GILT Research Centre - Multilingualism and Multiculturalism

GILT Research Centre Seminar Series

Multilingualism and Multiculturalism

12-13 December 2024
CR002, Creative Humanities Hub
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

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Exploring the complex dynamics of cultural exchange, translation, and technological mediation in contemporary society.

The seminars are supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS(R)14/23).

Speaker Name

Professor Jimmyn Parc

Associate Professor
Department of East Asian Studies, University of Malaya

Speaker Name

Dr Kirk R. Person

Certified Senior Literacy and Education Consultant
SIL Global

Speaker Name

Professor Chengdan Wang

Associate Professor, Department of Chinese Language & Literature
Xiamen University

Speaker Name

Dr Sai Yau Siu

Assistant Professor; Director, The Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Speaker Name

Dr Sai Cheong Siu

Associate Professor; Director, GILT Research Centre
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Overview

The seminar series "Multilingualism and Multiculturalism," presented by the GILT (Globalisation, Internationalisation, Localisation and Translation) Research Centre, features five seminars examining the complex dynamics of cultural exchange, translation, and technological mediation in contemporary society.

Deconstructing K-pop's Global Rise

Challenging the notion of K-pop's uniqueness by examining it as part of broader global music trends and exploring how hybridity in music transcends cultural boundaries.

Translating Tu Fu's Poetry

Analysing the challenges and divergences in interpreting classical Chinese poetry across languages and cultures.

Multilingual Education in Asia Pacific

Exploring educational policies and practices in Thailand and their implications for the broader region.

Digital Buddhism

Examining the intersection of traditional Buddhist practices with modern digital technologies.

AI-Powered Translation Solutions for TCM

Investigating how artificial intelligence and large language models can address the complex challenges of translating Traditional Chinese Medicine terminology and concepts for global audiences.

Drawing from diverse case studies spanning popular culture, education, classical literature, Buddhist practices, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the series investigates how cultural elements evolve and adapt as they cross linguistic and geographical boundaries.

These interconnected talks illuminate the intricate processes of cultural transformation and transmission in our increasingly digitised world, challenging assumptions about authenticity, hybridity, and globalisation while exploring new paradigms of cross-cultural communication and understanding.

Programme Schedule

Day 1 - 12 December 2024 (Thursday)

12:00-14:00

Pre-seminar Meeting

Section 1: Popular Culture and Language Education

14:00-14:30

Registration

14:30-14:45

Opening Remarks and Group Photo

14:45-15:45

The True Identity of K-pop

Professor Jimmyn Parc
Associate Professor
Department of East Asian Studies, University of Malaya

15:45-16:45

Multilingual Education in Asia Pacific, with a Focus on Thailand

Dr Kirk R. Person
Certified Senior Literacy and Education Consultant
SIL Global

16:45-17:00

Break

Section 2: Breaking Language Barriers in Traditional Medicine

17:00-18:00

Traditional Chinese Medicine Goes Global: AI-Powered Translation Solutions

Dr Sai Cheong Siu
Associate Professor; Director, GILT Research Centre
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Day 2 - 13 December 2024 (Friday)

Section 3: Classical Literature and Digital Buddhism

10:00-10:30

Registration

10:30-11:30

A Discussion of Divergences and Misinterpretations in the Translation of Tu Fu's Spring Scene

Professor Chengdan Wang
Associate Professor, Department of Chinese Language & Literature
Xiamen University

11:30-12:30

AI and Digital Buddhism: Prabhākaramitra and Beyond

Dr Sai Yau Siu
Assistant Professor; Director, The Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Featured Speakers

Speaker Name

Professor Jimmyn Parc

Associate Professor

Department of East Asian Studies, University of Malaya

12 December 2024 14:45-15:45

The True Identity of K-pop

Abstract

With the rising global popularity of Korean popular music (K-pop), many researchers have sought to identify the factors behind this phenomenon. Existing studies often frame K-pop as a novel genre, primarily focusing on the Korean music scene itself, even while acknowledging the presence of international elements within it. This paper argues that K-pop is not as distinct as it might appear and should instead be understood as part of a broader global music trend. It further contends that hybridity in audio sound has long been a feature of music globally and therefore should not be considered a primary factor in explaining K-pop's international rise. The findings suggest that incorporating foreign influences does not inhibit the growth of local (pop) culture.

Biography

Jimmyn Parc is an associate professor at the University of Malaya, Malaysia and a research associate at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) in Belgium. Prior to joining the University of Malaya, he was a visiting lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, France and a researcher at the Institute of Communication Research, Seoul National University. He received a Ph.D. in international studies (with focus on international business and strategy) from the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Seoul National University, Korea and another in economic history from the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), France. He has published numerous academic articles and conducted several research projects related to the competitiveness of organizations, industries, and countries. His current research focuses on the cultural industries of Asia and Europe, which includes films, dramas, and music, and their evolution in the midst of a changing business and trade environment as well as new challenges in the form of digitization. Professor Parc is also the co-author of The Untold Story of the Korean Film Industry: A Global Business and Economic Perspective, which was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2021.

Speaker Name

Dr Kirk R. Person

Certified Senior Literacy and Education Consultant

SIL Global

12 December 2024 15:45-16:45

Multilingual Education in Asia Pacific, with a Focus on Thailand

Abstract

During the past two decades, Thailand has acquired a regional reputation for integrating minority languages into pre-primary and primary classrooms through first-language-based multilingual education. Evidence of this can be found in journal articles, case studies, and UNESCO award citations.

The development of inclusive multilingual education policies would not have been possible without strong initiatives over time from the side (academics, NGOs, UN agencies) and below (ethnolinguistic minority communities). Organizations of particular importance to this trend include the regional offices of UNESCO and UNICEF, the Royal Society of Thailand, the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Mahidol University, the Foundation for Applied Linguistics, the Pestalozzi Children's Foundation, and SIL Global.

To explain these developments, this presentation utilizes a timeline viewed through the lens of Kosonen and Benson's "above-side-below" framework (2021), highlighting the contributions of specific individuals and organizations from various levels, and examining the impact of pilot projects on policymaking.

Biography

Kirk R. Person, Ph.D., was born in the USA but has been based in Thailand since 1988. He is a Senior Consultant in Literacy and Education with SIL Global, an international NGO works with local communities around the world to develop language solutions that expand possibilities for a better life. He has conducted linguistic fieldwork throughout Southeast Asia, taught graduate linguistics courses at several Thai universities, represented SIL to the Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group (co-chaired by UNESCO and UNICEF's regional offices), sat on the Royal Institute of Thailand's National Language Policy Drafting Committee, and served on UNESCO Paris' global language expert committee. He was an advisor to the Patani Malay-Thai Multilingual Education Programme, which received the 2016 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize.

Speaker Name

Professor Chengdan Wang

Associate Professor

Department of Chinese Language & Literature, Xiamen University

13 December 2024 10:30-11:30

A Discussion of Divergences and Misinterpretations in the Translation of Tu Fu's Spring Scene

Abstract

The poem Spring Scene is well known to experts and laymen as well, both in China and abroad. Fewer, however, pay closer attention to the divergences and misinterpretations in the translation of the representative one of Tu Fu's master pieces. In the discussion here, the narrator would like to pick out groups of either differences or peccadillos in the translation and interpretation of the Classical Chinese pentasyllabic regulate verse with 40 Chinese characters altogether. Whys and resolutions will be pointed out and set forth from the speaker's perspective. Most important of all, by taking this opportunity we could have an interesting and in-depth talk about such a topic, helping us appreciate translation better.

Biography

Chengdan Wang, with a Ph.D. degree from Shaanxi Normal University, is now an associate professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Xiamen University, teaching and studying for years both in China and USA, UK, Polska and Australia as well. His research interests include Classical Chinese Literature, the Meeting of East and West in the Late Ming, Analects in the English-speaking / West World, and English Translation of Classical Chinese poetry, et al. He has both independently and collectively published seven (text)books and more than forty papers in Chinese, English and Polish as well on Classical Chinese Literature, Ideological Trends of Thought in the Late Ming, the Meeting of East and West, the Confucius Analects in the English-speaking / West World.

Speaker Name

Dr Sai Yau Siu

Assistant Professor; Director, The Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

13 December 2024 11:30-12:30

AI and Digital Buddhism: Prabhākaramitra and Beyond

Abstract

This talk will introduce "Digital Buddhism", an emerging research area at the intersection of computational methods and Buddhist Studies, and present a novel framework for integrating artificial intelligence into the field, with particular focus on the study of Buddhist scripture translation. Drawing on my Research Grants Council-funded project (UGC/FDS14/H20/19) on Prabhākaramitra's collaborative translation activities in the early Tang Dynasty, it will demonstrate how purpose-built AI tools facilitate analysis of his team's translation history and promotion of research findings. The talk will conclude by mapping out prospective research directions in AI-powered Buddhist translation studies that can advance both philological methods and digital approaches to Buddhist textual transmission.

Biography

Sai Yau Siu is an Assistant Professor in the School of Translation and Foreign Languages at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) and the Director of the Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts (RCTBT). He obtained his PhD in Translation from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). His research interests include Buddhist scripture translation, translation history, Chinese studies, and digital humanities and AI. He has been awarded RGC research grants over the years for his work in translation history using state-of-the-art computational methods. He has conducted public workshops and talks on innovative AI-powered tools for translation studies at various organizations, including Fu Jen Catholic University, Kansai University, the Official Languages Division (Civil Service Bureau, HKSAR), and the Hong Kong Translation Society. In addition to publishing academic papers and monographs on the history of translation and intercultural communication, he has developed web-based applications for digital history and language learning, utilizing HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, and Python.

Speaker Name

Dr Sai Cheong Siu

Associate Professor; Director, GILT Research Centre

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

12 December 2024 17:00-18:00

Traditional Chinese Medicine Goes Global: AI-Powered Translation Solutions

Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) faces significant language barriers in its global dissemination, with translation challenges stemming from complex terminology, archaic expressions, and philosophical concepts deeply rooted in Chinese culture. While past efforts have focused primarily on terminology management and conventional machine translation, recent developments in artificial intelligence present new opportunities for TCM translation. This talk will provide an overview of TCM translation challenges, examine existing resources, and discuss AI-driven applications including Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and Large Language Models (LLMs). It will explain how these tools can support professional translators in improving translation efficiency and quality, while highlighting their current limitations and providing practical recommendations for their implementation in TCM translation workflows.

Biography

Sai Cheong Siu is an Associate Professor in the School of Translation and Foreign Languages at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He is the Director of the GILT Research Centre (Globalisation, Internationalisation, Localisation and Translation) and the Programme Director for both the Bachelor of Translation with Business and the Master of Arts in Translation (Computer-aided Translation). He previously served as the Director of the Deep Learning Research and Application Centre, where he worked to align AI research with industry needs. His research focuses on the development and application of translation technology and AI for the creative industries. He has led publicly funded projects, including "Machine Translation of IPO Documents" and "A Hybrid Approach to the Translation of Government Press Releases", funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund and the Research Grants Council, respectively.