From July 11 to 12, the 3rd National Excellent College Student Summer Camp at the School of Foreign Languages, Northwest University, was successfully held, with 34 participants from 24 universities across 12 provinces.
On the afternoon of July 11, guided by Professors Ma Shengbo, He Hua, Zhao Na and Zhou Dan, along with several volunteers, all participants toured the beautiful campus and the university museum.
The opening ceremony of the summer camp took place on July 12 at 9 a.m. in Room 409 of Building 5 on the Chang’an Campus. Attendees included Vice Dean Kou Nan of the Graduate School, Party Secretary Zhao Zhihao, Dean Cao Ruonan, Deputy Party Secretary Liu Jianbo, Administrative Vice Dean Yang Ying, Teaching Vice Dean Li Min, Research Vice Dean Su Rui, faculty representatives, and the 34 student participants. The ceremony was hosted by Vice Dean Su Rui.
Vice Dean Kou Nan welcomed the participants, and expressed gratitude for their support of the summer camp. Dean Kou highlighted Northwest University’s long history and significant achievements, particularly in innovation and elite talent development. She encouraged students to cultivate an international perspective while mastering foreign languages and to combine this with the university’s spirit of perseverance and hard work. Dean Kou also urged participants to take full advantage of the university’s rich academic resources, emphasizing the “foreign language +” advantage across various disciplines like economics, computer science and history. She also noted that Northwest University values the holistic development of students through diverse activities such as reading clubs, academic months, extracurricular events and rural practice programs, so as to create a rich learning environment for its students.
Vice Dean Kou Nan
Dean Cao Ruonan welcomed the students and encouraged them to seize opportunities and explore the campus, experiencing the authentic learning and teaching environment firsthand. Dean Cao expressed hope that the diverse activities would help students appreciate the university’s deep historical roots, beautiful culture, excellent faculty, professional education, strong academic atmosphere and vibrant cultural life. Dean Cao wished the students success in their future endeavors and encouraged them to consider applying to our university and choosing our programs to build collaborative relationships with faculty.
Dean Cao Ruonan
After the opening ceremony, our faculty team held themed lectures in translation studies, linguistics and area studies, providing an academic feast for the participants.
Professor Tian Jin presented a lecture titled “Literary Translation: Discussing the Foreign Translation of Chinese Literature.” She defined literary translation and outlined the current state of foreign translations of Chinese literature, and addressed the challenges faced in making Chinese literature more accessible internationally. Professor Tian highlighted the history and current status of literary translation in Shaanxi Province, emphasizing Northwest University’s contributions in this field. Using examples such as The Boat from the East and Questions and Answers about the Silk Road, she shared her experiences in literary translation. Professor Tian emphasized that title translations should focus on both the beauty of meaning and form. A thorough understanding is essential for successful literary translation, as grasping dialects, colloquialisms and context is crucial for accuracy. Professor Tian advocated for maintaining cultural autonomy and the translator’s perspective, carefully verifying terminology to avoid misunderstandings, preserving literary qualities, and paying attention to details like punctuation and numeral usage.
Professor Tian Jin
Professor Gao Shuling's lecture, titled “Exploring Language Testing,” focused on four main areas: the current state of language testing research, research focal points, and the structure of research teams. She covered essential topics including the fundamentals of language testing, its definitions, three development phases of language testing theory, research trends in language testing over the past decade, and the characteristics of language testing in China. She summarized her team's years of research experience, emphasizing that academic prosperity requires cooperation and constructive criticism among scholars.
Professor Gao Shuling
Professor Li Tie’s lecture topic is “The Pursuit of Knowledge in Regional Studies and the Cultivation of Talent in Regional Studies Disciplines.” It explores six aspects: the conceptual connotation of regional studies, the historical origins of regional studies, trends in the development of regional studies, the concepts and significance of regional studies, the knowledge lineage and characteristics of regional studies, and the Regional Studies program and talent cultivation at Northwest University. She presented achievements and activities of the Area Studies program at Northwest University, and particularly highlighted the milestone events such as the high-level forum on “World History and Area Studies” and the establishment of the Area Studies Institute. Professor Li Tie pointed out that the Regional Studies program and talent cultivation at Northwest University is unique, featuring progressive training goals and a diverse curriculum. It emphasizes selecting mentors with a “dual academic background” and prioritizes participatory research experiences while providing various types of resource support.
Professor Li Tie
On the afternoon of July 12, participants from five major directions—Japanese Language and Literature, English Language and Literature, English Translation, Foreign Language and Literature, and Applied Linguistics—were divided into three groups for comprehensive quality interviews.
Following the assessments, a faculty-student interaction session was held. Hosted by Associate Professor Zhang Min, 24 invited mentors introduced their research areas and answered questions from participants.
The closing ceremony of the summer camp took place promptly afterward, attended by Party Secretary Zhao Zhihao, Dean Cao Ruonan, Teaching Vice Dean Li Min, Research Vice Dean Su Rui, faculty representatives and student participants. Vice Dean Su Rui presided over the ceremony.
Vice Dean Li Ming announced the list of outstanding participants. Secretary Zhao Zhihao, Dean Cao Ruonan, and Vice Dean Li Ming presented certificates of excellence to the distinguished participants, followed by a group photo.
This summer camp, following the events of 2022 and 2023, was the third iteration and the first in-person camp. A rigorous selection process confirmed the eligibility and strengths of each participant, resulting in the selection of 34 students. Among them, 26 excelled in the comprehensive assessments, yielding a remarkable success rate of 76%.
In her closing remarks, Vice Dean Su Rui expressed gratitude to the leadership of the school, the dedicated efforts of responsible faculty members, the technical and media teams, and volunteers, as well as the enthusiastic participation of students. Dean Su expressed hope to reunite with the participants next September at Northwest University. She reiterated the school’s commitment to nurturing talent, adhering to the expectations of the Graduate School, and contributing to national development by cultivating well-rounded, skilled and innovative professionals.
Vice Dean Su Rui
The two-day summer camp has concluded successfully. This event is an important initiative by the school to emphasize the development and construction of master’s programs, reflecting its commitment to strengthening discipline development and talent cultivation through improved systems, quality control and effective implementation. To continuously enhance the quality of graduate student recruitment and overcome challenges, the school decisively held this summer camp. This significant step stands out in the school’s century-long history of discipline development and its 24-year history since establishment, providing students with an opportunity and platform to broaden their horizons, refine their thinking and enhance their skills.
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