Beijing Language and Culture University

Established in 1962 and affiliated to the MOE (Ministry of Education, China), BLCU is the only university in China focusing specifically on the teaching of Chinese as a second language to international students and the teaching of foreign languages to Chinese students. It is for this reason the University has been known as the mini-United Nations.BLCU’s international outreach has been comprehensive and substantial: exchange and cooperation programs have been established with 280 universities and institutions of higher learning in 50 countries, including Harvard, Columbia, University of Quebec, University of Manchester, University of Sheffield, Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Institut Supérieur d’Interprétation et de Traduction, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, University of Bologna, and University of Barcelona. Every year more than 300 hundred Chinese students are sent abroad while over 7,000 foreign students are enrolled. In addition, BLCU has founded 22 Confucius Institutes or Classrooms in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, as well as countries across Africa.Teaching and research in translation and interpreting are a strategic priority of the University. For the last 50 years, translation and interpreting courses for such language pairs as English-Chinese, French-Chinese, Spanish-Chinese, Arabic-Chinese, Korean-Chinese, German-Chinese, Japanese-Chinese and Russian-Chinese have been an important component of our curricula. In addition, BLCU boasts eminent scholars and translators. They include Sheng Cheng, Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur; Fu Weici, renowned translator of Graham Greene, W. Somerset Maugham and George Orwell; and Yuan Shuren, leading translator of Balzac, all of whom have helped form a BLCU tradition of excellence in teaching and academic pursuit.According to the University’s development plan and to the Outline of the National Medium- and Long-term Program for Education Reform and Development, BLCU aims to make its Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) programs one of its priorities so as to turn out translation and interpreting students with both interdisciplinary and specialized interests, who are capable of multilingual intercultural communication. To this end, the multilingual translation and interpreting programs will make full use of the University’s position as a mini-UN by integrating and optimizing teaching and research resources campus-wide. This will enable the cultivation of international talents in translation and interpreting from Chinese to foreign languages, facilitating adaptation to diversified cultures and an increasingly globalized economy, and making a genuine contribution to peaceful global exchange.Teaching and promoting the Chinese language and culture to international students is BLCU’s principle duty. In 2014, the enrollment ratio for international and domestic students was 1:1. This means that a fairly large number of international students will become potential learners of translation and interpreting while they stay on campus. Furthermore, the University also seeks collaboration with its Confucius Institutes abroad to enroll more foreign students into the translation and interpreting programs. For this purpose the University will create an international platform for multilingual learners in an effort to facilitate their learning of translation and interpreting.Translation technology and localization has become an indispensable part of translation activities due to the fast development of and close links between computing technology and internet technology. In light of this, BLCU is now recruiting undergraduate and graduate students in the program of Translation Technology and Localization. In order to turn out technologically-literate talents at graduate and doctoral levels, the program will specifically target students of information technology and linguistics.