Seminar: Between access and awareness: Machine translation Literacy in migrant workers’ daily lives

 

We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming seminar, hosted by the Research and Impact Initiative on Communication in Healthcare and the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine at The University of Hong Kong!

 

Event Details:

  • Speaker: Professor Narongdej Phanthaphoommee (Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University)
  • Talk Title: “Between access and awareness: Machine translation Literacy in migrant workers' daily lives”

 

Abstract:

Machine translation has become part of everyday migrant life in Thailand, taken up in hospitals, workplaces and official dealings, yet used with little instruction in its limits. Two studies from one programme. This report presents two studies from one programme. here. The first was conducted with fifteen Myanmar migrant workers in Bangkok and Samut Sakhon, whose knowledge of the tool had been gained informally. Reliance upon camera translation was heavy, recognition errors followed from accent variation, and privacy risk was largely unrecognised. Five concepts were derived and made into a training programme, afterwards carried to Mae Sot and delivered to twenty Myanmar teaching assistants at migrant learning centres, who translate for pupils, parents and institutions. The finding shows participants having a decision-making process before translation, trust conditional upon subject matter, and privacy understood as a duty owed to others. Access to translation, it may be argued, is more readily obtained than awareness of what its use entails, a burden that should not rest upon migrant users alone.

 

For enquiries, please feel free to email chm1@hku.hk or riich@hku.hk. We look forward to seeing you!

Additional Content

In an age of generative AI, how can we use digital media to interrogate key aesthetic concepts such as originality and artistic value? Following our call for submissions for the upcoming Visionary Machines exhibition in August, we are pleased to invite you to a hands-on one-day workshop designed to bridge literary studies, digital humanities, and creative technology.

Whether you are interested in learning more about Romanticism, picking up new creative skills, or meeting like-minded collaborators, this workshop offers a supportive space to experiment and create. No programming or technical background required.

 

Visionary Machines: Literary Studies & Art/Tech Workshop

Date: 18 July 2026 (Saturday)

Time: 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Venue: HKU Arts Tech Lab

Admission: Free and open to all students and members of the public (Light lunch included)

 

Workshop Schedule

10:30 | Registration and tea/coffee

11:00 | Introduction – Romanticism and the Machine (Prof. Tara Lee)

11:45 | Creative Prototyping with GenAI

12:30 | Intro to Audio-Reactive Installations

13:00 | Light lunch (provided)

13:30 | Time to Create! Work individually or form groups to brainstorm, draft concepts, and build rough prototypes of your ideas using digital or traditional media. We will provide a custom "Source Kit" containing high-res public domain images, guides to key concepts, and access to generative AI tools to spark your creativity.

15:30 | Showcase & Reflection

 

Exhibition

All workshop participants will be invited to submit their completed works or prototypes to our main Visionary Machines Exhibition (27–30 August 2026), which features prizes worth up to $2,000 HKD.

 

Registration Portal:  https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=107378

Seats are limited; please register early to secure your place.

 

Email us: visma@hku.hk

Follow us on Instagram: @visionarymachines2026

Learn more on our website: https://visionary-machines.github.io/

 

We look forward to collaborating, learning, and creating with you.

Open Call: Visionary Machines: Romanticism & Art/Tech Exhibition

We would like to promote Visionary Machines, an interdisciplinary public engagement project exploring the connections between Romanticism (a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement from the late 18th to the mid-19th century) and our contemporary moment. By showcasing the creative responses of students and artists, we aim to foster a greater understanding of Romanticism’s relevance to present-day concerns around the relationship between humans and technology.

We invite students, researchers, artists, technologists, and interdisciplinary creatives to submit creative works exploring how key ideas from Romanticism (e.g. the sublime, organic form, original genius) can be reinterpreted or subverted through digital mediums to help us navigate the ethical, psychological, and aesthetic dimensions of our current technological moment.

A one-day workshop will be additionally held on 18 July (Sat) to kick-off the open call with an introductory talk exploring the exhibition theme, as well as tutorials on innovative creative tools (more information to follow).

 

Visionary Machines: Romanticism & Art/Tech Exhibition

Exhibition Dates: 27–30 August 2026

Venue: HKU Arts Tech Lab

Admission: Free and open to the public

 

Submission Guidelines

Submissions may encompass a wide variety of media (e.g. illustration, creative writing, creative code, etc.) provided they can be presented or documented as digital images (single or sequential, max. 10 images) or as a video/audio file (max. 4 minutes). Other set-ups can also be considered (e.g. XR/AR/VR) on a case-by-case basis.

Submission Deadline: 2 August 2026 23:59 

 

Awards & Recognition

Top Open Prize worth $2,000 HKD

First Runner-Up Open Prize worth $1,500 HKD

Top Student Prize worth $1,500 HKD

Please note: Prizes are restricted to Hong Kong residents. All selected and exhibiting contributors will receive an official Certificate of Participation, regardless of residency status.

 

Email us: visma@hku.hk

Follow us on Instagram: @visionarymachines2026

Learn more on our website: https://visionary-machines.github.io/

Submit your project: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1HbKYsb6GHI8enY

 

We look forward to receiving your intellectual and creative contributions soon.

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Additional Content

Additional Content

The School of English will be offering a mock lecture in the HKU Arts in the Age of AI: JUPAS Engagement Series. Join us to explore and deepen your interest in English Studies! See you there!

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Mock Lecture — Language, Gender, and Sexuality
Date: June 22, 2026 (Monday)
Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: Room G02, G/F, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU (HKU Station Exit C1)
Speaker: Dr. Vincent Pak

Register here!

Bloomsday and Beyond: In Conversation with Claire-Louise Bennett and Ki Kwok

     

Join acclaimed writers Claire-Louise Bennett and Ki Kwok for an afternoon of readings, reflection and conversation inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses and the enduring legacy of Irish literature. Celebrating not only Joyce’s revolutionary work but also the generations of writers shaped by Ireland’s literary tradition, the event explores how Irish writing travels across languages, cultures, and personal histories. Featuring readings from Ulysses and their own works, Bennett and Kwok will explore the influence of Irish writers on their own creative journeys, alongside conversations on literature, identity and their connections to Ireland.

Presented by the Consulate General of Ireland, HKU School of English and HKU Guild.

Date: June 16, 2026 (Tuesday)

Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Venue: HKU Black Box, Room 54, LG/F, Centennial Campus, HKU (Location map)

Registration is required. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

About Claire-Louise Bennett

Claire-Louise Bennett is the author of Pond (2015), Checkout 19 (2021) and Big Kiss, Bye-Bye (2025). Her work has been shortlisted for a number of prizes, including the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize, and the James Tait Black Award. In 2018 the TLS named her among the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today.

About Ki Kwok

Ki Kwok (郭梓祺) is a Hong Kong writer, educator, and columnist whose work bridges Chinese literature and Irish studies. He earned a BA in Chinese from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MPhil in Irish Writing from Trinity College Dublin, where he studied Samuel Beckett’s political aesthetics. His works include Time Difference (2024), the award-winning Piling Up the Wind trilogy, Untuned Songs (2020), and A Door (2022), and he recently co-founded Typhoonpress with Au Wah Yan.

About Bloomsday & Beyond: Celebrating Ireland, the Island of Writers

Every year on 16 June, Ireland tips its hat, often literally, to one of our most iconic literary figures. Bloomsday celebrates James Joyce’s epic tale Ulysses, which follows Leopold Bloom’s day and night of wandering through Dublin. But it’s also become something more: a tribute to the written word.

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Additional Content

Additional Content

MFA SHOWCASE 2026  X  BLACK BOX MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 LAUNCH

Date and Time: May 16, 2026 (Saturday), 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Admission from 2:15 PM)

Venue: HKU Black Box, Room 54, LG/F, Centennial Campus, HKU

 

HKU BLACK BOX MAGAZINE

Hong Kong’s arts, culture,

and literary review since 2025

 

Issue 2 Launch

As part of the MFA Showcase 2026

FREE ISSUE 2 COPIES*

EXCLUSIVE MERCH*

LIVE PERFORMANCES: SPOKEN WORD, DRAMA, DIGITAL ART

DIALOGUE WITH ESTABLISHED CREATIVES

POST-EVENT RECEPTION

*While supplies last

 

Presented by the MFA in Creative Writing in English & HKU Guild

Published by the School of English

Editor: Dr Antony Huen

 

Enquiries: blackboxmagazine@hku.hk | mfahku@hku.hk

Follow us on Instagram: @hkubbm

 

NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Additional Content

Ready to travel with the School of English and explore the infinite worlds of English Studies? Join us at the HKU JUPAS Information Sessions 2026 to learn more! Our staff members and student ambassadors cannot wait to welcome you on board. See you there!

School of English Information Booth

Date: May 8, 2026 (Fri)
Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU (HKU Station Exit C1)

Mock Lecture — Global Englishes

Date: May 8, 2026 (Fri)
Time: 3:00 – 3:45 pm
Location: Room 4.36, 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU (HKU Station Exit C1)
Speaker: Professor Daniel Weston

Click here or scan the QR code to register for the mock lecture!

 

Additional Content

The School of English would like to invite you to attend our forthcoming Dream Big, Plan Smart Series – Are YOU the right candidate?
 

Date: March 25, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Venue: HKU Black Box, Room 54, LG/F, Centennial Campus, HKU

Speakers: Ms. Eva Chau and Ms. Reina Cheng

In this interactive talk, the speakers, who are experienced HR professionals, will share their front-line experiences in talent acquisition and offer some tips for you to plan smart in your job searches. More information about the talk and the speakers could be found in the poster attached.

Registration with your HKU Student Portal ID is required. Please scan the QR code shown on the attached poster, or click this link https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=105518 to reserve a seat. All HKU students are welcome.

We look forward to seeing you at the talk!

 

Launch of Hong Kong Literary Review

Date: March 5, 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Venue: HKU Black Box, Room 54, LG/F, Centennial Campus, HKU (Location map)

You are warmly invited to the launch of Hong Kong Literary Review, a new journal of bold, original writing from Hong Kong and beyond.

The inaugural issue, Voices, showcases a dynamic range of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry attuned to the urgencies of our time — from the shifting conditions of storytelling in an AI‑inflected world to the enduring human experiences of grief, memory, and desire.

The evening will open with remarks from Editor‑in‑Chief Maria Chaudhuri, followed by a keynote talk by renowned author Xu Xi on why literary journals matter — for writers, for readers, and for the cultural life we build together. A Q&A and reception will follow.

Presented by the HKU School of English, in collaboration with The HKU Guild and the English Society, as part of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2026.

We would be delighted to have you join us for this special evening celebrating new writing and the launch of this exciting addition to Hong Kong’s literary landscape.

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and advance registration is required.

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-introducing-voices-hong-kong-literary-review-debuts-at-hkilf-tickets-1981827558577?aff=odcleoeventsincollection&keep_tld=1 (FULL)