The HKBU Translation Workshop: A Ten-Year Milestone in Service-Learning
I. The Incubation and Traditional Club Era (1992 – 2016)
The “Student Company” Prototype
January 1992:
The Translation Workshop is formally established. Initially positioned as a “company” run by translation students, it aimed to bridge the gap between translation theory and professional practice, fostering students' leadership and management potential.
2017:
The Launch of Service-Learning
A major pedagogical transformation. Under the leadership of Professor Janice Jun Pan and with the support of the university’s innovative learning centre, the Workshop is formally restructured into a Service-Learning course.
Club-like Operation
1992 – 2016:
For over two decades, the Workshop operated in a club-like format. Although students handled real-world tasks under instructor supervision, Professor Pan noted the lack of a systematic classroom feedback mechanism, which limited the depth of learning.
II. The Transformation and the Birth of TransFeed Magazine (2017 – 2018)
Holding The 6th IATIS
July 2018:
The 6th IATIS International Conference is successfully hosted, attracting 300 scholars worldwide and showcasing the Workshop's team-based organizational and execution capabilities.
Retirement of Professor Tan Zaixi
August 2018:
Professor Tan Zaixi retires and is conferred the title of Emeritus Professor, marking a generational succession within the teaching team.
TransFeed Issue 1
December 2018:
Inaugural Milestone. This marks the beginning of the Translation Workshop’s formal transformation into a service-learning course, aiming to integrate students' translation, editing, and publishing practices through the magazine platform.
III. Curriculum Upgrade and Digital Transformation (2019 – 2020)
Upgradation of the translation programme
September 1, 2019:
The translation programme is formally upgraded to the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies (TIIS).
Digital Transformation
late 2019:
In late 2019, due to social circumstances, the Workshop fully transitioned to online teaching via Zoom. To overcome remote collaboration challenges, the team introduced professional translation software Memsource (now Phrase) for the first time, enabling cloud-based collaboration and ensuring terminological consistency.
TransFeed Issue 2
2019：
Translating motions for the “The Children’s Council,” the medical blog “Parkinson's Space”, and collaboratively translating the novel Hillary and David.
Annual Translation Volume: Approx. 32,800 words.
Performation anniversary celebration
October 2020:
Students perform the multilingual play “TransVerse, TransFeed, and TransForm” at the Faculty anniversary celebration, a script compiled from past publications, showcasing the joy that translation brings to ideas.
IV. Deepening Service: The Dual Platforms of “Inter-Link” and “Enter-Link”
“Inter-Link”
Establishment: Jan 2021
Please Click :D
Definition & Background
A student-led “company” specialising in providing bilingual Chinese-English interpreting services in community settings, founded by HKBU translation students in January 2021.
Operational Model & Mission
Delivers high-quality professional services under the supervision of TIIS faculty. Its mission is to serve as a learning ground for students to practice while breaking down communication barriers in the community through interpreting.
Social Responsibility & Core Values
Upholding respect, quality, and continuous learning, it is dedicated to building bridges for non-local residents and community organizations (e.g., at Chinese Medicine Day, legal seminars).
“Enter-Link”
Establishment: 10 Feb 2023
Please Click :D
Definition & Background
A platform offering one-stop digital solutions to eliminate language barriers in the community. Its core team consists of professionally bilingual undergraduate and postgraduate students, with Professor Janice Pan serving as the CEO.
Operational Model & Mission
Provides customized solutions through technological R&D and students' innovative perspectives. Its mission is to enhance the accessibility of language services through digital technology.
Social Responsibility & Core Values
Fosters a learning-centric workplace culture and provides long-term practical opportunities for alumni and students.
V. The AI Era and Future Outlook (2021 – 2024+)
Transfeed Issue 3
May 2021:
“Under the Pandemic.”
Translating the “Plastic Ocean” educational game and an English translation of the poetry collection Astra & Sebastian: An Epic Love Story
Annual Translation Volume: 27,024 words.
Transfeed Issue 4
June 2022:
“TransGlobe”
Creating subtitles for the HKBU BEST1001 entrepreneurship course, simplifying research reports for the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, and supporting the rare disease (NF) community.
Annual Translation Volume: 45,605 words.
Transfeed Issue 5
2023:
“The Dawn”
Services for Mind HK, “information simplification” for the Hong Kong Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Association (HKTSCA), and the “Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Culture Conservation and Inheritance Project.”
Annual Translation Volume: Approx. 100,000 multilingual words.
Transfeed Issue 6
April 2024:
“Journey”
Providing support for the “TSC, we shall see” project, participating in building a bilingual ALS website, and holding a seven-day public exhibition on campus.
請按！！
Please Click :D
Please Click :D
Please Click :D
Please Click :D
Please Click :D
Conclusion: Walking Together
As we reach 2026, we celebrate the ten-year milestone of the Translation Workshop’s formal transformation into a service-learning course. This decade-long journey has witnessed how the Workshop broke free from the predicament of having “zero clients” to its current flourishing state of “walking together” with over 30 community partners. From its inception as a “stroke of fate” to becoming a professional platform connecting alumni with practice, this relationship of mutual learning, assistance, and shared growth has not only nurtured students' professional translation skills but also instilled in them a strong sense of social responsibility. Looking to the next decade, the Workshop will continue to convey the unique “warmth” of human translation in the age of AI.