2025 Translation Studies Assistant/Associate Professor

About Wenzhou-Kean University

Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU), located in Wenzhou, China, one of three Sino-American universities along with NYU Shanghai and Duke Kunshan University, is approved by the Ministry of Education of China. Launched in 2012, WKU offers a unique model of higher education in partnership with Kean University, a comprehensive, public university in the state of New Jersey that is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Wenzhou is one of the most vibrant and economically advanced developed cities on China’s East Coast, located one hour by plane and three hours by high-speed train from Shanghai.

WKU sits on approximately 500 beautiful acres and currently enrolls about 5,100 undergraduate students, and it is now in the midst of a rapid growth that will bring enrollment to 7,000 students within the next three years. All instruction is in English and all curriculum is provided by Kean University.

In addition to its current 18 undergraduate programs, WKU has been approved by the Ministry of Education for offering 8 Master’s and 3 doctorate programs. WKU highly values research-powered teaching and learning, and the average number of faculty publications and the Field-weighted Citation Impact are among the best of leading Chinese academic institutions.

About the Job:

WKU seeks a dynamic and innovative scholar to join our faculty as an Assistant/Associate Professor in Translation Studies. The ideal candidate will have expertise in Chinese and English, using both the theoretical and practical aspects of translation. The candidate will contribute to the development and delivery of courses in translation studies and conduct research in areas such as translation theory, interpretation, or translation technology. This is a full-time, tenure track position, teaching 24 credits over 10 months. A 6-credit course release is available in the first three years for grant proposal development and other significant research initiatives. Startup grants will be provided to support student engagement research programs.  

This position is appointed on a 3-year contract at the first instance, effective for the year 2025 and renewable upon successful reappointment review.

Teaching assignments and related responsibilities may include day, evening, weekend and online courses. Interest or experience in using advanced instructional technologies to improve the teaching/learning process is highly desirable. All faculty may be required to teach General Education courses as needed. Opportunities are also available to teach disciplinary support courses. Candidates with an interest in teaching across disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:  

•  Teach undergraduate courses in translation studies, translation theory, and interpretation.
•  Develop and deliver innovative courses integrating translation technology and cross-cultural communication.
•  Conduct and publish original research in translation studies or related fields.
•  Mentor undergraduate students in translation projects.
•  Participate in departmental and university service, including the development of interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Contribute to grant writing and research funding initiatives related to translation studies.

Faculty positions at WKU offer:

Annual salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience with the range of $68,000-$75,000 for Assistant Professor. A well-rounded healthcare coverage, academic travel up to $2,000, housing options and subsidy up to $3,000, home traveling up to $6,000 (2 international round-trip airfares), a reimbursement to cover relocation expenses up to $1,000, shuttle bus to campus for work, and up to 8% front-load retirement benefits within accordance with completion of years of service with the University. WKU tuition waiver up to 50% for spouse/dependent children of faculty for undergraduate programs. Tuition discount of private/international kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools for children of faculty. A collegial environment. Startup grant of up to 80,000 RMB. Three-year initial contract. Six-credit course release per academic year for the first three years. The opportunity to teach high-quality students. About 50% of graduates have been admitted to graduate schools at the World’s Top 50 Universities, and about 60% of graduates at the World’s Top 100 Universities.

Qualifications

•  Ph.D. in Translation Studies, Applied Linguistics, or a closely related field.
•  A strong research agenda with high impact publications in translation studies or related areas.
•  Expertise in translation theory, interpretation, or translation technology.
•  Teaching experience at the university level.
•  Commitment to inclusive teaching and research practices.

Preferred Qualifications:  

•  Interdisciplinary research experience.
•  Grantwriting experience.
•  Proficiency in translation technology tools (e.g., CAT tools, machine translation).
• Experience mentoring students and developing translation projects.

Application Instructions

Applicants are REQUIRED to apply online. To receive full consideration by the search committee, candidates need to submit the following documents via Interfolio (https://apply.interfolio.com/155107).

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• Unofficial transcripts of all degrees.
• Statement of teaching philosophy.
• Research statement.
• Sample of recent scholarly work.
• Contact information for three professional references.

Background Screening:

Wenzhou-Kean University conducts background screenings on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background screenings.