hanghai International Studies University (SISU) has made progress in 2016 in  Sino-foreign cultural exchange, the scale of international students and the combination and interaction between Chinese and international students under the philosophy of “Providing Learning Platform for the World”.

SISU has been the only university in China to undertake the Sino-Arabic Joint Training Project on Chinese Translation, which was set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education to cultivate advanced translation talents as well as to promote the development of Sino-Arab relations.

Starting the project from the 2016 autumn semester, SISU has enrolled 14 students from eight countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Morocco, Lebanon and Algeria. These students will have a one-year further study of Chinese language and practical training in translation and interpretation at the School of Chinese Studies and Exchange and the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation. Besides acquiring language and translation skills, students can also better understand Chinese society and culture.

Meanwhile, SISU continues to undertake the Chinese Language Teacher Program in South Asia, admitting 30 Pakistani students in Songjiang campus. This program was established by the Confucius Institute Headquarters and the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) to promote the localization of Chinese language teachers in South Asian countries and strengthen the international spread of Chinese language.

SISU has seen an increase of 4.05 percent in the number of international students in 2016 compared with that of last year. Degree students in particular, the number of which has totally climbed, with 0.12 percent increase of undergraduates, 35.56 percent of postgraduates and 33.33 percent of doctoral students, compared with that of last year.

International students in SISU take part in various activities each year. In 2016, 44 of them attended the third World Internet Conference, one attended the sixteenth General Assembly of the Shanghai Federation of Students and others participated in charity and other activities.

The third international carnival held in SISU in 2016 attracted students from all over the world. Since the international students from 12 countries participated in the exhibition installation for the first time last year, the country booths have increased to nearly 30 in this year’s carnival.

Increasingly more international students in SISU have been involved in such activities like carnivals. They can show themselves on different occasions through different platforms, thus learning more about SISU, about Shanghai and about China.