Profile
The Faculty of Foreign Languages at Ningbo University (NBU) is among the university’s earliest-established faculties. Its predecessor, the Department of Foreign Languages, was founded in 1986, the same year the university was established. In October 1997, the former Department of Foreign Languages of NBU, the English Department of Ningbo Normal College, and the Ningbo Branch of Zhejiang Ocean University merged to form the School of Foreign Languages at Ningbo University. In 2015, it was renamed the Faculty of Foreign Languages. The discipline of Foreign Languages and Literatures is a first-class discipline in Zhejiang Province during both the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plan periods, and the only foreign language discipline among the first group of provincially key characteristic disciplines for high-level universities. It was ranked in B tier in the fourth round of the national discipline evaluation by the Ministry of Education, and in 2022 it ranked 23rd nationally (top 10%) in the Soft Science discipline ranking.
Academic Units and Programs
The Faculty comprises four teaching units: the Department of English, the Department of Japanese, the Department of German, and the Department of Foreign Languages for Non-English Majors. It offers three undergraduate majors — English (including English Education), Japanese, and German — with both English and Japanese having been selected as National First-Class Undergraduate Major Construction Programs. At the graduate level, the Faculty offers a first-level master’s degree program in Foreign Languages and Literatures with six second-level disciplines — Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, English Language and Literature, Japanese Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Translation Studies, and Comparative Literature and Cross-Cultural Studies — and a Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) professional degree program.
Faculty Culture and Motto
The Faculty embraces the motto “笃信达雅” (Duxin, Dada, Yaya — Faith, Eloquence, Elegance). In addition, it upholds the values reflected in the English motto “Be Committed, Credible, Communicative, and Courteous”, fostering a spirit of exploration, inclusivity, and excellence. With a foundational focus on moral cultivation and personal growth, the Faculty pursues high-quality, connotative development, values openness and collaboration, and aspires to become a leading institution characterized by academic rigor, cultural understanding, and global engagement.
Research and Talent Development
The Faculty houses seven research institutes — the Institute of Foreign Literature, the Institute of Translation Studies, the Institute of Theoretical Linguistics, the Institute of Applied Linguistics, the Institute of Comparative Literature and Cross-Cultural Communication, the Institute of Japanese Language, Literature and Culture, and the Institute of German Language, Literature and Culture — and three university-level research centers: the Zhejiang Translation Research Institute, the Center for World Maritime Literature and Culture Studies, and the Center for Literary Interdisciplinary Studies. It is home to the Zhejiang Provincial Key Research Base for Philosophy and Social Sciences — Zhejiang Marine Culture and Economic Research Center and the East Zhejiang Culture Research Institute, the Zhejiang Provincial Key Research Base for Humanities and Social Sciences in Foreign Languages and Literatures (the only one among provincial universities’ foreign language disciplines), the Research Center for Foreign Language, Culture and Ningbo’s International Development Strategy (co-established with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), and the Zhejiang High-Level University Innovation Team — “Classic Zhejiang” Translation and International Communication Team. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the Faculty secured 20 National Social Science Fund projects (including 1 major project and 4 key projects), won 1 first prize, 2 second prizes, and 3 third/young scholars’ prizes in the Zhejiang Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Awards, and published 130+ papers in A&HCI, SSCI, and CSSCI journals, along with 30+ monographs, translations, and edited volumes.
Student Development and Global Engagement
The Faculty is committed to the principle of “rooting in Ningbo, serving the local community, and reaching out to the world”, providing foreign language training and translation services to governments and enterprises at all levels. The foreign language version of the Ningbo Municipal Government’s official website, built by the Faculty team, has ranked first among national capital and sub-provincial city government websites for eight consecutive years and has been recognized as the “most influential government website foreign language version in China.” The Faculty maintains cooperative relationships with 20+ overseas universities, including the University of Delaware and Purdue University (USA), Kristianstad University (Sweden), Queen’s University (UK), Western Sydney University (Australia), Hiroshima University, Utsunomiya University, and Iwate University (Japan). With a vibrant campus culture and a strong record in competitions and international exchanges, the Faculty prepares students to become globally competent professionals.
(Data up to November, 2025)
