This task-based course provides the opportunities for you to follow global issues very closely: political debates, international affairs, economics developments or scientific discussions, etc. You will need to use your basic interpreting/translation skills to understand, to analyse and to synthesize a wide range of news coverage on specific issues. You will also learn how to acquire suitable terminology and register to match different fields of discussion. At the same time, students learn to deal with the pressure and work ethics in professional language services. Students will be expected to deepen their understanding of socio-economic conditions, cultural differences, historical developments, and current events related to their working languages (i.e. English and Chinese). They will also broaden their general knowledge and views in different topical areas, e.g. culture, politics, science and technology, finance and economy, and environment and energy.

1. Students will be following the latest development of international affairs. 2. Students will be working both individually and collectively to prepare for weekly tasks of interpreting related activities. 3. Students will work to enhance their language proficiency for the discussion of international affairs. 4. Students will therefore expand their understanding of the world and develop skills of forming logical and coherent arguments on prepared topics.

Handouts and materials will be provided in the Moodle system (http://moodle.thu.edu.tw) and THU iLearn system for class preparation and revision.