economic Information Network (CEInet) to translate and interpret data on over 100 of the most important industries and sectors of the rapidly developing Chinese economy. The company expects to initially employ more than 50 students and information-industry professionals at its Delaware base of operations to bring its weekly analytic reports to audiences worldwide, according to a company news release.

The new master's program being planned at UD would provide bilingual students with professional training in both the theory and practice of technical translation and interpretation, according to Jianguo Chen, associate professor and director of the Chinese language program at UD. Chen also directs the new Confucius Institute established at UD in partnership with Xiamen University.

The new 33-credit graduate program also would include journalistic writing, comparative linguistics, scientific and analytical translation, and computer-assisted translation.

“We are planning a rigorous curriculum that offers quality instruction from experienced translation professionals and experts who will ensure that students, upon the completion of the program, will possess a high level of bilingual proficiency, practical techniques and skills of translation, specialized knowledge and credibility, a familiarity with theories and professional aspects of translation, and a fine cultural understanding that will give them a competitive edge in the job market,” Chen said.

For more information about the technical Chinese translation program, contact Chen at [chenjia@udel.edu]. To learn more about UD's graduate and professional programs, visit the website.

Article by Tracey Bryant

 

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