To meet the talent demands of the new era in Sino-Japanese economic cooperation and the needs of international development in the new century, and to cultivate interdisciplinary talents required by society, South China University of Technology officially established the Japanese Language major in 2003 and began enrolling undergraduate students in the same year. Currently, in addition to undertaking undergraduate teaching responsibilities, the Japanese Language major also offers a Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) degree program in Japanese translation (with a focus on written translation).
The Japanese Department boasts a highly qualified teaching team with strong academic expertise, extensive teaching experience, and robust research capabilities, emphasizing a balanced approach to teaching, research, and practice. The department currently has 11 full-time faculty members, including 2 professors, 4 associate professors, 4 lecturers, and 1 foreign instructor. Among them, 9 hold doctoral degrees, primarily engaged in research and teaching in areas such as Japanese linguistics, Japanese society and culture, translation, and Japanese language education. Additionally, most faculty members have study or collaborative research experience in Japan. The Japanese Department regularly invites renowned scholars from both domestic and international institutions for academic exchanges and specialized lectures, fostering an excellent learning and research environment.
The undergraduate program in Japanese Language has a four-year duration and aims to cultivate interdisciplinary talents with a solid foundation in the Japanese language, strong proficiency in English and Chinese, a certain theoretical grounding in Japanese language and literature, and specialized knowledge in a field of humanities or natural sciences. Graduates are equipped to proficiently apply their professional knowledge in practical work such as translation, teaching, business, and management. In recent years, the department has introduced a series of distinctive courses, including Basic Japanese, Advanced Japanese, Academic Writing, Japanese Listening Comprehension, Japanese Reading, Introduction to Japan, Cross-Cultural Communication, Japanese-Chinese Interpretation, and Japanese-Chinese Translation. Students in the Japanese Language major are required to study English as a second foreign language. Starting from their second year, they have the opportunity to minor in or select elective courses from undergraduate programs in science and engineering, management, or humanities at the university, or pursue a second degree.
To enhance the quality of talent cultivation, in addition to encouraging students to pursue dual majors or dual degrees, the Japanese Department actively establishes undergraduate exchange programs, encouraging students to study and engage in exchanges at various universities in Japan. Key partner universities include Kyushu University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kanazawa University, Hosei University, and Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies.
The curriculum of the Japanese Department consists of three components: foundational professional courses, theoretical professional courses, and specialized feature courses. Additionally, courses covering fundamental knowledge in natural sciences, such as mathematics and computer principles and applications, are offered. To date, the Japanese Department has cultivated over 200 undergraduate graduates, with an employment rate close to 100%. Graduates of the department are widely welcomed and highly regarded in the job market. Their career paths primarily include postgraduate programs at prestigious domestic and international institutions, government agencies, research institutions, public institutions, large state-owned enterprises, multinational corporations, Japanese companies, and foreign trade enterprises. They engage in fields such as teaching, research, translation, trade, banking, securities, insurance, investment, media, publishing, and international exchange.
Head of Department: Jia Haiping
Deputy Head: Lyu Kailing
Telephone: 020-87111495
