On March 18, a delegation from the University of Birmingham (UoB) visited HUST’s School of Foreign Languages to discuss the in-depth cooperation in educational issues. The symposium was attended by Jiang Jing, Deputy Director of the Office of International Affairs, and Wang Xiaoyue, Chair of the University Committee of the School of Foreign Languages.

Wang Xiaoyue warmly welcomed the delegation and provided a detailed overview of the School’s achievements in faculty development, talent cultivation, and discipline building. She highlighted the strong alignment in educational philosophy and disciplinary strengths between the two institutions, as well as the broad potential for collaboration. She also expected the two sides to continue pragmatic cooperation in faculty exchanges, joint curriculum development, and talent cultivation to build a high-level international platform for nurturing talent.

Professor Hayley Maxwell, Director of Academic English at UoB, thanked HUST for the warm reception. She highlighted the longstanding collaboration between UoB and HUST across multiple disciplines, emphasizing the strong alignment between the School of Foreign Languages’ language teaching expertise and UoB’s Academic English program. She looked forward to deepening cooperation to enhance students’ academic English proficiency and global competencies.

During the symposium, the two sides engaged in in-depth discussions about collaborating on developing an academic English curriculum system and establishing an English teaching center. They agreed to set up a regular communication mechanism to promote the implementation of cooperative projects.

The symposium was held in the “Yiyuan” Simultaneous Interpretation Room at the School. Associate Professor Ding Xun led a team of graduate students from the English Interpretation program to provide simultaneous interpretation services for the event. Their outstanding performance earned high praise from the delegation.

This visit strengthened the cooperation between UoB and the School of Foreign Languages, expanding the School’s international cooperation network and increasing its global influence. Both sides will promote cooperation and jointly cultivate high-quality foreign language professionals with global perspectives.

Written by: Chai Linshan

Edited by: Zhan Xinrui, Chang Wen, Peng Yumeng