The second national comprehensive academic forum for postgraduates majoring in Spanish language and literature and the Spanish sub-forum of the 2021 BFSU postgraduate high-end academic forum were recently held online. 

The forums consist of six parallel sessions with the four themes of translation studies, national and regional studies, literary studies and linguistic studies. Eighteen scholars from colleges across the country attended as evaluation experts, and 42 graduate students from 11 domestic universities and four foreign universities made presentations.

The forums were hosted by the Department of Hispanic and Portuguese of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and presided over by Professor Li Ziying, vice-dean of the department.

Scholars and students from domestic and foreign universities exchange views at the second national comprehensive academic forum for postgraduates majoring in Spanish language and literature. [Photo provided to bfsu.edu.cn]

During the parallel sessions, attendees delivered academic speeches and shared their research achievements. Wu Haining from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) took the Spanish translation of Chinese key words as an example, explained the current research into translation and communication effects of Chinese political terms and foreign audiences’ acceptance of the translated versions, and summarized the essentials of political term translation.

Yuan Yiting from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) shared her perspectives on “spicy” and its metaphors in Chinese and Spanish, put forward her hypotheses based on the conceptual metaphor theory and analyzed metaphorical differences between the two languages including their causes.

María del Carmen VicensCatalá from Universitat Pompeu Fabra talked about the translation of “trial” in Chinese and Spanish legal contexts. 

Zhu Wenhao from the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) mentioned Argentina’s policies in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic and compared its measures with China through data analysis. He summarized anti-virus strategies in Argentina and looked forward to cooperation between China and Latin American countries.

Sun Jingming from Shenzhen University compared China’s Belt and Road Initiative to America’s Growth in the Americas Initiative from four aspects of strategic intentions, key areas, participants and financing structure and analyzed American’s policies towards China on Latin American issues as well as China’s response. 

Zeng Lin from Peking University focused on short novels written by Miguel Ángel Asturias, a renowned Guatemalan poet, expounding on the writer’s pursuit of the core of American civilization in his home country from the perspective of symbolism.

Zheng Zhongli from BFSU shared his studies on the works of Chinese students majoring in Spanish and analyzed their pronunciation mistakes through quantitative research.

Following those speeches, evaluation experts put forward suggestions for presenters on topic selection, theoretical paradigms and research methods and language proficiency. 

At the closing ceremony, Professor Chang Fuliang, dean of the Department of Hispanic and Portuguese at BFSU, announced the winners and thanked supportive universities from home and abroad as well as the evaluation experts participating in the forums. 

Chang said that the department will remain committed to making the forums flourish, enhance the innovative consciousness and scientific research ability of graduate students majoring in Spanish language and literature, and boost academic exchanges in this discipline.