HONG KONG SAR – 8 September 2022 – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) yesterday signed a cooperation agreement with the China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters (CATTI) Management Center (CATTI Management Center) of the China International Communications Group (CICG). The agreement authorises PolyU to organise the CATTI test in Hong Kong, with a view to uplifting the professional standard of Chinese-English translation in the city. The first Chinese-English translation and interpretation tests will be held in Hong Kong on 5 and 6 November. Interested candidates can register from now until 10 October.
CATTI is the only language test incorporated into China’s national vocational qualification system. Divided into translation and interpretation categories, candidates who pass the test will obtain a Qualification Certificate of Proficiency issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) and CICG. The certificate is widely recognised by employers throughout the country. Last year, over 350,000 candidates took the examination.
PolyU has been a close partner of CATTI Management Center since the test’s launch in 2003. As a designated CATTI training centre for nearly 20 years, PolyU has been nurturing skilled translators and interpreters while also promoting and enhancing the impact of CATTI in both Hong Kong and Macau. Previously, candidates in Hong Kong wishing to obtain professional certification were required to take the examination in Guangdong or elsewhere in the Mainland.
Witnessed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU and Ms MIN Yi, Director of CATTI Executive Office and Deputy Director of National Committee for Master of Translation and Interpreting Teaching Guidance, CICG, the cooperation agreement was signed by Prof. LI Ping, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, PolyU and Ms FENG Jingyi, Vice President of CATTI Management Center, in a video conference.
Prof. Jin-Guang Teng said: “PolyU is committed to connecting our education and research with the industry. We provide comprehensive language programmes to improve our students’ language proficiency for their professional development and to meet society’s needs, so that they can unleash their full potential and serve the community in a multilingual world. With PolyU organising the CATTI test in Hong Kong, we will further improve the competence of Hong Kong’s translators and interpreters and drive their career advancement with nationally recognised qualifications.”
Ms Min Yi stated: “PolyU has cultivated abundant talents in languages and translation. Leveraging the strengths of both organisations, we are putting the ‘Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area’ into practice. Our partnership will help to nurture young translators who love our mother country and Hong Kong and to expand their global perspectives, while boosting the professional development of translation talents in Hong Kong. Furthermore, it will positively impact exchanges between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau in the field of humanities.”
Besides supporting professional development in Chinese translation and interpretation, PolyU has been proactively raising the Putonghua proficiency of its students, including through a newly launched sponsorship scheme to encourage students to take standardised Putonghua tests. All PolyU full-time students can apply to take these Putonghua tests at a discount. Additional sponsorship may also be offered based on their overall grades in the tests.
To further increase students’ interest and proficiency in Putonghua, PolyU’s Chinese Language Centre and the Hong Kong Tertiary Putonghua Recitation Society will jointly organise the PolyU 85th Anniversary Performance cum Putonghua Recitation and Demonstration Workshop. The event will be held on 19 November at the Chiang Cheng Studio Theatre in PolyU.
