The English Department of the School of Foreign Languages has a history of more than 40 years, having begun undergraduate recruit in 1977. In 1998, it was approved for the Second-level Discipline Master's Programin Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, and in 2005, for the Second-level Discipline Master's Programin andEnglish Language and Literature. In 2010, it was approved for Master of Translation and Interpreting program and the First-level Discipline Master’s Program in English Language and Literature. In 2014, it established a bilingual English-French experimental class, and in 2016, it ranked fourth in Hubei Province's professional assessment. In 2017, the department began admitting students under a broader category of foreign languages.And in 2020, it was designated as a National First-class Undergraduate Program Construction Site. Currently, the English Department has an enrollment of approximately 500 students (after the major division).
As a National First-class Undergraduate Program Construction Site, the English Department (including the bilingual English-French experimental class) focuses on subjects such as English language (and English-French bilingualism), literature, translation and interpreting, comparative literature and intercultural studies, as well as country and region studies. The department is dedicated to cultivating outstanding talents who possess solid English (and English-French bilingual) language skills, strong professional qualities and high scientific competence, Chinese visions, and an international perspective. Graduates typically work in translation, teaching, management, and academic research in sectors such as foreign trade, foreign affairs, education, publishing,and tourism.
The English Department boasts a strong faculty with 25 full-time teachers, including 7 professors, 12 associate professors, 20 with doctoral degrees, 1 doctoral supervisor, 15 master's supervisors, 2 long-term foreign teachers, and 2 overseas visiting professors. The faculty membersprimarily engage in research and teaching areas of English linguistics and applied linguistics, translation and interpreting, cross-cultural communication and business English. Over the past five years, the department has undertaken numerous research projects, including eight national and provincial-level vertical projects. Ithas also published a large number of academic monographs, translated works and textbooks, and scores of academic papers. The department has established school-level exchange and cooperation programs with overseas universities such as the University of Auckland in New Zealand, University of Wales Trinity Saint David in the UK, and the University of Lorraine in France. In recent years, the department has hosted multiple international conferences in the fields of second language writing and translation theory and teaching, which have attracted significant media attention.
To enhance the quality of talent cultivation, the English Department actively carries out teaching reforms and is one of the first reform pilot units for national college English teaching. As a Hubei Provincial Experimental Teaching Center, it is equipped with modern audio-visual speaking laboratories, Model United Nations laboratories, simultaneous interpretation laboratories, recording and broadcasting laboratories, cultural experience rooms, andcollege English self-learning laboratories, among other multifunctional language laboratories. In order to provide more practical training and internship opportunities for students, it has established over 10 internship bases with organizations such as Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Wuhan Transn Translation Company, iFLYTEK, the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration city, and Alliance Française de Wuhan as well as other companies. Graduates of the English Department are well-received and highly praised in the job market. The main career paths for graduates include positions inschools, government agencies, research institutions, large state-owned enterprises, public institutions, and multinational companies, where they work in teaching, media, publishing, and international exchanges.
Department Chair: Yao Wei
Mailing Address: 11th Floor, Xuehai Building, Mafangshan Campus, Wuhan University of Technology
Contact Number: 87298414
