Personal Statement for Lin Hsin, Kung

A lot of people have asked me why I, a member of the Confucius family so learned in
Chinese literature, chose English as my undergraduate major. I always answered that I wanted to
explore new things from other cultures and bring them back to my own culture. I had no idea
what kind of a career that was supposed to be, but over the course of my university education, I
found out that it is translation. The moment that inspired me to become a translator occurred
when I was watching a TED talk delivered by Patricia Ryan, an English teacher based in Dubai
who argued that instead of teaching knowledge through English, we should translate English
knowledge into our native languages so that every willing student can access. This call strongly
resonated within me, because I am also an English teacher in Taiwan who have seen bright
students struggle in acquiring knowledge from English textbooks. I also remember the frustration
I felt when I was eager to discuss Why the West Rules, a newly published book, with my friend,
who however could not understand the book in English. Already a part-time translator, I decided
to further my career by studying translation at a graduate level, being determined to master the
art of translation through approaches both theoretical and practical.
I majored in English at National Taiwan Normal University, the leading institute of
linguistics and TEFL in Taiwan. My undergraduate years had been a process of refining my skill
in the English language, with all its beauty and complexity. The rigorous academic training
sharpened my critical and analytical skills, making me a questioning student. With a GPA of
3.86, I excelled especially at English writing and literature. My extensive research on both
English and American literature has given me a sound understanding in Western culture and
cultivated my sensitivity to language, which allowed me to better understand the source text
when translating. For instance, when given a source text, I am able to analyze its tone and setting
to decide whether to translate literally or to paraphrase. I am also quick in understanding the
source texts references or allusions to, for example, plays of Shakespeare or verses from the
Bible and finding the best translation in Chinese. Furthermore, born to a family that descended
from Confucius, I was educated to be versed in classical Chinese literature and philosophy. Since
young, my grandfather had educated me with Analects of Confucius and Book of Songs,
allowing me to have a strong command of Chinese, the target language of my translation. My
undergraduate education and my upbringing has combined to render me a resourceful translator
that is able to draw knowledge and reference from both cultures between which I translate.
Moreover, my undergraduate program provided courses in linguistics, including language
analysis, sociolinguistics, and the history of English language. These subjects enabled me to
scientifically analyze the vocabulary, syntax, and context of my source language and determine
what word and register to adopt in my translation.
Beyond academic achievements, my extracurricular accomplishments also put me forth
as a competent student of translation. I benefited hugely from my experience as the director of
academics in the Model United Nations Society of my university, where I led English
discussions on international politics, global economy, environmental protection and human
rights. Such extensive exposures broadened my English lexicon in various semantics and
registers, expanding my possible specialization in translation beyond literary realms and towards
an interdisciplinary translator.
I have been an avid backpacker who travelled extensively. My travel experiences have
provided me a with a wide cultural perspective and prepared me as a translator that is able to
make dialogue between cultures. Having assisted my professor in researching on cinema
representations of the Bosnian War, I really did travel to Bosnia to see the war relics. My survey

in English literature class led me to pay tribute to Chaucer at Westminster and to visit
Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon. My Model United Nations conference discussed about the
New Silk Road as an emerging international trade route, so I pilgrimed along the Chinese Silk
Road until I hit the Afghani border to see how people traded. From my travels I became more
and more determined to become a translator that connects Taiwan with the world.
I have gained practical experience in translation over a wide variety of materials during
my undergraduate years and military service, but I always felt that something was missing a
comprehensive theoretical background and a rigorous practical training. When taking an
internship in Beijing, I translated English advertising documents into Chinese. As the assistant
curator of TEDxNTNU, an organization that held series of talks on educational issues, I subtitled
Chinese talks in English. When performing my military service as a correctional officer in a
prison, I translated the website of the facility into English, undergoing the painful process of
translating legal terms. After the service, I took, and passed, screening tests from Liitrans
Translation firm in Taiwan and became a contracted translator. From all those experiences, I
constantly found myself in want of professional and theoretical training, and realized that the
translation of two languages so grammatically and culturally incompatible with each other as
English and Chinese requires not only the conversion of semantics and syntax but also the
understanding of theories.
The translation and interpretation classes I took in my undergraduate program opened a
whole new world to me, and I wish to learn more for my future career. I was introduced to
Eugene Nidas theory of functional equality, and crave for knowing more. I had a taste of
Chinese translation theories of Si Guo, and would like to compare them to Western ones. I
learned about the presence of translation technologies such as Trados, and am eager to employ
them into my service.
The MA program of Translation Theory and Practice at University College London is the
right place for my pursuit. Combining theory and practical skills, this program is able to provide
me with a solid foothold in the field of translation. Many of the modules intrigue me. For
instance, the Translation Studies delivered by Dr. Brodie offers glimpse on theories of translation
by St. Jerome and Jacque Derrida, whose philosophical works I am already familiar with. Also,
the modules in translation technology introduce skills like terminology mining and translation
memory, which I am eager to employ. I am also interested in Translation in History, which
covers translation in Rome, Jewish tradition, and the Jesuits, since I wish not only to translate
well but also research well on translation in its historical and social context. I believe this
interdisciplinary program will equip me with the right skill required for a 21st century translator.
I am able to contribute to the program with my strong faculty in languages, my rich
knowledge in both Western and Chinese culture, my sharp critical thinking, and my global
perspectives. I seek to develop my practical translation skills alongside a strong theoretical,
historical background and equipped with modern technology. With such a prestigious degree, I
see myself securing a career that involves working with publishers and translating the latest
academic and nonacademic works in humanity, like the aforementioned Why the West Rules,
from English into Chinese, as I am determined to seek out news things in other cultures and
bring them back to my Taiwanese audience.