The articulation of sub-degree translation education with the translation profession in Hong Kong : exploring implications for curriculum development

Abstract

“Government policy should treat all elements of post-secondary educational provision as a single interlocking system for strategic and planning purposes, including both privately and publicly funded institutions”, as quoted from the Aspirations for the Higher Education System in Hong Kong - Report of the University Grants Committee published in Dec 2010. A decade has passed and self-financing sub-degree education is still looking for its place in the higher education system, and self-enhancement seems to be one of the plausible ways forward. Translation is a unique course. One may claim he is good at Chinese though he may never be a writer; one cannot say he is well versed in translation if he has never been a translator. This study is thus aimed to enhance the quality of sub-degree translation education through strengthening its articulation or connectedness with the profession. The literature review on relevant research and learning theories underpins the idea that connectedness with the profession is a feasible way to enhance the quality of sub-degree translation education, particularly when internships are concerned. Although it may be acknowledged that having an internship is beneficial to students, no systematic study of the value of internships at the sub-degree level has been conducted. All three stakeholders are engaged in this study: the translation profession, learning institutions, and students, and three research questions have been designed with specific concern for each stakeholder: 1. How do translation employers perceive the employability of sub-degree translation students? 2. To what extent and in what ways do the sub-degree translation programmes in the case institutions aim to achieve articulation with the profession? 3. How might internship practice extend the learning of sub-degree translation students and facilitate their transition between the study programme and the profession? A questionnaire survey was sent to around 50 translation companies, and three in-depth interviews were subsequently conducted. Moreover, case studies were carried out with two selected institutions. Finally, five student interns were interviewed. As a result, a holistic picture of the needs of the profession, the concerns of the institutions, and the views of students were obtained. The cross referencing of data pertaining to issues such as the value of internships and the implementation of internships enhances the validity and reliability of the study. The findings reflected the unanimous views of the three parties that an internship, as a powerful tool that can connect institutions and the profession, should be implemented in the best interests of sub-degree students. It is therefore suggested that internships should be included in the curriculum to recognize their importance. Taking into account the constraints involved, including the lack of resources, limited manpower, scanty support from the institutions, uninterested companies, and low-motivated students, the internship will be a non-credit bearing course carried out in the summer break. Moreover, the participation of students will be reflected in their academic transcripts. The pragmatic issues of the implementation are also considered: the distinctive role played by the teaching staff involved, different levels of activities to take into account the differing abilities of students, documentation needed for the internship, time to conduct the internship, and the duration of the internship. These recommendations are made after integrating the findings from the three research questions. This research fills the research gap in exploring translation education at the sub-degree level with a specific reference to internships. The issue is explored from the perspectives of the three major stakeholders in translation education to provide a holistic perspective. Moreover, it establishes that the implementation of an internship in a sub-degree translation education curriculum will enhance its quality by strengthening the institutions’ articulation with the profession. As a result, the expectations of the government and society regarding sub-degree education can be met, and more importantly, it will be in the best interests of the students, who can then make a choice to further their studies or pursue a career.