Languages

The programme is aimed at students with no previous or little knowledge of the language. It covers a range of everyday topics and situations and includes a balance of all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing), as well as practice on key grammar points, vocabulary and pronunciation relevant to the level. By the end of the programme, students should be able to understand and use basic everyday phrases to introduce themselves, ask and answer questions about personal details. They will also learn language to deal with everyday situations like shopping, eating out, talking about their jobs, families and interests. It is equivalent to A1 level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Speaking and Listening 1 is part of the Certificate in English Language Skills (Introductory). This course will help you develop effective speaking and listening skills. You will learn techniques that will enhance your fluency in speaking English and help you deal with problems encountered when listening to native speakers.
 

The course will help you to:

• build up a range of modern idioms and spoken expressions
• develop effective listening strategies using texts and authentic materials
• gain confidence through discussion, role-play and debate
• progress towards naturally spoken English

This programme provides systematic training in translation for those who already have degree or equivalent qualifications. It aims at giving students the confidence and competence to deal with translation work at a close to professional level in different settings and contexts. Students should be able to apply the linguistic and cultural concepts learned to the practical tasks of translation and make improvements in translations done by people and/or artificial intelligence after completion of the programme.
 

The programme also provides a solid foundation for those who plan to study for a higher qualification in translation in the future: holders of the Postgraduate Certificate in Translation can articulate to Postgraduate Diploma in Translation with exemption from the first five modules of the Postgraduate Diploma in Translation programme offered by HKU SPACE.

This programme aims to provide students with a comprehensive and solid preparation for IELTS (International English Language Testing System), thereby maximising their potential in achieving a higher band score for further studies or career advancement. This programme enables students to enhance their competence in the key language skills (including listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar), develop essential test-taking strategies, undertake intensive practice, accumulate practical test-taking experience, and acquire comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the topics that are commonly assessed in both types of IELTS, namely IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
 
Through systematic and innovative delivery of flexible learning (i.e. real-time online lectures, face-to-face classroom teaching and self-paced asynchronous e-learning) blended with flipped classroom pedagogy (pre-lecture learning), this programme provides students with greater accessibility to English language resources, ample test-based practice and student-centred learning experience.

Speaking and Listening 2 is at a higher level than Speaking and Listening 1, and builds on and enhances the skills learned there. However, as long as you meet the entry requirements, there is no need for you to do Speaking and Listening 1 first.

本課程為有興趣提高普通話水平的人士開設。內容包括鞏固普通話基礎知識，注重聆聽和朗讀訓練，並將聽、說、讀相結合，讓學員在普通話語境中練習，在應用中提高；加强朗讀和命題說話訓練，爲參加國家語委普通話水平測試做準備。

 本課程以聆聽、朗讀為語言輸入，以語境傳意練習為主體，聽、說、讀結合，讓學員在語境中練習，在應用中提高。

Active Grammar 2 develops your language at a higher level than Active Grammar 1, and builds on and enhances the skills learned there.  However, as long as you meet the entry requirements, you can gain direct entry into Active Grammar 2 without doing Active Grammar 1.
 

The programme examines the quality of translation (including the use of generative AI in the process of translation), the role of human translators, and the potential ethical issues that arise from the translation of materials that involve the representation of marginalised communities in society. Discussion includes fundamental concepts and understandings of cultural and identity issues that are common to non-profit organisation operations – issues such as gender, sexuality, race, and disabilities.  The aim of the programme is to get students to understand how translation promotes or underpins social justice through language choices in the target culture.  Through close scrutiny of real-life cases, students will be aware of the politics in translation activities and will learn strategies for doing translations that are cultural-sensitive. 

The programme will be useful for translators/people working in the fields of social work, NGOs, or any positions which require a certain amount of bilingual proficiency and sensitivity to diverse identities. 

The Certificate in Advanced Business English programme helps working professionals communicate accurately and effectively in spoken and written English in various business contexts. The programme is designed to enable students to become more fluent and articulate when communicating in English, so as to produce well-written texts that characterise professionalism and effectiveness in modern business communication, and demonstrate competent oral communication skills in various business contexts.

This programme aims to provide students with the necessary skills to interpret consecutively between Chinese (Cantonese and Putonghua) and English languages. It covers the basic components and processes of consecutive interpretation (including the growing use of generative AI in the process of translation), with a heavy emphasis on consecutive interpretation role-play in simulated scenarios. Students will gain active-listening skills, note-taking skills, and rendition delivery. The delivery will include lectures and extensive practice in Hong Kong’s trilingual context – English, as well as Cantonese, will be used as the medium of instruction. 

The Certificate in Business English Usage programme aims to help students become more accurate and fluent when communicating in English in the modern workplace. Its goal is to equip students with essential business grammar, vocabulary and all-round language skills, so that they become capable of communicating with native and non-native speakers of English in common business settings. By gaining a greater confidence and a better command of business English grammar, vocabulary, receptive and productive skills, students will be prepared to further develop a higher level of business English proficiency upon completion of the programme. This programme targets working professionals who intend to build on an introductory level of English, so as to bolster their work performance in a business environment where English is the predominant medium of communication.