The University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Arts and Humanities recently held the second lecture of the Macao Humanities Forum in the academic year 2021/2022, featuring Prof. Xu Jun, a prominent and highly respected translation scholar from Zhejiang University. Prof. Xu’s lecture, titled “the Responsibility and Mission of Translation Scholars in the New Era,” attracted nearly 320 participants, including academic members and students from UM. The forum was conducted on-site and online concurrently. The Macao Humanities Forum aims to provide a platform for world-renowned scholars from different research fields to share their research with members of the UM community and students of Macao.
At the beginning of the forum, Prof. Joaquim Kuong, Assistant Dean of FAH, gave some welcoming remarks. The lecture was then chaired by Prof. Sun Yifeng, Head of the Department of English. Prof. Sun highlighted Prof. Xu’s significant contribution to translation theory and practice.
During the forum, Prof Xu first shared his views on the development of translation studies as an academic discipline. He moved on to share his personal experience of translating the French novel In Search of Lost Times to illustrate the methods of translation education and to reinforce the importance in nurturing translation talents. Prof. Xu concluded his lecture by emphasizing that translation scholars in the modern era should have a comprehensive understanding of translation theory and practice, and that Chinese translation scholars should have the passion to support the dissemination of Chinese culture and facilitate cultural exchanges.
During the Q & A session, UM faculty members and students and online participants discussed various topics with Prof. Xu, including the interdisciplinarity in translation studies, machine translation, and preparations for PhD admission.
