Sept 2025 Entry
4 years
126 (including 3 Work-Integrated Education training credits) for BALT/ BScLSA (Subject to approval)
Programme Leader – BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Translation
Dr WU Zhiwei
PhD, MA, BA
Programme Leader – BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics
Dr KWONG Yee Lan, Elaine
PhD, BSc
Students will gain one of the following awards upon successful completion of the programme:
BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Translation
BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics
An intake quota may apply to any of the 2 Major programmes.
The option of a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics is available to students of the BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Translation and the BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics. Admission to the Secondary Major is competitive and subject to different credit requirements for graduation. Please see Secondary Major Details for further information.
This scheme is offered subject to approval.
What's New
The BA (Hons)/BSc (Hons) Scheme in Translation, Language Sciences and Analytics comprises one of the following awards: the BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Translation; and the BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics.
Students admitted to the Scheme study a common curriculum in Year One and complete their chosen programme (one of the above two) over the following 3 years. Students are asked to rank their choices of Major programme in order of preference by the end of Semester 2 of Year One for the consideration of and approval by the CBS. The decision to admit a student to a Major programme is made by the CBS based on the student’s choice and their GPA of designated subjects. An intake quota may apply. (Subject to approval)
1. Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Linguistics and Translation
Programme Aims
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To train language-related professionals in our knowledge-rich and highly connected world with special focus on biliterate and trilingual proficiency;
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To endow our graduates with highly sophisticated communication skills, especially in terms of cultural and linguistic sensitivity in intercultural and corporate communication; interpersonal skills and empathy in face-to-face interaction as well as digital communication and the technological savvy to address the complex needs and challenges of today’s media landscape;
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To equip our graduates with a general knowledge of the underlying concepts and profession-specific literacy skills in linguistics, speech sciences, translation and interpreting, and corporate communication; and
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To equip our graduates with competence in data analytics involving linguistic and textual data, and the ability to identify, analyse and evaluate relevant trends and information using effective linguistic analytic methods.
Programme Characteristics
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Leveraging the combined strengths of linguistics and translation to create a synergy of theory, application and professional training.
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Capitalising on advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) to train language-related professionals across a wide range of professions (e.g. translation and interpreting, the IT industry, language policy making, language teaching, and publishing).
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Possible enrolment to a dual degree programme with The Shanghai Jiao Tong University (admission on a competitive basis).
Medium of Instruction
- English and Chinese*
* Putonghua by default; Cantonese used only in elective subjects on the Cantonese language
2. Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Language Sciences and Analytics
Programme Aims
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To train language and knowledge professionals for our information-rich and highly connected world and the era of digital humanities.
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To endow our graduates with highly sophisticated communication skills, especially in terms of culture and domain sensitivity in intercultural and corporate communication; inter-personal skills and empathy in face-to-face communication as well as over digital media; and technological know-how to master current and future new media.
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To equip our graduates with general knowledge of the underlying concepts and profession-specific literacy and skills in linguistics and bilingual communication.
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To train our graduates in utilising analytic tools, performing and presenting quantitative analyses on language data, and extracting useful information from large-scale language datasets with complex scales.
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To empower our graduates with the ability to create, adapt and utilise language-related applications and tap into advances in artificial intelligence research.
Programme Characteristics
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The programme provides students with interdisciplinary training in areas including language sciences, quantitative data analytics, computer programming and computational linguistics.
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To nurture a deep understanding of how language works (in an individual and in a society) and foster familiarity with the concepts of digital humanities and the tools and methods of collecting and analysing language data in the digital era.
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To strengthen skills in analysing social sentiments, spotting trends in the making, generating predictions and providing insight for business and/or administrative decision making.
Medium of Instruction
- English and Chinese*
* Putonghua by default; Cantonese used only in elective subjects on the Cantonese language
All admitted students will embark on a Common Year One curriculum. Towards the end of year one, students can decide whether to continue with their initial choice or switch to another choice within the Faculty. Those who wish to change to another choice need to join a competitive process through a ranking assessment, which considers a combination of entrance qualification score, Year One GPA, and interview performance.
Career Prospects
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Linguistics and Translation
With their strong language proficiency and competence in technology, BALT graduates can pursue careers in various professions, local and overseas, including but not limited to the following:
- Linguistic research
- Translation/interpreting
- Administration and management
- Education
- Corporate communication
- Language data analysis
- Digital/social media content creation and editing
- Social/cultural analysis
- Editing and publishing
- Civil service
- Marketing and sales
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Language Sciences and Analytics
The programme produces graduates who can make meaningful contributions to various sectors of society (e.g. business development, marketing, journalism and media, education, academic research, and public services) by analysing social sentiments, spotting trends in the making, generating predictions and providing insight for business and/or administrative decision making.
Academic Pathways (Subject to approval)
1. Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Linguistics and Translation
a) Single Discipline Major;
b) Major and Minor/free Electives;
c) Double Major (BALT and BAEAL);
d) Major + AIDA Pathway; or
e) Dual Degree with The Shanghai Jiao Tong University (admission on a competitive basis)
2. Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Language Sciences and Analytics
a) Single Discipline Major;
b) Major and Minor/free Electives; or
c) Major + AIDA Pathway
Curriculum Structure (Subject to approval)
The overall credit requirements for the programmes are as follows:
| BALT | BScLSA | |
| General University Requirements (GUR) | 30 credits | 30 credits |
| Discipline-Specific Requirements (DSR) | 75 credits + 3 training credits | 75 credits + 3 training credits |
| Minor or Free Electives | 18 credits | 18 credits |
| Credit requirement for graduation | 126 credits including 3 training credits / 132 credits including 3 training credits for Major + AIDA / 171 credits including 3 training credits for double Majors in BALT + BAEAL | 126 credits including 3 training credits / 132 credits including 3 training credits for Major + AIDA |
The two programmes under the Scheme share a common curriculum in Year One, consisting of linguistics, language enhancement, the University’s general education and translation courses. Exploration of these areas enables students to rank their choices of Major programme in order of preference by the end of Semester 2 of Year One for the consideration of and approval by the CBS.
From Year Two onwards, students are recommended to follow the curricula of their respective programmes. In the final year of study, students can apply their knowledge through a (Capstone) project.
Compulsory Subjects
1. Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Linguistics and Translation
Introduction to Translation; Introduction to Linguistics; Work Integrated Education (WIE); Academic and Technical Chinese Writing; Introduction to Modern Chinese; Introduction to Interpreting; Consecutive Interpreting; Translation for Corporate Communication; Translation for the Media in the Digital Age; Programming and Data Analysis for Language Studies; Project in Language Studies; Translation Studies; Comparative and Contrastive Studies of Chinese and English Grammar; English for Advanced Academic Writing
2. Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Language Sciences and Analytics
Introduction to Translation; Introduction to Linguistics; Work Integrated Education (WIE); Academic and Technical Chinese Writing; Introduction to Modern Chinese; Psycholinguistics; Language, Cognition and the Brain; Programming and Data Analysis for Language Studies; Advanced Topics in Quantitative Language Studies; Project in Language Sciences and Analytics; Comparative and Contrastive Studies of Chinese and English Grammar; Corpus and Language Technology for Language Studies; Introduction to Data Analytics; Introduction to Statistics for Business; English for Advanced Academic Writing
Elective Subjects (excluding subjects in the Japanese and Korean Minors within CBS)
Nearly 20 subjects are offered for BALT and BScLSA students.
(The above subject list is subject to revision.)
The option of a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics is available to students of the BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Translation and BSc (Hons) in Language Sciences and Analytics.
Students on this pathway will complete 75 academic credits + 3 training credits for the Major (BALT/BScLSA) and 36 credits for the Secondary Major (AIDA). 12 credits, including those for the Integrated Capstone Project, can be double-counted for the Major and Secondary Major. The list of compulsory and elective subjects for the Major (BALT/BScLSA) is almost the same as that for the existing BALT/BScLSA programme. The only difference is in the Capstone Project, as students will complete an integrated project (involving both BALT/BScLSA and AIDA) instead of the regular BALT/BScLSA route. The minimum credit requirement of BALT/BScLSA + AIDA is 132 credits.
Remarks
There is no professional accreditation for BALT + AIDA/BScLSA + AIDA.
Satisfy the University's General Entrance Requirements.
There is no compulsory subject requirement. Preferred subject(s) with the highest weighting for admission score calculation include(s):
This programme has been restructured starting from 2025/26. The average HKDSE score is listed for reference:
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) / Bachelor of Science (Honours) Scheme in Language Sciences, Translation, and Speech Therapy (JS3330)
2024/25 Average Score: Any Best 5 Subjects (with Subject Weighting) = 242.2
For further programme information, please contact:
the General Office (tel.: 2766 7454; email: cbs.ug@polyu.edu.hk).
In my first 2 years of study, I gained not only professional knowledge but also professional support in various areas. BALT has provided a robust foundation of knowledge for my future development and given me the opportunity to explore different options. The kind and patient academic team supports the needs of students, providing opportunities for exchange, internships and research and empowering them to discover their true passions through these precious experiences. They always answer questions carefully and are willing to help with research projects and provide career advice. I feel privileged to be a BALT student.
The CBS offers not only a variety of course choices, to allow students to explore their interests and achieve all-round development, but also an extremely encouraging learning environment. The inspirational and supportive academics motivated me to consider all possibilities and challenge myself. Without my tutors’ endless encouragement, I would not have had the confidence to participate in multifarious extracurricular activities and initiate a service project delivering essential mental support for the PolyU community.
Although the pandemic had an impact on our teaching mode, the support from the University was unwavering. When all plans for physical academic exchange were abandoned, opportunities to enrich university life through local internships were offered under the Work-Integrated Education (WIE) component. This enabled me to consolidate my academic learning and accrue practical work experience under challenging circumstances.
I believe that if you enjoy studying language and strive for personal growth, the CBS is the best choice!
I was repeatedly wowed by the opportunities that the CBS offered during my 4 years of study. The internships, research projects, service learning and countless other possibilities were tremendous and should not be overlooked by prospective students of the BACBS programme. One of the ambitions of the Department is to inspire students to involve themselves in learning activities overseas, a vision that I took advantage of on several occasions, such as by attending conferences and other events in foreign countries.
The programme structure smooths a way for a highly personalised study path: I, for one, chose a Minor in Computing, a field vastly different from my Major, along with a rider in Linguistics, although my love of translation persists. Given the scope of this programme, my experience is only one of many pathways for students. Outside my academic studies, I played a role in the founding and growth of the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad, a linguistics-oriented competition for secondary school students.
If you are enthusiastic about language but also attach great importance to its integration with modern technology, this programme is a perfect choice. Studying linguistics is more than spending the whole day in a library unpicking obscure sentences. For example, we are taught to recognise the anatomical landmarks of our body that are essential to speech production by studying real examples. In psycholinguistics, we tried to design a simple behavioural experiment using a computer program and tested it on our friends. Gradually, I have discovered how language should be viewed scientifically and how its integration with technology can benefit human society.
Linguistics. What a nice word to contemplate. Three years ago, a Google search for “linguistics” returned merely “the scientific study of language”, which gave me little new insight into this discipline. Nor did exploring branches of linguistics help. In fact, encountering “Jabberwocky” terms with Greek roots (syntax, phonetic, pragmatics…) only added to my confusion.
However, freedom to explore the CBS curriculum lifted the veil of linguistics and drew me deeper into the discipline. From one theory to the next, the lecturers bring us closer to what is on the tip of our tongues or fingertips every day. What the CBS teaches is not merely language; it is about language creators and users, who are all of us.
Studying linguistics definitely smooths the journey of language learning, which in my case is German from a Minor in European Studies, and reveals a world outside the net woven by Chinese and English. The Major has also surprised me by introducing me to computer languages. As scary as they initially appear, lines of code are our friend. Indeed, learning computer code is a key part of our holistic training.
Charlemagne said, “To have another language is to possess a second soul”. That very much sums up what we do in the CBS –questing after whatever it is that lies under the pearly white surface of language.
To determine the suitability of applicants who have the same admission scores.
About 10-15 minutes
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Required
- To evaluate the potential/suitability of applicants for admission to the programme, and to examine their the verbal proficiency and communication skills of applicants
About 20-30 minutes for interview
Only shortlisted applicants will be invited to interviews
Required
To evaluate the potential/suitability of applicants for admission to the programme, and to examine their communication skills and interest in the field of study
About 15 minutes
Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for interviews
