Prof. Weiqing Xiao - When the Co-Teacher Doesn’t Speak Chinese

Prof. Weiqing Xiao, ‘When the Co-Teacher Doesn’t Speak Chinese: A Preliminary Autoethnographic Exploration of Asymmetric Collaboration in Advanced Chinese-English Translation Instruction’

This study explores the collaborative teaching model in the context of “Advanced English-Chinese Translation” (2024) through the lens of autoethnography. The course, which spanned from September to December 2024, was co-taught by the author and Mr. X, a native English speaker with a Ph.D. in Translation from a UK Russell Group university. ( All identifiable information has been anonymized to comply with research ethics.) Unlike previous collaborations with a Chinese-speaking American sinologist, Mr. Y, this partnership involved a non-Chinese-speaking British co-teacher, highlighting the unique dynamics and challenges of such a teaching model. This autoethnographic study investigates the implementation and efficacy of a dual-teacher collaborative model in an advanced English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation course, examining its impact through weekly reflective journals and student course reviews. The research demonstrates that native English-speaking instructors, even without Chinese proficiency, significantly enhance translation pedagogy by improving source text comprehension, offering authentic target language formulations, and mediating cross-cultural interpretation. Student feedback from teaching journals and course review reveals strong endorsement of this innovative approach, with reported increases in engagement and learning outcomes. The instructor partnership dynamically evolved from initial parallel coexistence to convergent and ultimately transformative synergy through sustained interaction, fostering improved coordination. The collaboration generated multidimensional benefits, including enriched academic exchange, elevated teaching quality, and joint scholarly production, such as co-authored works. Strategic incorporation of translation theories—leveraging instructors’ complementary expertise—effectively expanded students’ academic horizons while deepening disciplinary understanding, receiving overwhelmingly positive evaluations. Practical challenges emerged regarding curriculum balancing with instructors lacking Chinese competence or translation expertise, alongside operational considerations like workload distribution and instructional time allocation. The study also addresses methodological considerations in autoethnographic research, emphasizing the importance of triangulating personal reflections with external data sources to enhance validity. Findings contribute to developing innovative pedagogical models for translation education while providing insights into cross-cultural teaching partnerships and professional development opportunities for educators. The case study particularly highlights the adaptability of collaborative models across different instructor pairings, from sinologist partners to translation-specialist Anglophone collaborators. The research further reveals how collaborative teaching facilitates reciprocal professional growth, with experienced instructors mentoring junior colleagues while simultaneously benefiting from fresh academic perspectives. The model’s success in integrating theoretical and practical components suggests its potential applicability beyond translation studies to other disciplines, requiring both technical skills and conceptual understanding. Institutional implications regarding resource allocation and partnership sustainability are discussed, along with recommendations for optimizing collaborative teaching configurations based on instructor competencies and course objectives.

Professor Weiqing XIAO is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), where she also heads the Translation Department. She earned her PhD from SISU and was a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in the United States (2010-2011). Her research focuses on AVT and T&I pedagogy.  She has given presentations at conferences, seminars, and similar events held in China, the UK, the US, and New Zealand. She has presided over one general project and one major sub-project of the National Social Science Fund, completed eight provincial/ministerial-level research projects, published 49 papers in core academic journals, and authored seven academic monographs (in Chinese and English), nine textbooks, and 12 translated works.

All are welcome.

Please register here [LINK: https://ucl.zoom.us/meeting/register/jlQuSWW3QLaQGwalGVxD_A] for the link and updates.