Welcome to HKTS

Profile

Welcome to this newly refurbished website of the Hong Kong Translation Society.

​

Half a century ago, our founders brought forth upon this city a new Society, conceived in fraternity, and dedicated to the cause of mutual exchange between Chinese and other languages and cultures.

​

The seven founders are Louis Cha 查良鏞, T. C. Lai 賴恬昌, Meng Ma 馬蒙, Stephen Soong 宋淇, H. H. Sun 孫述憲, S. K. Wong 黃兆傑 and Timothy Yu 余也魯, a league of fine men of letters subscribing to the inception of a “non-profit making translation society of a pure academic nature.” That was an era when English was the only official language in Hong Kong and formal translation programmes and professional recognition had yet to be established.

A lot has changed since 1971. Now a financial, cultural and information hub at the doorsteps of its motherland China, the city yields a nurturing ground and international market for talents with multiliterate and multicultural skills and boasts probably the highest concentration of translation-related departments and programmes in the world.

​

The development of the Translation Society over the past fifty years bears testimony to this fast-changing milieu. Its academic leaning persists, and the publication of its own refereed journal over the past twenty-six years has further consolidated its academic stature. Membership has grown remarkably to embrace professionals in various fields. Activities, community services and partner networks have strengthened and diversified. Funding and following have increased.

​

Now we are engaged in a great engulfing tide of digitization, mediatization and technologization that will increasingly transform the landscape of entire industries and disciplines, not least that of translation. We may be meeting with the worst of challenges, or the best of opportunities. So it is altogether fitting and proper that the Translation Society should take increased devotion to the cause of promoting the standard and status of translation in Hong Kong and fostering mutual understanding, respect, exchange and synergy between Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world.

Elsie Chan (PhD)