News and Kudos

Prof. Li Dechao Discussed AI, Translation and MATLT Programme Revamp in an Interview with Southern Weekly

Prof. Li Dechao, Associate Head of the Department of Language Science and Technology, was recently featured in an interview with Southern Weekly to share his insights on artificial intelligence and translation. In the interview, he discussed how AI is transforming the translation landscape and introduced the recent programme revamp of the Master of Arts in Translation and Language Technology (MATLT), highlighting how the curriculum adapts to industry changes to better equip students for the era of human-AI collaboration. Click HERE to read the full feature on Southern Weekly.

MABCC Student Team’s AI Agent Reaches Top 6 Finals at Microsoft Hong Kong Agent Impact Lab 2026

A student team from the Master of Arts in Bilingual Corporate Communication (MABCC) programme at the Department of Language Science and Technology (LST) has achieved outstanding results at Microsoft Hong Kong’s Agent Impact Lab 2026, with their AI Agent project “Lecto” reaching the final stage. Agent Impact Lab aims to inspire university students to apply AI technologies to address real-world challenges. Participating teams undergo multiple stages, including project ideation, development, demonstration and final pitching, with their projects assessed by industry and academic experts.  Led by MABCC student and Microsoft Student Ambassador Tong Lyu, together with MABCC student Rongshen Zhou and Urban Studies student Ye Jin, the team developed an AI Agent “Lecto” to help students access academic resources more efficiently. “Lecto” automatically identifies and organises information about lectures, seminars and workshops from emails, and provides personalised recommendations based on users’ interests. Integrated with Microsoft Copilot and Teams, the system can support learning and collaboration across the campus community.  The project reflects MABCC’s commitment to nurturing students’ ability to analyse communication needs, integrate resources and develop innovative solutions, supported by LST’s expertise in media communication and language technologies. It also demonstrates PolyU’s success in integrating AI into teaching and learning while fostering interdisciplinary innovation. The team will continue to enhance “Lecto” and explore further applications of AI Agents in smart campus development and educational technology.      

From Language Student to AI-Enabled Communication Professional: How Kathy Tam Turned AI into Her Competitive Edge

Language and technology make a powerful combination—and Kathy Tam Wing Ka’s career journey is proof of it. When Kathy first studied Linguistics and Translation with a minor in Korean as an undergraduate student, she saw language mainly as a system to be analyzed and applied. Her trajectory shifted when she joined the Fund for Innovative Technology-in-Education (FITE) project at PolyU as a student assistant during her Year 3 and Year 4. Through the project's AI workshops, industry talks, and career-development activities, she explored how generative AI could support brainstorming, language refinement, grammar improvement, and message development. These experiences strengthened not only her efficiency in communication tasks but also her critical awareness of how messages are constructed, interpreted and evaluated. To further sharpen her strategic edge, she went on to pursue postgraduate studies in the MA in Bilingual Corporate Communication (MABCC), and began to recognize that effective communication is essential across industries and can significantly shape career development. At the same time, through connections via the Public Relations Hong Kong Limited (PRHK) network gained from the FITE project, she secured an internship opportunity at an international PR agency. During the internship, she used AI in practical communication tasks, including summarizing internal and external meeting recaps, generating visual materials and drafting captions for social-media promotions. This experience showed her that effective communication in the contemporary workplace requires more than language proficiency —it requires the ability to use AI critically and strategically to create clear, engaging and impactful messages. Reflecting on her experience, she described Language Science and Technology as the intersection of AI and communication. In her view, the discipline provides students not only with linguistic knowledge, but also with the capability to leverage emerging technologies to communicate more effectively in a rapidly changing digital environment. Believing that the future belongs to the convergence of AI, technology, and communication, she believes that studying this field gives students a wide range of career opportunities. After completing her MABCC degree, Kathy joined Microsoft Hong Kong as a Communication Officer, continuing to utilize advanced AI tools every day at work. Her progression—from undergraduate student and project assistant, to postgraduate student, PR intern and communication professional—illustrates how sustained industry engagement, AI-enabled learning, authentic workplace experience and career mentoring can help students develop the confidence, practical competence and professional identity needed to thrive in an AI-enabled communication industry. Demonstrating how a strong language foundation paired with modern technology can open doors to exciting new career paths, Kathy concludes: “These experiences showed me that effective communication today is no longer just about language proficiency, but about knowing how to leverage AI to deliver clear, engaging, and impactful messages.”

Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU LST 2026 - Result Announcement

The Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU LST recognizes the professional excellence of our distinguished LST graduates and their significant contributions to both the community and their alma mater. We are proud to announce the recipients of the LST Outstanding Alumni Award 2026: Ms Jody LAM - Outstanding Young Alumni Award Master of Speech Therapy, The Department of Language Science and Technology, 2016 Read more about the story of Ms Jody LAM: Ms Lam is a speech-language pathologist, part-time assistant lecturer, and clinical educator based in Hong Kong, with more than a decade of experience spanning clinical practice, academic teaching, and professional leadership. She graduated from the inaugural Master of Speech Therapy programme at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and has been a qualified speech therapist since 2016. Expanding her professional impact, Ms Lam has served as the President of the Hong Kong Association of Speech Therapists (HKAST) since 2020, the largest professional body representing over 1,000 speech therapists in Hong Kong. A key milestone in her tenure was leading the successful transition of HKAST from a society to a limited company in 2022, modernising the Association’s governance to align with contemporary standards. Under her leadership, HKAST has significantly elevated its professional standing, directing territory-wide development programmes and multimedia campaigns to broaden public awareness of speech therapy. Ms Lam has also played a pivotal role in raising Hong Kong’s visibility on both the regional and international stages. She is currently steering the upcoming inaugural HKAST Convention in November 2026, the first-ever speech therapy convention in Hong Kong co-organised with four local universities. Her commitment to global collaboration is equally evident; she serves on the Executive Board of the Asia Pacific Society of Speech, Language and Hearing (APSSLH) and was instrumental in securing HKAST’s international affiliation. Through symposia and active involvement in the Asian Dysphagia Society, she consistently fosters collaborative networks to advance clinical standards across the region. Her dedication to the profession further extends to scholarship and mentorship. In 2025, she served as lead author of a Routledge book chapter on advocacy strategies to strengthen professional recognition globally. To nurture the next generation, she established a student outreach team at HKAST and led committees on clinical resource development to encourage cross-sector knowledge exchange. Committed to service beyond professional settings, Ms Lam has volunteered locally and internationally, from childcare homes in Hong Kong to remote villages in Sichuan and Guatemala. By promoting social responsibility, she continues to inspire practitioners to extend vital speech therapy support to underserved communities worldwide. Prof. XING Jie - Outstanding Alumni Award Doctor of Philosophy, The Department of Language Science and Technology, 2010 Read more about the story of Prof. XING Jie: Prof. Xing is a distinguished academic leader, currently serving as the Professor of Translation Studies and Vice Dean at the School of Interpreting and Translation Studies of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He obtained his Ph.D. at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and was an academic visitor at Durham University, UK. Prof. Xing’s leadership extends internationally through his roles as a member of the Research Task Force of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), a council member of the Translators Association of China (TAC), and the Vice President of the Socio-Translation Studies Committee of the China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese (CACSEC). These prominent national and international roles position him ideally to drive further developments in Translation and Interpreting (T&I) education, especially as AI continues to reshape the landscape of the language service industry. Additionally, Prof. Xing has published widely on issues related to the sociology of translation, pragmatic translation studies, translation theory, translation pedagogy, and interpreting studies. His work has significantly advanced the field, offering profound theoretical insights that have shaped contemporary discourse in translation studies. Consequently, his influential research has appeared in leading journals such as Babel, Chinese Translators Journal, and Foreign Languages in China, as well as in edited collections including The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Sociology and Conference Interpreting in China: Practice, Training and Research. His scholarly excellence has been recognized with highly prestigious honors. Notably, his research contributions were recognized with the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangdong Province in 2024. Furthermore, his ongoing dedication to postgraduate education and academic advancement earned him multiple awards for Outstanding Research Achievements from the Guangdong Society of Postgraduate Education across 2021, 2022, and 2024. Finally, Prof. Xing remains deeply committed to supporting his alma mater, contributing to PolyU as an External Examiner in 2021 and spearheading collaborations with the Department of Language Science and Technology. His impactful initiatives include organizing the high-profile “AI in Translation” Workshop and facilitating valuable academic exchanges that brought 20 teachers to PolyU, continuously fostering cross-border networks and knowledge exchange. Congratulations to the outstanding LST alumni, who have achieved excellence in their respective fields and brought great honour to their alma mater. We also extend our sincere gratitude to our panel of judges for their dedication and commitment throughout the selection process.

LST’s Dr. Cymie Ng Featured on Now TV to Share Insights on Dysphagia

Dr. Cymie Ng Wing-yee, Assistant Professor of Practice at the Department of Language Science and Technology, appeared on Now TV’s programme “Wealth Management”, where she explained the causes and symptoms of dysphagia, as well as management of patients’ quality of life. Click HERE to watch the full feature on Now TV (4:58–6:28).

Dr. Wu Wing li Shares the Aims and Key Features of the New Programme in a Dot Dot News Interview

Dr. Wu Wing li, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language Science and Technology and Programme Leader of the BSc (Hons) in Language Science and Technology, was featured in an interview with Dot Dot News to introduce the aims and key features of the new programme. The programme combines language science and AI technologies to prepare students for the era of human–AI collaboration, equipping them with the skills to use and develop AI-enabled language solutions while fostering critical thinking and lifelong learning. Click HERE to read the full feature on Dot Dot News.

Prof Zhu Xinhua and Team Earn Wiley Recognition for High-Impact GenAI Research

The Department of Language Science and Technology is proud to announce that Yuan Yao, Yiwen Sun, Siyu Zhu, and Xinhua Zhu have been recognized by Wiley for a Top Viewed Article. Their research, “A Qualitative Inquiry Into Metacognitive Strategies of Postgraduate Students in Employing ChatGPT for English Academic Writing,” published in the European Journal of Education, ranked within the top 10% of most-viewed papers published by the journal in 2024. This recognition celebrates the paper’s strong readership and academic contribution to research on GenAI-assisted academic writing, metacognitive strategies, and postgraduate education. We congratulate Prof. Zhu Xinhua and his team on this meaningful achievement.

Prof. Zhu Xinhua Advances Multimodal Reading through Research and Knowledge Transfer

Prof. Zhu Xinhua, Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, was invited as an expert advisor for the multimodal reading activities in the 2026 National Reading Week – “Reading Across Horizons Shared Reading Session cum Joint Primary and Secondary School 30-minute Read” event organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) on 23 April 2026. The event engaged over 1,100 students and teachers onsite and 30,000 participants online across Hong Kong, and set a new world record related to Multimodal Reading Activity. Drawing on over six years of sustained research in online and multimodal reading, Prof. Zhu provided professional guidance on lesson design, pedagogical principles, and assessment considerations. His work bridges curriculum policy, classroom practice, and academic research, aligning closely with EDB’s renewed focus on multimodal reading and literacy. The initiative also exemplifies effective knowledge transfer, translating internationally recognised research (including multiple SSCI Q1 publications) into large scale educational practice. Prof. Zhu and his team have developed multimodal reading frameworks, assessment tools, and instructional strategies which have been piloted in many Hong Kong schools and disseminated through teacher professional development and public platforms. Click HERE for more information.

Prof. Sun Xin Wins Early Career Research Excellence Award at ARWA 2026

Prof. Sun Xin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, won the Early Career Research Excellence Award in the 10th Annual Conference for the Association for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA 2026). This award aims to recognise a talented early-career researcher who shows outstanding research potential in an area of reading and writing research that is related to Asia. The ARWA, registered as a society in 2016, is for researchers studying literacy development, literacy impairment, or expert linguistic processing via print in Asia.

The 1st Symposium on Chinese and Multilingual Education Successfully Held

The First Symposium on "Chinese and Multilingual Education" was successfully held at PolyU on 28 April 2026, bringing together more than 180 distinguished scholars and participants to explore the future of Chinese language pedagogy. Themes discussed ranged from applied Chinese studies to comparative studies on how native Japanese and alphabetic language speakers recognize Chinese characters. Innovative classroom practices, such as utilizing AI to enhance non-Chinese speaking students' listening assessments and the use of multimedia in teaching classical poetry were explored. Scholars also tackled the complexities of languages teaching characterized by spoken-written diglossia. The symposium also served as a special event in honor of Professor Chan Shui-duen’s 38 years of unwavering dedication to Chinese language education. The final segment began with a tribute session to Professor Chan Shui-duen focusing on biliteracy and trilingualism in Chinese education, followed by Professor Chan’s Valedictory Lecture. Drawing from her nearly four decades of experience, her presentation provided masterful insights on the challenges facing non-Chinese speaking students with practical recommendations. The event concluded with a forum on the legacy of Chinese education at PolyU, offering inspirations for the next generation of educators.