I.
IntroductionThe information contained in this paper is extracted from the Graduate Employment Survey of 1997 to answer the following questions about Translation majors : -
II. Employment Situation in 1997
Of the 79 respondents who reported to major in Translation, 82% (or 65 graduates) were in full-time employment within six months of graduation. 8.8% (or 7 graduates) were still looking for full-time employment at the time of the survey. 7.6% (or 6 graduates) went on for further studies. (Table 1)
Translation |
HKU Overall* |
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Total |
Male |
Female |
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‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
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No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
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| No. of respondents | 79 |
100 |
46 |
100 |
4 |
100 |
2 |
100 |
75 |
100 |
44 |
100 |
2272 |
100 |
2139 |
100 |
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| F/T employed | 65 |
82.3 |
43 |
93.5 |
3 |
75.0 |
2 |
100 |
62 |
82.7 |
41 |
93.2 |
1829 |
80.5 |
1743 |
81.5 |
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| P/T employed seeking F/T job | 2 |
2.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2.7 |
0 |
0 |
37 |
1.6 |
34 |
1.6 |
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| Unemployed seeking F/T job | 5 |
6.3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
6.7 |
0 |
0 |
53 |
2.3 |
34 |
1.6 |
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| Further studies | 6 |
7.6 |
3 |
6.5 |
1 |
25.0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
6.7 |
3 |
6.8 |
339 |
14.9 |
314 |
14.7 |
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| Emigration/home country | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0.2 |
6 |
0.28 |
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| Not seeking F/T job | 1 |
1.3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1.3 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0.4 |
8 |
0.4 |
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Table 1. Employment situation
* HKU overall refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
III. Further Studies
Four graduates who pursued postgraduate studies were enrolled in local tertiary institutions, while one graduate went to U.K. Of these, three graduates took up a M.Phil. programme and one graduate took up a Master (coursework) in the same discipline as their first degree. (Tables 2 & 3)
Academic Programmes |
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| Field of Study | M.Phil. |
Master (Coursework) |
| Arts | 3 |
1 |
No Response =2
Table 2. Academic programmes
| Source of Finance | No. of Graduates |
| Own Fund | 2 |
| Teaching Assistantship/Studentship | 3 |
No Response = 1
Table 3. Source of finance for further studies
IV. Time Taken to Secure Employment
Among those graduates who were in full-time employment, 92% secured their first job offer before the end of August. The percentage increased to 100% by the end of December. On average, the 1997 Translation graduates took shorter time to secure employment than their predecessors in the previous year. (Figure 1).
V. Employment Sectors
52% (or 34 graduates) of the 1997 Translation graduates were employed in commerce and industry, followed by 26% (or 17 graduates) in the education sector and 20% (or 13 graduates) in the civil service. The remaining 1.5% (or 1 graduate) joined the community, social and personal services. (Figures 2 & 3)
VI. Basic Salary and Gross Income
In general, the average income of the 1997 Translation graduates was higher than that of their predecessors in the previous year. (Table 4)
Basic Salary |
Gross Income |
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Translation |
HKU Average* |
Translation |
HKU Average* |
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‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
|
| Mean | $15,512 |
$13,697 |
$15,749 |
$14,457 |
$16,330 |
$14,335 |
$17,552 |
$15,902 |
| Median | $15,000 |
$11,790 |
$12,500 |
$12,000 |
$16,292 |
$12,450 |
$14,521 |
$13,542 |
| Minimum | $7,000 |
$8,000 |
$4,400 |
$3,000 |
$9,245 |
$8,667 |
$5,000 |
$5,500 |
| Maximum | $28,910 |
$27,000 |
$59,000 |
$55,000 |
$28,910 |
$27,000 |
$74,000 |
$60,000 |
Table 4. Basic salary and gross income
* HKU average refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
VII. Number of Full-Time Job Offers
Of those in full-time employment, 72% of the graduates had more than one job offer. 38% reported having received three to eight or more job offers. (Figure 4)
VIII. Names of Employers and Job Titles
The job titles of the Translation graduates in full-time employment and the names of their employers are listed below.
Employers : |
Job Titles : |
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| CIVIL SERVICE - | ||
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| EDUCATION - | ||
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| COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY - | ||
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No Response = 8
Table 5. List of employers and job titles
Note: Some alumni have indicated willingness to talk to individual students about their work. Their contact telephone number can be obtained from counsellors at CEPC.
IX.
Similar information on graduates from other disciplines of study are available for reference in the Careers Library. Please enquire with the CEPC.Careers Education and Placement Centre
3/F Wong Chuang Lai Wah Building
Meng Wah Complex
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
Telephone : 2859 2314
Fax : (852) 2559 5238
E-Mail : CEPC@HKUCC.HKU.HK
Homepage : http://www.hku.hk/cepc
Opening Hours : Monday - Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Margaret Lee
Nelson Yip
June, 1998
The analysis is based on information provided by the respondents, and the Careers Education & Placement Centre should not be held responsible for any errors arising therefrom.
No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by whatever means,
without written permission from the Director of the Careers Education and Placement Centre,
The University of Hong Kong