The School of Interpreting and Translation has a strong teaching philosophy and made great strides in talent cultivation. Li Yueran, Su Qi, Li Chuansong, Dong Leshan, Guan Zhenhu, Wang Zhiyou and Wang Wenjiong, all of whom were senior translators in the early years of the People's Republic of China, used to teach at Beijing International Studies University (BISU). In addition, Liu Miqing and Bao Gang, both experts in translation theories, also worked at BISU.

The school was founded in 2006 to meet the needs of China's economic and cultural development. It has developed diverse talent cultivation systems, which include a seven-year comprehensive training program (for English, French, German, Arabic and Spanish), undergraduate programs (collaborative educational programs with foreign universities), MTI graduate programs and joint doctoral programs in translation (with Binghamton University-the State University of New York).

Academic strengths and highlights

Multi-language and cross-discipline studies

The school has made notable achievements in cultivating multi-language talents who specialize in Chinese-English-French and Chinese-English-Spanish interpreting and translation.

Internationalization

The school is one of five Chinese members of the Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI). It has built a partnership with eight prestigious international universities for the joint cultivation of talents with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

During its collaborative development with government agencies, enterprises and research institutes, the school has taken the lead in the publication of professional research on market demand for interpreting and translation talents. It worked with foreign experts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration to conduct theoretical and pragmatic studies of translation in the China Academy for Public Policy Translation. It supported the development of national diplomacy and foreign affairs, and participated in building Beijing into an international exchange center.

Teaching strength

During the past years, teachers in the School of Interpreting and Translation have undertaken one national-level major social sciences study program, four national-level regular social sciences study programs, two municipal-level major social sciences study programs, and published over 20 research papers on A-level and C-level journals.

Meanwhile, its teachers have won first prizes in the Beijing Municipal Teaching Competition and the Beijing Municipal Contest for Young University Teachers' Basic Competence and have been invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold lectures on simultaneous interpretation.

Moreover, its teachers have provided Chinese and Panama state leaders with simultaneous interpretation services, completed the translation of four Chinese literary works, and collaborated with Oxford University in the translation of the Oxford Illustrated History of the Book.

Employment

Many graduates from the school have functioned as interpreters and translators in central government authorities, public institutions of foreign affairs, media organizations, and multinational corporations at home and from abroad. About 100 percent of them have either entered the labor market or continued their education in Chinese and foreign universities.

Their employers include the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of State Security, the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, CCTV, Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing Foreign Affairs Office, China Overseas Engineering Group, China COSCO Shipping Corporation, Baidu Inc, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

Many of them have been enrolled in Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York University, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, University of Toronto, Imperial College London, University of London, University of Bath, Durham University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Peking University, Beijing Normal University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Shao Shili, who graduated from the school in 2017, received offers from Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York University and Duke University. He became the first student from the Chinese mainland admitted by the Juris Doctor program of Yale Law School.