Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation

Introduction of Graduate School of Translation & Interpretation

Founded in 1994, the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation (GSTI) at Beijing Foreign Studies University is the first graduate school for translation studies established in China. The GSTI grew out of the United Nations Training Program for Translators and Interpreters founded in 1979. The school has produced a vast array of experts in translation and interpretation. By 2018, the United Nations Training Program and the GSTI had trained 1,800 professionals for the United Nations and other international organizations, and government bodies in China.

Well-known alumni include Mr Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the United States; Mr Liu Jieyi, former Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations and current director of the TaiwanAffairs Officeof the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council; Mr He Yafei, former ambassador of China to United Nations Office at Geneva and representative of other international organizations in Switzerland, and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr Zhang Jianmin, former Director General of the Department of Translation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and current Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic; Ms Zhang Qiyue, current Ambassador to Greece; Mr Pang Sen, former Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran; Mr Zhang Junsai, former Ambassador to Canada; Mr Qiu Xuejun, former Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia; Professor Qin Yaqing, former Party Secretary and President of China Foreign Affairs University; Professor Zhang Weiwei, Dean of the China Institute at Fudan University; Professor Bao Chuanyun, former Dean of the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, and Language Education of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and Deputy Director of the China Academy of Translation; Li Zhengren, former Director of the Interpretation Division of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management of the United Nations Office at Geneva; and Ms Zhu Tong, former interpreter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and current president of Deutsche Bank China.

GSTI has long maintained close ties with UN agencies and other international organizations. The school has conductedpre-selections for UN Chinese languagecompetitiveexaminations, held training sessions for the China-WTO translator training program, and regularly invited translators and interpreters from various UN agencies to give lectures. Each year, students are given the opportunity to work as an intern translators or interpreters at the International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization, and the Headquarters and Offices of the United Nations. Since 2001, more than 40 graduates have passed the United Nations language examinations, accounting formore than 40%of the successful candidates for Chinesetranslators and interpretersat the United Nations.

The GSTI boasts an exceptional, practice-orientedfaculty, including 26 full-time teachers, many of whom have worked as translators or interpreters for the UN Headquarters in New York, the UN Office at Geneva, UNESCO, the ILO and the WHO. Having interpreted at over 20,000 conferences in total, they have participated in numerous international exchanges of China and interpreted for hundreds of Chinese and foreign heads of state and government, such as Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wen Jiabao, Wang Yang, Liu Yunshan, Zhang Gaoli, Hui Liangyu, Liu Yandong and Ma Kai.

In recent years, GSTI has responded positively to the strategic planning of the university to establish a world-class translation discipline, with a development strategy that combines professional training with scientific research. The school has actively strengthened research and produced a number of important outcomes on the basis of its innovative teaching model. Since 2017, the GSTIhas beenapproved to undertake a number of national and provincial research projects, and has published dozens of articles in SSCI, A&HCI and CSSCI journals. It has also published more than 10 monographs, translations and textbooks.

Each year, the GSTI admits master's degree students majoring in translationin both academic and applied streams, as well as doctoral students specializing in translation studies. In theacademic stream, master's students study interpreting theory and practice, translation, and cross-cultural research, with a total duration of three years. In the applied stream, master's students may study interpreting under a three-year course which includes a trilingual program and a Chinese-English simultaneous interpretation program. Alternatively, they can enroll in a two-year course which includes a Chinese-English conference interpreting program and a Chinese-English translation and interpreting program. Doctoral students can specialize in translation or interpreting studies, with a duration of 3-6 years. The number of graduate students enrolled in the school, including international students, remains stable at just over 200. During their studies, students have the opportunity to intern at international organizations and translation agencies and, upon graduation, mainly find employment in ministries, provincial and municipal foreign affairs offices, multinational corporations, major state-owned enterprises, banks and universities.

On 8 May 2008, the GSTI joined the Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI). It was the first time a member from China had joined the international association of university institutes with translation and interpretation programs.

GSTI is equipped with centers for teacher training and development, research and innovation, internship and practicum, with the aim of integrating teaching, research, and social services. The Asia-Pacific Translation Training Center has provided customized training programs to the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Macao SAR Government, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Head Office of the Agricultural Bank of China, Petro China Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company and Chinalco.

Academic Programs

Checklist of Required Items

1.Copy of photo page of passport

2.Three recent passport photos

3.Application form

4.Custody release form(Please download, fill in and upload.)

5.Student Affirmations (Please download, fill in and upload.)

6.Copy of guardian’s ID card or photo page of passport

7.Proof of English proficiency: (non native English speakers)

8.Proof of Chinese proficiency: valid HSK6

9.Transcripts/Mark Sheets (Original or validated copies. If the documents are written in neither Chinese nor English, a Chinese or English translation should be submitted at the same time.)

10.Diploma or Degree certificate/Pre-graduation certificate (validated copies. If the documents are written in neither Chinese nor English, a Chinese or English translation should be submitted at the same time.)

11.Study Plan (1500 words or over for master/3000 words or over for doctor, in Chinese or English)

12.Letters of recommendation from two former associate professors/professors or with similar qualifications

13.Resume (inChinese orEnglish)

14.Visa page (for applicants currently studying in a university in China)

15.Study certificate（for applicants currently studying in a university in China Please upload to the file entitled “other attachment”.）

16.School transfer certificate or School withdrawal certificate (for applicants currently studying for degrees in a university in China Please upload to the file entitled “other attachment”.)

17.Recommendation letter and academic transcript from your current university (for applicants currently studying in a university in China. Please upload to the file entitled “other attachment”.)

18.Examinations and Interview

Application website

https://study.bfsu.edu.cn

Contact Details

Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Room 313, 3rd floor, GSTI Building, Beijing Foreign Studies University

No.2 North Xisanhuan Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing, 100089, China

Phone: +86 10 8881 6386

Email: gsti@bfsu.edu.cn

Web: http://gsti.bfsu.edu.cn/