Introduction to the School of Foreign Languages

The School of Foreign Languages traces its origins to the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Office established in 1978 within the General Education Division of Shandong Jianzhu University. It subsequently developed into the Foreign Language Teaching Department and later the Department of Foreign Languages, before being formally established as the School of Foreign Languages in April 2006. The School currently offers two undergraduate programs that specialize in English and German languages, and a taught Master’s program in Translation and Interpreting (MTI). The undergraduate English program is included in various top-level initiatives, including the project of Shandong Provincial First-Class Disciplines, key university-level programs under the “Prestigious University Construction Project for Application-Oriented Higher Education in Shandong,” and the development of key disciplines at Shandong Jianzhu University. The English programme offers two principal directions represented by Humanities and Intercultural Communication as well as International Business and Professional English, with a special focus on in-depth integration of digital and intelligent technologies, architectural culture, and international legal studies. As a result, the School has established an interdisciplinary training system characterized by the “Foreign Languages + AI + Discipline” model. The German program prioritizes German Language and Literature with a business-oriented focus. The MTI program includes three directions, namely English Translation, English Interpreting, and German Translation.

Currently, there are 104 faculty and staff members, including 7 professors and 41 associate professors. Of the faculty, 26 hold doctoral degrees and 15 are currently pursuing doctoral studies. Over 60 faculty members have overseas study experience. There is also one Outstanding Graduate Supervisor in Shandong province and three Distinguished Teachers in Shandong Jianzhu University. All of our young faculty members hold at least a master’s degree. The School also hires 6 to 7 international teachers for English and German on a yearly basis.

Our curriculum is highlighted by one national first-class course and two provincial first-class courses, as well as four high-quality graduate courses and three exemplary case repositories in Shandong Province. Faculty members of the School have led two key teaching reform research projects in Shandong and more than twenty additional teaching research projects at the provincial and ministerial levels. The School has also received a Second Prize for Outstanding Textbooks in Shandong Higher Education and a Third Prize for Graduate Teaching Achievement in Shandong Province, with one exemplary case being promoted in the education evaluation reform in Shandong. In addition, the School has presented six high-quality and online courses at the university level. Young faculty members have achieved outstanding results in various teaching competitions, with accolades including the Second Prize in the Shandong Provincial Young Teachers’ Teaching Competition; the Outstanding Prize in the National Semi-final and the First Prize in the National Final of the FLTRP “Teaching Star” Competition, as well as a bronze medal in the same competition; the Outstanding Prize in Shandong Province and the Second Prize in the National Final of the SFLEP National Foreign Language Teaching Contest; the Outstanding Prize in the National Final of the Ideological and Political Education Case Competition for Foreign Language Courses; the Second Prize in the National Final of the Ideological and Political Teaching Competition for Foreign Language Courses in Higher Education; and the Second Prize in the National Final of the China Foreign Language Micro-course Competition. In 2025, the School hosted the 16th SFLEP National Foreign Language Teaching Contest (Shandong Provincial Division).

In research, the School is home to one innovation team under the “Youth Innovation Science and Technology Program” of Shandong higher education institutions and one academic research platform of the “Multimodal Big Data Mining Laboratory for International Construction Engineering.” Our faculty members have led and completed seven national-level social science projects (including those funded by the Ministry of Education), one city–university integrated project on the development of a standardized system for cross-border e-commerce talent under the “Integration of Three Chains” initiative (with a total funding of 1 million RMB), two Chinese Academic Translation Projects, and more than twenty provincial and ministerial social science projects. The School has received one Shandong Provincial Humanities and Social Sciences Award and three Outstanding Research Achievement Awards for Higher Education Institutions in Shandong. Additionally, more than 50 academic monographs and translated books, as well as nearly 200 academic papers (with over 20 SSCI and CSSCI-indexed journal articles), have been published by our faculty members.

As of now, there are 875 students enrolled in the School, including 722 undergraduates and 153 postgraduates. Since 2021, the proportion of graduates pursuing further study has steadily increased, exceeding 30% each year. The School has achieved notable results in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions. Specifically, students of this School have won three national silver awards and two bronze awards, as well as six provincial gold awards and six silver awards in competitions such as the “Internet+,” the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, the “Chuangqingchun” youth innovation competition, the “China College Students’ Entrepreneurship Competition,” and the “Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Challenge Cup.” Four projects have been approved at the national level and one at the provincial level in the Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Programme. Wang Ya, a graduate from the Class of 2021, was awarded the title of “Top Ten Entrepreneurial Stars among Shandong College Students.” Students have also received commendations from the Ministry of Education and the Communist Youth League Central Committee for their social participation in the rural revitalization process of Xizang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province. One group was recognized as a provincial outstanding youth team in the “Three Rurals” student social practice program, with two other groups receiving second-class provincial exhibition honors. The School’s Youth League Committee was granted the “May Fourth Red Flag Youth League Committee” status in 2020. In addition, students have consistently achieved excellent results in major competitions such as the FLTRP National English Speaking Contest and the National English Competition for College Students.

Drawing on the strengths of the University’s architecture and civil engineering disciplines, the School has developed a “Foreign Languages+” talent development model, highlighting distinctive pathways such as “English + Architecture,” “English + Localization,” and “German + Business.” The School has established industry–university partnerships with enterprises including Shandong Zhibo Education Technology, Jinan Yiruan Information Technology, and Jinan Dingshang Information Technology, ensuring effective alignment between academic training and industry needs.

In terms of international engagement, the School maintains active partnerships with overseas institutions including the University of California, Riverside; University of Munich (LMU) and Aachen University (RWTH); the University of Aberdeen and the University of Portsmouth; and HELP University in Malaysia.

In terms of social service, the School has established a language service system featuring “Three Centers and One Space,” comprising the Foreign Language Training Service Center, the Translation and Consulting Service Center, the International Development Center, and the Foreign Language Innovation Space. In July 2022, the Foreign Language Training Service Center was certified by the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Commerce as a municipal-level service outsourcing training provider. The School currently hosts an ODE examination center, while TOEFL and other testing centers are under development.

The School of Foreign Languages of Shandong Jianzhu University is committed to developing high-level, interdisciplinary, and application-oriented language professionals with our “Foreign Languages + Discipline” model. We have supplied a large number of versatile graduates to society, with alumni working across fields including education, translation, government, public institutions, foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce, and international engineering. We warmly invite prospective students to join us. Built on the “Foreign Languages + Discipline” model, our program lays the foundation for a future of excellence where international vision meets professional competence, empowering us, students and faculties alike, to write a new chapter for versatile foreign language talents.