Professor Zhang Wenzhong, head of the Ministry of Education’s Integrated Teaching and Research Virtual Foreign Language Teaching Office and leader of Nankai University’s Empowerment and Capacity Building Foreign Language Teaching Team, was invited by the Teacher Development Center of TUST to provide guidance on the construction of the virtual teaching and research office for the translation program and innovations in interpreting course teaching of the SFL on January 29, 2024. Director Li Ruining of the Teacher Development Center and all members of the interpreting course teaching team participated and engaged in a lively discussion with Professor Zhang online.

Professor Zhang acknowledged the efforts made by TUST inthe virtual teaching and research office constructionfor translation program. He recognized the outstanding achievements in constructing innovative concepts in interpreting course teaching, distinctive models, and educational outcomes, and provided guidance on how to further refine the challenges in course construction, promote student project work, and optimize classroom teaching processes over the construction of the virtual teaching and research office. Indiscussion, Professor Zhang elaborated on the significance of the empowerment and capacity building approach to teaching, showcasing his profound academic accomplishments and rigorous scholarship.

Before the official start of the meeting, Director Li expressed heartfelt gratitude to Professor Zhang for taking the time to guide the construction of the virtual teaching and research office at TUST. During the meeting,head of the interpreting course teaching team, Zheng Dongsheng, along with Yi Long, Wu Na, Lu Jing, Zhou Meng, etc. from the Department of Translation departmentlistened and recorded Professor Zhang’s guiding opinions on course construction, and engaged in heated discussions with him regarding the interactivity of course teaching in teaching innovation, the scalability of immersive interpreting practice teaching, and research outcomes.

The SFL, TUST is a member of the Ministry of Education’s Integrated Teaching and Research Virtual Foreign Language Teaching Office. The interpreting course teaching team from its Department ofTranslation departmentis the convener for the cross-regional co-construction course “Interpreting Theory and Practice” within the virtual teaching and research office. Recently, the interpreting teaching team has actively conducted innovations in interpreting course teaching via the platform of the Ministry of Education’s Integrated Teaching and Research Virtual Foreign Language Teaching Office, leading to achievements in faculty training and teaching effectiveness.