College of Foreign Languages (CFL) of Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) was founded in May, 2010. Its predecessor was the College of Humanities and Law. Currently the CFL consists of the Department of Foreign Languages, the Department of Public English, the Institute of Foreign Languages and Literature, and the Distance Teaching Centre for Foreign Languages. For administration, there are four offices including the Office of the Communist Party and Administration, the Office of Teaching and Research, the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of the Youth  League Committee. The CFL has two buildings: one is the office and classroom building which covers over 5,000 square meters and the other is the laboratory building of foreign language teaching which covers about 5,000 square meters as well. Inside the two buildings, there are foreign language interpretation laboratories, online learning center of modern languages, multimedia language laboratories, and electronic reading rooms for both staff members and students. In addition, this place is the only authorized test center for “English Test for International Communication” in Shanxi Province. At present, there are 516 undergraduates who major in English, English (English-Japanese), and English (English-Russian). The CFL is qualified to confer upon a first-level master degree in Foreign Language and Literature and the degree in Master of Translation and Interpretation (MTI), and its target applicants include postgraduates who major in English, Japanese, and Russian. Presently, there are 119 postgraduates at the CFL.

The CFL has top-notch teachers and researchers with profound knowledge and strong scientific research ability. They are full of vigor and vitality, and the professional titles and age structures of the team are reasonable. There are 142 faculty members in the CFL including 16 foreign teachers, 5 professors, 43 associate professors, 20 teachers who have PhD titles or who are doctoral candidates, 16 supervisors of master candidates, 1 expert of Shanxi “One Hundred Talents Program”, 1 expert of “131 Leading Talents” from colleges and universities in Shanxi Province, 5 teachers of “Shanxi Talents”, 2 teachers of “Outstanding Teachers in Shanxi”, 1 teacher of “Academic and Technological Leader in Shanxi”, 3 high-end experts from the State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs, 1 expert from the “Fulbright Program”  of the United States, and more than 10 other outstanding experts and scholars from home and abroad.  In recent years, many teachers have won the titles of “Excellent Teachers” at the province and school levels, and won the first, second and third prizes in the “Shanxi Basic Skills Competition of Youth Teachers”, and some teachers have got the outstanding winner award, the first, second and third prizes of Shanxi Provincial Prizes for Teaching Achievements.

Over the years, the CFL has attached equal importance to both teaching and scientific research, and has made great achievements. In 2019, the CFL in TYUT was approved as a provincial first-class undergraduate major construction site and the college English was rated as a provincial high-quality course, and general English for postgraduates was rated as a provincial high-quality course for postgraduate education. The CFL has successively undertaken 10 national research projects such as the National Social Science Fund of China, research project of the National Soft Science, research project of the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science, 5 projects of College English Teaching Reform of the Ministry of education, and 60 scientific research and teaching reform projects at or above the provincial and ministerial levels. The CFL has completed or are undertaking more than 70 scientific research projects such as the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education and Science in Shanxi Province, of which more than 10 research projects have won awards such as Outstanding Achievements of Social Science Research at Provincial Level and Awards of Teaching Achievements in Shanxi Province. Hundreds of articles have been published both at home and abroad, of which dozens have been published in international professional journals, special journals of foreign languages and CSSCI (Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index) journals, which have exerted influence on the language circle at home and abroad.

The CFL provides students with good professional learning conditions and broad development space. In their duration of study, undergraduate students are entitled to do the second-degree in law, computer, management and other majors for the double bachelor degrees. The CFL has carried out the programs of undergraduate exchanges, master and doctoral candidates cooperation with renowned universities such as the University of Sydney in Australia, the University of Auckland in New Zealand, Moscow Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Russia, Shinshu University in Japan, the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China, creating opportunities for students’ development. At present, 7 students have obtained master’s degrees from the University of Sydney, and many other students are studying in the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland for master or doctoral degrees. In 2019, the double-degree program for undergraduates was launched with the University of Auckland and 3 undergraduates were accepted by the University of Auckland on the program. In the past two years, 18 students majoring in English (English-Russian) have been to Bauman Moscow State Technical University and 6 students majoring in English (English-Japanese) have been to Hirosaki University and Shinshu University in Japan on the exchange programs.

Introduction of the Major

1. English Major

Training objectives: The English major serves the growing needs of China in the new era while focusing on both economic and social demands in the regional and local areas. The major was founded to train multilingual, inter-disciplinary, high-level and internationalized talents who are competent in fields like foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering, culture, propaganda, education, scientific research, and who can apply their foreign language skills to international cooperation and exchange, and promote Chinese culture in the world. The aim is to train professionals with lofty ideals, critical and innovative thinking, broad scientific and cultural knowledge, high humanistic quality, good professional ethics and strong social responsibility, and to train students to obtain broad international vision and strong cross-cultural communication skills, to master solid basic English language skills, as well as high level theoretical and practical skills in linguistics, literature and culture, translation and interpretation, and engineering English.

Training Requirements: Graduates should acquire knowledge and ability in the following three aspects:

First, graduates should have a correct outlook on the world, life and values, a good moral quality, deep love for China, international vision; good attainments in humanistic and social sciences, strong team spirit and innovation ability, strong sense of social responsibility and good professional ethics.  (Quality requirements of the national standards 4.2)

Second, graduate should comprehensively command the knowledge of the English language and pass the TEM-8 or meet the same standard in international level tests; master the basic theoretical system and knowledge framework of English linguistics, the European and American literature, countries and regions and engineering English; be familiar with English and American culture and basic knowledge of Chinese language and culture; be familiar with the principles, policies and regulations of China’s foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering construction and other aspects, and form a cross-disciplinary knowledge structure system while highlighting the characteristics of English major.  (Knowledge requirements of the national standards 4.3)

Third, graduates should have strong English language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating; the ability to appreciate the European and American literature, cross-cultural communication and critical thinking skills; the ability to interpret the excellent western culture and promote the Chinese culture; the basic skills in reading, writing and translating engineering English as well as technical communication skills; and master basic scientific research and writing methods such as document retrieval and application, data query, etc., and be capable of academic research, theoretical and practical innovation, information technology application and autonomous learning.  (Ability requirements of the national standard 4.4)

Main Courses: The major courses for English majors consist of six parts as follows: courses on basic language skills, academic research methods, linguistics, literature and culture, national and regional research, and engineering English. Courses on basic language skills include Visual-Audio-Oral English, Oral English and Communication, English Speech, English Debate, Comprehensive English, Advanced English, English Grammar and Introduction to Writing, Reading and Writing with Critical Thinking, Theory and Practice of English-Chinese/Chinese-English Translation, Basic English Interpretation, English Interpretation Practice, and Second Foreign Language. Courses on academic research methods include Technical Exchange, Document Retrieval and Application, Research Methods and Paper Writing, and Computer-Aided Translation. Courses on linguistics include Introduction to Linguistics, Stylistics, Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics, and Applied Linguistics. Courses on literature and culture include Society and Culture in English-Speaking Countries, Cross-Cultural Communication, Introduction to Chinese Culture (English), Western Civilization History, and Introduction to English Literature. Courses on national and regional studies include Australian Studies, EU Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, and Latin American Studies. Courses on engineering English include Engineering English Reading, Engineering English Style, Practical Engineering Translation, and Engineering in English Writing. To realize our training objectives, each course group is supported by the main courses and has a ladder-shaped training system.

Main internship program: military training, introduction to English majors, social activities, workshops on comprehensive English ability, graduation paper of English majors, etc.

Degree Conferred: Bachelor of Arts.

Duration of study: 4 years.

2. English Major (English-Japanese)

Training objectives: The English major (English-Japanese) serves the growing needs of China in the new era while focusing on both economic and social demands in the regional and local areas. The major was founded to train multilingual, inter-disciplinary, high-level and internationalized talents who are competent in fields like foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering, culture, propaganda, education, scientific research, and who can apply their foreign language skills to international cooperation and exchange, and promote Chinese culture in the world. The aim is to train professionals with lofty ideals, critical and innovative thinking, broad scientific and cultural knowledge, high humanistic quality, good professional ethics and strong social responsibility, and to train students to obtain broad international vision and strong cross-cultural communication skills, to master solid basic Japanese and English languages skills, as well as high level theoretical and practical skills in linguistics, literature and culture, translation and interpretation, and engineering English.

Training Requirements: Graduates should acquire knowledge and ability in the following three aspects:

First, graduates should have a correct outlook on the world, life and values, a good moral quality, deep love for China, international vision; good attainments in humanistic and social sciences, strong team spirit and innovation ability, strong sense of social responsibility and good professional ethics.  (Quality requirements of the national standards 4.2)

Second, graduate should comprehensively command the knowledge of the English language and pass the TEM-8 or meet the same standard in international level tests and at least pass College Japanese Test Level 6(CJT-6) or Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2(JLPT-2); master the basic theoretical system and knowledge framework of English and Japanese linguistics, the European and American literature, Japanese literature, countries and regions and engineering English; be familiar with English and American culture, Japanese culture and basic knowledge of Chinese language and culture; be familiar with the principles, policies and regulations of China’s foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering construction and other aspects, and form a cross-disciplinary knowledge structure system while highlighting the characteristics of English major(English-Russian).  (Knowledge requirements of the national standards 4.3)

Third, graduates should have strong English and Japanese language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating; the ability to appreciate the European and American literature, cross-cultural communication and critical thinking skills; the ability to interpret the excellent western culture and promote the Chinese culture; the basic skills in reading, writing and translating engineering English as well as technical communication skills; and master basic scientific research and writing methods such as document retrieval and application, data query, etc., and be capable of academic research, theoretical and practical innovation, information technology application and autonomous learning.  (Ability requirements of the national standard 4.4)

Main courses: the main courses of English major(English-Japanese) consists of six parts: courses on basic English language skills, courses on basic Japanese language skills, courses on academic research methods, courses on literature and culture, courses on national and regional research, and courses on engineering English. Courses on basic English language skills include the Audio-Visual-Oral English, Oral English and Communication, English Speech, English Debate, Comprehensive English, Advanced English, English Grammar and Introduction to Writing, Reading and Writing with Critical Thinking, Theory and Practice of English-Chinese/Chinese-English translation, Basic English Interpretation, and English Interpretation Practice; Courses on basic Japanese language skills include the Audio-Visual-Oral Japanese, Comprehensive Japanese, Reading in Japanese with Critical Thinking, Advanced Japanese, Japanese Grammar, Japanese Writing, Theory and Practice Japanese-Chinese translation; Courses on academic research methods include Technical Exchange, Document Retrieval and Application, and Research Methods and Paper Writing; Courses of Ln literature and culture include Society and Culture in English-speaking Countries, Cross-cultural Communication, Introduction to Chinese Culture (English), Western Civilization History and Society and Culture of Japan; Courses on National and Regional Studies include Australian Studies, EU Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, and Latin American Studies; Courses on Engineering English include Engineering English Reading, Engineering English Style, Practical Engineering Translation, and Engineering English Writing. To realize our training objectives, each course group is supported by the main courses and has a ladder-shaped training system.

Main internship program: military training, introduction to English major, social practice, workshops on comprehensive English-Japanese ability, graduation paper, of English majors (English-Japanese), etc.

Degree conferred: Bachelor of Arts.

Duration of study: 4 years.

3. English Major (English-Russian)

Training objectives: The English major (English-Russian) serves the growing needs of China in the new era while focusing on both economic and social demands in the regional and local areas. The major was founded to train multilingual, inter-disciplinary, high-level and internationalized talents who are competent in fields like foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering, culture, propaganda, education, scientific research, and who can apply their foreign language skills to international cooperation and exchange, and promote Chinese culture in the world. The aim is to train professionals with lofty ideals, critical and innovative thinking, broad scientific and cultural knowledge, high humanistic quality, good professional ethics and strong social responsibility, and to train students to obtain broad international vision and strong cross-cultural communication skills, to master solid basic Russian and English languages skills, as well as high level theoretical and practical skills in linguistics, literature and culture, translation and interpretation, and engineering English.

Training Requirements: Graduates should acquire knowledge and ability in the following three aspects:

First, graduates should have a correct outlook on the world, life and values, a good moral quality, deep love for China, international vision; good attainments in humanistic and social sciences, strong team spirit and innovation ability, strong sense of social responsibility and good professional ethics.  (Quality requirements of the national standards 4.2)

Second, graduate should comprehensively command the knowledge of the English and Russian languages and pass the TEM-8 or meet the same standard in international level tests and at least pass College Russian Test Level 6(CRT-6) or Russian Language Proficiency Test Level B1(RLPT-B1); master the basic theoretical system and knowledge framework of English and Russian linguistics, the European and American literature, Russian literature, countries and regions and engineering English; be familiar with English and American culture, Russian culture and basic knowledge of Chinese language and culture; be familiar with the principles, policies and regulations of China’s foreign affairs, economy and trade, engineering construction and other aspects, and form a cross-disciplinary knowledge structure system while highlighting the characteristics of English major (English- Russian).  (Knowledge requirements of the national standards 4.3)

Third, graduates should have strong English and Russian language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating; the ability to appreciate the European and American literature, cross-cultural communication and critical thinking skills; the ability to interpret the excellent western culture and promote the Chinese culture; the basic skills in reading, writing and translating engineering English as well as technical communication skills; and master basic scientific research and writing methods such as document retrieval and application, data query, etc., and be capable of academic research, theoretical and practical innovation, information technology application and autonomous learning.  (Ability requirements of the national standard 4.4)

Main courses: the main courses of English major (English-Russian) consists of six parts: courses on basic English language skills, courses on basic Russian language skills, courses on academic research methods, courses on literature and culture, courses on national and regional research and courses on engineering English. Courses on basic English language skills include the Audio-Visual-Oral English, Oral English and Communication, English Speech, English Debate, Comprehensive English, Advanced English, English Grammar and Introduction to Writing, Reading and Writing with Critical Thinking, Theory and Practice of English-Chinese/Chinese-English Translation, Basic English Interpretation, and English Interpretation Practice; Courses on  basic Russian language skills include Audio-Visual-Oral Russian, Comprehensive Russian, Reading in Russian with Critical Thinking, Advanced Russian, Russian Grammar, Russian Writing, Theory and Practice Russian-Chinese Translation; Courses on academic research methods include Technical Exchange, Document Retrieval and Application, and Research Methods and Paper Writing; Courses on literature and culture include Society and Culture in English-speaking Countries, Cross-cultural Communication, Introduction to Chinese Culture (English), Western Civilization History and Society and Culture of Russia; Courses on national and regional studies include Australian Studies, EU Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, and Latin American Studies; Courses on engineering English include Engineering English Reading, Engineering English Style, Practical Engineering Translation, and Engineering English Writing. To realize our training objectives, each course group is supported by the main courses and has a ladder-shaped training system.

Main internship program: military training, introduction to English major, practice, workshops on comprehensive English-Russian ability, graduation paper of English majors, etc.

Degree conferred: Bachelor of Arts.

Duration of study: 4 years.