Founded in 2005, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies School of Interpreting and Translation Studies (SITS) is a pioneering institution of its kind in China which delivers the full range of quality translation and interpreting courses leading to BA, dual BA, MA, MTI, and PhD degrees, and an esteemed hub in the Asia-Pacific region for nurturing high-caliber globally-minded translation professionals with interdisciplinary expertise. It is a member of the United Nations MoU network, CIUTI (Conférence Internationale Permanente d’Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes), FIT (Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs), and is listed in the Interpreting Schools & Programmes Directory of AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence). Home to a national-level demonstration center for experimental teaching in simultaneous interpretation and a national resource center for translation studies, it is also a founding institution of WITTA (World Interpreter and Translator Training Association) and the first in China to propose and offer the Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) program. Its Translation program has been nationally recognized as the first class of its kind with A+ ranking. Adhering to the principle of comprehensive development through integrated disciplinary vision, cross-disciplinarity, and utilization of big data and diversified means of intercultural communication, SITS is dedicated to making itself a world-class institution of translation and interpreting as a premier platform for an internationally competitive team engaged in both teaching and research.

An Initiative for Translation and AI Integration in the 21^st Century

On this grand occasion of the 20th anniversary of the School of Interpreting and Translation Studies, we find ourselves poised at the forefront of technological innovation. Inspired by the rise of AI and the call to reimagine the future of translation, we hereby launch this Initiative and look forward to joining colleagues worldwide in co-authoring a new chapter in the integrated development of translation and artificial intelligence.

We call upon the community to empower translation with technology, steering it toward a new paradigm. As large language models, pretrained on massive datasets, deliver remarkable fluency and accuracy in translation and multimodal interactions enable seamless communication, our path forward is clear: build multidimensional knowledge systems, eliminate data biases, develop explainable algorithms, and optimize human-AI hybrid intelligence.

We call upon the community to uphold humanistic values and remain committed to translating for the common good. The essence of translation lies in transcreation—the transfer of knowledge and the reconstruction of value. Translators and interpreters must act with cultural sensitivity, critically assess technological outputs, and address algorithmic flaws through a humanistic lens. We shall steer AI with human wisdom and ethical principles, achieving alignment of values.

We call upon the community to champion a transformative shift in education, preparing talents for the nation. We shall nurture versatile translators and interpreters adept at leveraging technology, enriching both their technical expertise and humanistic insight. Empowered to lead human-AI collaboration, they will evolve from mere “language converters” into active architects of cross-cultural meaning.

We call upon the community to deepen the integration of industry and education for mutual and universal benefit. By strengthening collaborative links, we shall build an ecosystem of government, industry, academia, and research to advance the integrated development of translation and AI. Our shared mission is to harness this synergy to explore the warmth of language and the depth of humanity, ensuring that technological progress serves the higher purpose of exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.

Translation in the new era is not being replaced by AI, but reshaped through it. By pioneering innovative approaches and championing human-AI collaboration, we will together forge a brilliant new chapter in the evolution of the field.

School of Interpreting and Translation Studies

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

November 1, 2025

(Drafted by Dai Guangrong and Hu Zhengmao; Reviewed by Lan Hongjun and Li Hemin )