Mentors & Peers: Voices from the Workshop
(I) A Message from Professor Janice Pan
Translation Workshop is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its service-learning journey, marking a milestone since Professor Pan first conceived the idea. Taking this opportunity, we try to document the achievements and partnerships developed through and among our former members. We were delighted to have an in-depth conversation with our founding mentor, Professor Pan, where she shared her reflections of the past, future expectations, and the personal inspiration she has gained over the past decade.
1. Playing back the Ten Years
When asked about the most significant benefits for students, Professor Pan shared a practical outcome: “Many students have included Workshop experience in their resumes, stood out in job interviews, and eventually landed their dream jobs.” For Professor Pan, this is the most direct and tangible result that participating in the Workshop definitely helped students secure their ideal employment.
Professor Pan believed that other than translation skills, the Translation Workshop has provided whole-person development to students. AI is blowing up nowadays; text-to-text transition is no longer exclusive to humans. However, what AI cannot replace is human initiative and empathy.
“AI is becoming bigger, but our competitive edge lies in our subjective initiative,” Professor Pan explained. The AI generator is unable to analyse readers’ needs actively or reflect the translation process and history. By adopting a proactive problem-solving attitude that AI cannot imitate, students learned to prepare thoroughly before starting translation to minimise errors.
One of the core values in the Workshop is encouraging students to build relationships with community partners attentively, putting ourselves in their shoes and truly listening to their needs with warm-hearted solutions. Professor Pan shared, “When I recognise students becoming increasingly dedicated to these tasks, I know that's the greatest success of the Workshop.”
Finally, she mentioned “appreciation”. The process of translation is one in which the translator chooses to convey the beauty of things in the world. Once you unite your works with the world through languages, the sense of accomplishment is not only reflected in your career but also in the richness of your personal life. “Only by becoming a whole person can you truly appreciate everything the world has to offer.”
(II) Messages from Members
The Translation Workshop has journeyed for ten years, this success thanks not only to Professor Pan’s efforts but also to the hard work, collaboration, and passion of every member. Therefore, at the time the Workshop celebrates its tenth anniversary of service-learning, we have compiled messages and reflections from our members, hoping to introduce a better understanding of the Workshop throughout their voice.
1. From Learning to Leading: Transitioning to the Workplace
In many members’ opinion, the Translation Workshop is bridging classroom ideals with the realities of the workplace, applying translation theories and techniques to hands-on work on real-world projects. Beyond offering practice, the Workshop also mirrors the structure and operations of a professional translation firm, helping students understand how the industry runs—from basic translation jobs to working directly with clients.
As Manager Chan Hei Yui shared: “Translation Workshop encourages me to implement what I have learnt into practice, take part in real translation work, and even publish a bilingual magazine—I have never imagined.” Other members echoed this sentiment. The experience has not only sharpened their translation skills but also strengthened their problem-solving, organisational planning, and leadership abilities. This history equipped them with the confidence and capability to step into their future careers.
2. Offering Multidimensional Growth
Translation Workshop has always been a place for members to explore and grow. It goes beyond teaching translation concepts or offering hands-on practice; it also lets students experience a range of roles within a company. The journey over the past decade needed more than a group of translation students; it also relied on everyone playing their part in the team to complete each project. Here, members serve as managers, PR, designers, and editors; each acts in their own role.
Cheung Ka Wing, Designer, shared, “Although I don't think I have much artistic talent, I really enjoy contributing to the team.” Yung Yan Ying, another member in charge of public relations, learnt, “Good translation is also about good relationships.” The team continuously stepped out of their comfort zones, expanded their skills, and discovered new passions. This interdisciplinary environment not only enriched our project outcomes but also allowed each member to grow into a more versatile and creative professional.