Newsletter No. 6

CUHK Newsletter Mr. Chou Chi Ken ...a good Chinese Secretary mustbeabletowrite succinctlyin a style appropriate to the occasion. Wordiness is to be avoided andtranslationshould neveread likea translation....' Mr. Chou's association with the University can be traced back to 1956 when he was still a student of New Asia College. He was offered a job by the college upon his graduation and has served the University since. Unlike Mr. Sheung, Mr. Chou's duties in New Asia College in the sixties were not confined to written communication in Chinese. In fact they were more administrative in nature: arranging the joint-admissions exercise for the three constituent colleges, timetabling, typing and translation work. Those were also Mr. Chou's busiest days in the University. During that period he worked 326 hours overtime and never had the chance to take enough time-off to compensate for such overtime work. In 1973, Mr. Chou transferred to the Registry and since then his work has had more to do with writing in Chinese. According to Mr. Chou, a good Chinese Secretary must be able to write succinctly in a style appropriate to the occasion. Wordiness is to be avoided and translations should never read like a translation. The best way to improve one's written Chinese, he says, is to read more Chinese classics. According to Mr. Chou, all great masters of the modem Chinese language are well-versed in classical Chinese. As for good handwriting, he shares Mr. Sheung's view that it is an asset to rather than a prerequisite for a competent Chinese Secretary. Mr. Chou has produced numerous documents in Chinese but the one he finds to be most worthy of mention is the Chinese translation of ‘Regulations Governing Full-time Undergraduates' for the University Calendar. New Head for Chung Chi College Dr. Philip Shen has been appointed head of Chung Chi College for a term of four years from 1st August 1990. Dr. Shen graduated from the Philippine Christian College and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1963. He joined CUHK as lecturer in religion in 1962 and was promoted to senior lecturer in 1974. He was also dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1986 to 1989. Dr. Shen has a long association with Chung Chi College. He is amember of the board of trustees of the college and has served on a number of college committees. The New Asia - Yale-in-China Chinese Language Centre will again offer Mandarin and Cantonese Courses to the University's academic and administrative staff and their spouses. From 22nd May to 31st July 1990, the following courses have been tentatively scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday from 2.30 p.m. to 4.15 p.m. at the Fong Shu Chuen Building: (1) Beginner's courses in Mandarin and Cantonese for foreigners (2) Beginner's course in Mandarin for non-Mandarin speakers of Chinese origin (3) Beginner's course in Cantonese for non-Cantonese speakers of Chinese origin The size of each class will be limited and participants will be enrolled on a first-come-first-served basis. Basic tuition fee for each course is HK$ 1,760. The University will subsidize 40 per cent of the tuition fee for all full-time academic and administrative staff, as well as their spouses, who are expected to be with the University for at least two years, and who are not receiving a language study subsidy from any other source. For enrolment, please contact the Chinese Language Centre at Ext 2681-3 before 19th May 1990. 7