Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University recently announced it will cancel admissions for several foreign-language master’s programs from next year.
In a notice published last month, BLCU, a national key university dedicated to language education and research, said the affected programs involved translation and interpretation in Russian, Japanese, German, Korean and Spanish.
In a similar move, the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing has suspended admissions for its master’s program in Italian interpretation.
The changes by the two institutions are part of a broader trend among Chinese universities in recent years to cut or realign foreign-language disciplines.
Data from the Ministry of Education shows that between 2018 and 2022, 109 Chinese universities discontinued 28 foreign-language-related disciplines, with Japanese, English and Korean being the most affected.
While they thrived when China opened its door to the outside world from the late 1970s, foreign-language programs in higher education institutions now face great challenges brought about by socioeconomic progress, and the emergence of new technologies represented by artificial intelligence.
According to educational authorities, the language discipline adjustment is related to shifts in the focus of universities, as well as enrollment and employment prospects. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
