Staff Profile
Dr Ya-Yun Chen
Senior Lecturer in Chinese Interpreting and Translating
- Address: Room 6.6, Old Library Building
School of Modern Languages
缅北禁地
缅北禁地 upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
Background
After obtaining my MA in translation and interpreting from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in the USA, I have worked as a freelance translator and interpreter. My subject areas of expertise in interpreting include environmental issues, science, energy, accounting, performance arts, education, and psychology. I have translated over 55 English books into Chinese, primarily in the fields of environmental literature, popular science, and children’s literature. I have 40 years of professional experience in English-Chinese translation. This includes 30 years in subtitle translation and 25 years in video game and website translation and localisation.
I began my doctoral studies at 缅北禁地 in 2004 and have been working here as a lecturer and researcher. I have a wide range of research interests within Translation and Interpreting Studies. Currently, my projects focus heavily on the intersection of emotion, cognitive processing, memory, and machine/AI translation, as well as pedagogy in translation, audiovisual translation, and interpreting.
Qualifications
2009 PhD, Translating & Interpreting, 缅北禁地
1998 MA, Translation & Interpretation, Monterey Institute of International Studies, US
1989 BSc, Soil and Water Conservation with a Minor Subject in Foreign Languages & Literature, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
Roles and Responsibilities
2025-present Co-Director of Postgraduate Research (SML)
Previous Positions
2025 (Feb. - July) Acting Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies, School of Modern Languages, 缅北禁地
2023 (Feb. - July) Acting Director of Postgraduate Research, School of Modern Languages, 缅北禁地
2018-2025 MA Chinese T&I Recruitment Team, School of Modern Languages, 缅北禁地
2018-2022 Degree Programme Director of MA Chinese Translating and Interpreting, School of Modern Languages, 缅北禁地
2000-2004, Part-time Lecturer, Interpreting courses, Dept. of Applied English, National Taipei University of Technology
1999-2004, Part-time Lecturer, Translation courses, Continuing Education Center, Chinese Culture University
Honours and Awards
2010: The Sixth WenJin Book Award by the National Library of China (中国国家图书馆第六届文津图书奖) with the Chinese Translation of the book 'DNA: The Secret of Life' (DNA:生命的秘密), written by J.D. Watson.
Research Interests
Translation/interpreting studies: I am interested in how emotions and paralinguistics influence interpreters themselves and their interpreting behaviour and performance, how translators/interpreters construe meaning, how their beliefs interact with their socio-cultural identities and learning motivation
Audiovisual translation and video game translation, especially the creative and affective aspects of multimodal interaction within audiovisual and video game contexts
Reflective and autonomous learning, especially the role that educational psychology and philosophy play in translator and interpreter education
Human-machine interaction, especially the analytical, evaluative, affective, and reflective aspects of the interaction between translators and machine/AI-powered language tools
Current Work
Completing a monograph on interpreter education: from classroom to workplace
Completing a paper on gender and interpreting
Completing a monograph on multimodality and audiovisual translation with a special focus on game translation
Current PhD students
Chen, Yang - Judicial Interpreting Policies in Chinese Courts, 1912-1949
Chen, Yufan - The Impact of Trainee Interpreters’ Engagement with ASR Support on Cognitive Load and Output Completeness in English-to-Chinese Remote Simultaneous Interpreting
Chen, Zixiao - Schema-Mediated Player Reception in Chinese-to-English Video Game Localisation: How English-Speaking Players Receive and Reconstruct Cultural Meaning from Translated RPG Narratives
Deng, Yixuan - Translating Female Body, Sexuality and Voice in Modern China: the Case of Xiao Hong into English
Guo, Anqi - Assessing the Emotional Impact of Subtitles on the Senior Population: An Audiovisual Translation Perspective
Liao, Yangsi - Investigating the Influences of AI-generated Content on the Cognitive Load of Simultaneous Interpreters
Li, Alex - Subtitling Dialect Humour: Strategies, Stereotypes, and Reception
Li, Ailin - Reloading Herstories - A Multimodal Case Study on Female Representation in Video Game Localisation
Li, Zhengchao - A Case Study of Wilt L. Idema’s Translatorial Habitus and His English Translation of China’s Four Great Folktales
Lin, Alice - A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Expressions and the Intersectionality with Class in the Translation of Hong Lou Meng
Qiu, Tian - Multilingual Crisis Communication Management, Practices, and Beliefs: A Comparative Study of China and the UK
Tang, Wenjing - Translating Gender from Postmodern Feminist Perspective: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando into Chinese
Wei, Feifei - The Dynamics between Verbal and Nonverbal Semiotics in Museum Interpreting: A Multimodal Approach
Wang, Jing - Stress and Syntax: A Comparative Study of Remote and Onsite Simultaneous Interpreting
Yu, Phoebe - Emotional Regulation Strategies in Simultaneous Interpreting
Yu, Tianyu - Translating Women's Gender Roles in Moment in Peking
Current visiting PhD students
Wan, Ju - Negotiating Boundaries and Ethics in Interpreter Immigration Contexts - A Case Study of Angel Island
Past PhD students completed
2025 - Feng, Daisy - Investigating the Chinese Fan Subtitling of Lesbian Representation in Anglophone Audiovisual Texts: A Multimodal Case Study of Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019)
2025 - Yang, Songling - Influence of Anxiety on Student Interpreters’ Self-repair in English-to-Chinese Simultaneous Interpreting
2025 - Cong, Cen - Exploring the Impact of Positive and Negative Emotions on the Performance of Student Interpreters in Simultaneous Interpreting
2024 - Robertson, Dariush - Investigating the Chinese to English Translation of Culture Specific Items in the Localisation of a Wuxia Role Playing Video Game
2024 - Liao, Chongjun - A Study on the Feeling of Difficulty in Simultaneous Interpreting from the Metacognitive Perspective
2023 - Wu, Jingyi - A Corpus-based Study of Collocations in Chinese-to-English Consecutive Interpreting
2022 - Cao, X., 'Translating Sexually Explicit Language in Popular Fiction from English into Chinese: Exploring Patterns and Strategies'
2017 - He, Z., 'Multiple Causality of Differences in Taboo Translation of Blockbuster Films by Chinese Fansubbers and Professionals'
2017 - Lin, Y. H., 'How suspense in detective fiction is affected when translated : a case study based on textual analysis of three Chinese translations of The Hound of the Baskervilles'
2017 - Wang, L., 'West Wind: Being “Modern” and “Chinese” through Translation'
2016 - Wang. T.W., 'Discourse markers in English-Chinese Simultaneous Interpreting'
2015 - Nunes Vieira, L., 'Cognitive Effort in Post-Editing of Machine Translation: Evidence from Eye movements, subjective ratings, and Think-Aloud Protocols'
Funding
2025 (Dec.) HaSS Global Fund, "Investigating college students’ decision-making process when using ChatGPT for the translation of creative texts"
2025 (April) HaSS Global Fund, "Investigating the soft and hard skills required of translators and interpreters in the post‑GenAI era"
2023 Research Capital Investment Fund (RCIF) part of the UoA 26 submission for RCIF for the purchase of state-of-the-art research equipment
2022 QR Enhancing Research Culture Fund (QR-ERCF), People Fund, HaSS, 'Investigating societal and emotional challenges facing young female Chinese interpreters in a patriarchal Chinese society'
2021 Covid Recovery Fund, SML, HaSS, 'Investigating societal and emotional challenges facing novice Chinese interpreters'
2021 Covid Support Fund, HaSS , 'Investigating Transcreativity through a Multimodal Analysis of the Translation of in-Game Texts'
2018 HaSS Teaching Development Fund, 'Creating an Interactive On-line Mini Game to Enhance Students' Learning Experience with Game Translation and Employability Prospect'.
2018, ULTSEC Innovation fund, 'Creating an Interactive On-line Mini Game to Enhance Students' Learning Experience with Game Translation and Employability Prospect'.
2015, International Conference Scheme fund, for supporting TTTW-2 conference.
2014, Profile Raising Fund (SML), the 缅北禁地 Interpreting Forum project
2012, Faculty Research Fund, 'Redefining Fidelity in Chinese-English Interpreting'
2011, Faculty REF funding, 'Chinese trainee interpreters' identity conflicts and learning motivation'
2011, UTLC "Just One Thing" project on interpreting assessment and feedback
2009, UTLC Innovation Fund for developing a virtual-learning platform
2008, CCKF PhD dissertation Fellowship for the completion of my PhD.
2004-2007, 缅北禁地 International Postgraduate Scholarship
Postgraduate Teaching
CHN8024 Consecutive Interpreting II
CHN7003 Translating I (module leader)
SML7000 Information Technology for T&I (module leader)
CHN8035 Chinese-English Subtitle and Video Game Translation (module leader)
MA dissertation/project supervision
PhD supervision
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Article
- Callicott JB, Chen YY(co-trans.). 保育價值與倫理學[Conservation Values and Ethics]. 鵝湖學誌(Legein Society) 2002, 25, 145-188.
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Authored Books
- Loewen JW, Chen YY (trans.). . Taipei: UnderTable Publisher, 2015.
- Pellatt V, Liu E, Chen YY. . London, UK: Routledge, 2014.
- Chen YY(trans.). . Taipei, Taiwan: Faces Publishing, 2013.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taipei: Faces Publishing, 2012.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taipei: Faces Publishing, 2012.
- Hempton G, Grossmann J, Chen YY (trans). . Taipei: Faces Publishing Ltd, 2011.
- Langer EJ, Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2010.
- Barrett D, Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2010.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 2007.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Trio Publications, CITE Publishing Ltd, 2007.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The China Times Publishing Co, 2006.
- Graham I, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是阿波羅13號太空人[You Wouldn’t Want To Be On Apollo 13!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Malam J, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是長毛象獵人[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Mammoth Hunter!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Hicks P, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是美國西部警察[You Wouldn’t Want To Live In A Wild West Town!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Malam J, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是羅馬格鬥士[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Roman Gladiator!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Malam J, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是海盜船囚犯[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Pirate’s Prisoner!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Green J, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是極地探險家[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Polar Explorer!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Cook P, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是捕鯨船水手[You Wouldn’t Want To Sail on A 19-Century Whaling Ship!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Ford M, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是希臘運動員[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Greek Athlete!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Stewart D, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是埃及木乃伊[You Wouldn’t Want To Be An Egyptian Mummy!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- MacDonald F, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是哥倫布的小水手[You Wouldn’t Want To Sail With Christopher Columbus!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- MacDonald F, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你是中世紀騎士[You Wouldn’t Want To Be A Medieval Knight!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Stewart D, Chen YY(trans.). 如果你搭上鐵達尼號[You Wouldn’t Want To Sail on the Titanic!]. Taipei: Salariya Book Company, 2005.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 2005.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2004.
- Earle SA, Chen YY(trans.). 珊瑚礁[Coral Reefs]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Prager EJ, Chen YY(trans.). 火山[Volcano!]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Choice Publishing Company Ltd, 2004.
- Tomecek S, Chen YY(trans.). 泥土[Dirt]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Prager EJ, Chen YY(trans.). 沙子[Sand]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2004.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2004.
- Heiligman D, Chen YY(trans.). 寶寶[Babies]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Prager EJ, Chen YY(trans.). 地震[Earthquakes]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2004.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 2004.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Choice Publishing Company Ltd, 2003.
- Davis W, Chen YY(co-trans.). 世界的臉譜[Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures]. Taipei: Choice Publishing Company, 2003.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2002.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: Commonwealth Publishing Co, 2001.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Walnut Tree Publishing Co, 2001.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Yuan-Liou Publishing Company, 2001.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 2001.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The EURASIAN Publishing Group, 2000.
- Chen YY(co-trans.). Love愛情. Taipei: Commonwealth Publishing, 2000.
- Chen YY(co-trans.). Happiness快樂. Taipei: Commonwealth Publishing, 2000.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 1999.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 1999.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 1998.
- Chen YY (trans.). . Taiwan: The Commonwealth Publishing Co, 1998.
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Book Chapters
- Chen YY. . In: Huertas-Barros, E; Vandepitte, S; Iglesias-Fernández, E, ed. Quality Assurance and Assessment Practices in Translation and Interpreting. IGI Global, 2019, pp.288-314.
- Chen YY. . In: Pellatt,V;Liu,E;Chen,YY, ed. Translating Chinese Culture: The Process of Chinese-English Translation. Routledge, 2014, pp.151-166.
- Chen YY. . In: Pellatt, V., Griffiths, K., Wu, S.C, ed. Teaching and Testing Interpreting and Translating. Oxford and New York: Peter Lang, 2010, pp.81-95.
- Mench JA, Chen YY(trans.). 農場動物福利 [Farm-Animal Welfare]. In: Bekoff,M;Meaney,CA, ed. 動物權與動物福利小百科[Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare ]. Taipei: Laureate Book, 2002, pp.173-175.
- Waldau P, Chen YY(trans.). 工廠化農場(集約飼養)[Factory Farming]. In: Bekoff,M;Meaney,CA, ed. 動物權與動物福利小百科[Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare ]. Taipei: Laureate Book, 2002, pp.172-173.
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Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
- Chen YY. . In: The Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on TESOL and Translation. 2007, Taiwan: Chang Jung Christian University.