Ling Ling

Country: China 
Degree: Master of Arts (Interpreting, Translation and Transcultural Communication)
Faculty: Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

When Ling Ling was looking at international universities, her parents encouraged going to an Australian university to be near her brother in Melbourne. However, Ling had a more adventurous approach to her education and deciding upon the University of Adelaide she enrolled in the Bachelor of Science. After starting her degree, Ling realised that science was not her passion and deciding to take another risk she enrolled in the Masters of Arts (Translation and Transcultural Communication).

"When I first arrived in Adelaide, I didn’t have the full picture of what a Masters degree was like. I sat down with my course coordinators and they gave me the support and information I needed to change courses."

Now in a program that fosters her passions in writing and research, Ling feels confident about her future career after graduation. “The degree program offers students two directions; you can stick to linguistics or Asian Studies with cultural directions, this allows students the freedom to choose.” Ling also notes that the degree feels fresh and is designed to suit student needs rather than a formulated one-size-fits-all course.

“Translation sounds very difficult, but there’s progress and it’s rewarding because it is a challenge. Other students may look at the course online but not understand what the course is about but it’s worth taking a risk. There is time to consider other programs too and once at Adelaide you can change courses if you are passionate about something else.”

When Ling is not studying, she’s travelling through Adelaide’s wine regions for picnics and searching for beautiful places to relax and read. Ling also suggests for future students to take advantage of O’Connell Street in North Adelaide for the “best food in the city”.