ABOUT GIIT

Inaugurated on April 18, 2003, the Graduate Institute of Interpreting and Translation (GIIT), Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) has the following major components: Professional Diploma in Conference Interpreting, T&I Department, T&I Interdisciplinary Research Centre, Department of Translation Studies, SI Joint Laboratory for T&I-Artificial Intelligence Combination, and Journal of Translation Studies.

Faculty

GIIT is committed to developing a well-balanced faculty comprised of domestic and international academics, experienced translation and interpreting practitioners, and leading teaching and research experts.

Its faculty includes full-time and permanent senior professors and PhD supervisors responsible for teaching, research and the delivery of curricula. The faculty may also count on the pedagogic support of driven and dedicated young lecturers. The faculty also benefits from the support of a large number of international translation and interpreting experts from the USA, Canada, the UK and France, and part-time adjunct professors.

Professional Diploma in Conference Interpreting (2-year full time)

Conference interpreting has been recognized as a highly specialized profession requiring the highest level of interpreting skills. Only people with the right aptitude, who have received rigorous training, will be trusted to deliver the required service. In order to guarantee the excellence of such service, employers of conference interpreters such as international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union, as well as governments and multinational companies have collaborated with a limited number of like-minded universities to turn out qualified conference interpreters, since the required human and facility resources can best be provided at these universities. These training programs necessarily entail the assessment of the aptitudes critical for would-be conference interpreters, inter alia, the candidate’s command of working languages, his/her knowledge base, his/her ability to adapt and flexibility of the mind.

Each year, GIIT recruits around 10 students to the program. Those who are able to pass the mid-point exam will have their internship in the UN or EU before they graduate. More information can be found at giit.shisu.edu.cn

Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI, 2.5/3-year full time)

The MTI program allows its graduates to develop advanced language and communication skills through one of the best interpreting and translation programs in China. This program is for applicants with high levels of competence in Chinese and English / French / Russian / Arabic / Spanish / Korean / Japanese / German. The graduates will build a foundation for a career in translation and interpreting or related fields, and develop advanced linguistic competence in related language pairs. The skills are honed through interlinked theoretical and practical training that covers interpreting and translating techniques, skills such as public speaking and job research, and professional areas such as ethics and business. Students will study translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, conference management and enjoy access to lectures, seminars and workshops on a variety of topics. More information can be found at giit.shisu.edu.cn.

PhD & MA in Translation Studies

GIIT occupies a leading position in China’s academic research the field of translation and interpreting (T&I) studies, thanks to a large volume of published academic treatises, monographs, international edited volumes and textbooks on T&I teaching and research, significantly contributing to the development of T&I as an independent discipline and research area. The institute now offers MA and PhD programs in translation studies, covering areas such as Feminism, Post-modernism, Critical Discourse Analysis, Corpus-based T&I Research, and Transliterarism, among others

Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC)

Founded on October 21, 2016, the Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) of GIIT aims at promoting academic studies in T&I, as a response to the fact that interdisciplinarity is playing an increasingly bigger role in academia, industry and society and is raising more demanding requirements for high quality professional language services.

Leveraging the unique strengths in linguistic studies of its host university and GIIT‘s experience in training high-caliber professional translators and interpreters, it is designed to be a hub for interdisciplinary studies in T&I, academic fields closely relevant to T&I, involving but not limited to economics, cognitive sciences, neurological studies, law, management sciences, financing, etc., and professional development for translators and interpreters.

IRC has focused its pioneering efforts in T&I and artificial intelligence, neurological aspects of T&I, and cognitive process of T&I. Its team comprises full-time researchers, visiting and guest fellows from other countries, industry leaders and government officials.

Established as a joint flagship initiative of Chinese and Swiss academic communities, IRC works with a wide range of home and international partners, such as the Institute of Linguistics SISU, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, Peter Lang, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai, Swissnex, CIUTI, the University of Geneva, the IUED Institute of Translation and Interpreting at the ZHAW, the University of Fribourg, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Dokumente ohne Grenzen D.O.G., etc. The center organizes annual seminars and conferences on T&I interdisciplinary studies in order to find more common grounds where translation, interpreting or intercultural mediation is a focus of interest for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers.

The center offers (post-)doctoral programs as well as tailor-made programs in interdisciplinary studies of T&I and T&I pedagogies.

Joint AI Laboratory

GIIT has set up a joint laboratory with IFLYTEK, one of the leading AI companies in China, for pilot studies in T&I-Artificial Intelligence Combination. Faculty and students will have an opportunity to be involved in the latest technology breakthroughs.

Journal of Translation Studies

The Journal of Translation Studies (JTS) is a new initiative and has been created in response to a specific and rapidly emerging demand. Whereas there is a whole range of publications that focus, in their various ways, on individual aspects of studies in the field of translation, it has become clear that there are limited opportunities for the presentation of work resulting from multi-disciplinary approaches to T&I. The JTS has the ambition of meeting precisely that demand, by offering a dedicated platform, an opportunity to bring together contributions from multiple horizons and which report on the most recent activities and advances in multi-disciplinary research and practice.

International Cooperation

As part of its effort to produce outstanding translators and interpreters, GIIT, since its founding, has been partnering with international organizations and industrial associations, and conducting exchanges and cooperation with European sister institutes that specialize in related programs and language pairs.

Internships

GIIT’s Translation and Internship Center offers its students a variety of internship programs, enabling them to be exposed to a variety of translation assignments under close supervision and guidance from in-house supervisors and staff. In addition, the institute has established partnerships and memoranda of understanding with domestic and international organizations, providing MTI students with more internship options, including:
  - United Nations agencies and offices, such as UNOG, DGC, UNEP and FAO
  - World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  - DG SCIC, European Union
  - China’s Ministries and Commissions
  - Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office
  - Shanghai Daily
  - Huawei Technologies
  - iFLYTEK
  - Kunshan Foreign Affairs Office
  - ...