Personal profile
Biography
Having read English as his first degree, Dr Chonglong Gu (BA, MA, PhD, PgCAP, FHEA) has a master's degree in Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies (Leeds) and a PhD in Interpreting Studies (Manchester). As an interdisciplinary and socially engaged researcher, his work is located at the intersection of translation/interpreting studies, communication/media studies, sociolinguistics, political science, and Chinese studies and draws on various methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives
Mostly as the sole or first author, his research articles and miscellaneous academic writings have appeared in some of the leading peer-reviewed international journals since 2018/2019 (e.g. SSCI and/or A&HCI indexed). These include journals in translation and interpreting studies (e.g. Target, Perspectives, The Translator, Babel, Linguistica Antverpiensia, Translation and Interpreting Studies), journals in media, journalism, pragmatics, applied linguistics, digital humanities, and intercultural and discursive communication (e.g. Language and Intercultural Communication, Critical Discourse Studies, Journal of Pragmatics, System, Discourse Studies, Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, Applied Linguistics Review as well as Discourse, Context and Media) and beyond. His research has also appeared in various book chapters (e.g. Peter Lang, Routledge, and Springer). In various capacities, Mr Gu's teaching experience in translation and interpreting and English has spanned across different geographical locales, including mainland China, the UK (the University of Liverpool, the University of Leicester, Westminster University, London Metropolitan University, the University of Manchester), and now in the Hong Kong SAR.
Current research foci
Translation and interpreting studies; discourse analysis (critical, positive and multimodal); corpus linguistics; (multilingual) linguistic landscape; media and journalism; crisis and public health communication; Chinese studies
More recently, he has researched into such topics and issues as translation practices, multilingualism, low-end globalisation, ethnic enclaves, and identity in the linguistic landscapes of some of the major global cities and strategic commercial and business hubs as part of the belt and road initiative in our increasingly globalised and (super)diverse societies. These sociolinguistic studies include multilingual Covid-19 communication in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, Xiaobei or 'Little Africa' in Guangzhou, 'Chinatown' in Kathmandu's Thamel area, the Chinese community in Dubai (e.g. Dubai International city and Dragon Mart), the use of the Arabic script in Kuala Lumpur, and Soi Arab (or 'Little Arabia') in central Bangkok. These studies point to how 21st century linguistic landscapes are shaped and jointly constructed by such factors as colonialism, globalisation, neoliberalism, migration, mobility, business and tourism.
His research areas for translation, multilingual and sociolinguistic research include Hong Kong and Macau SAR, China, the Indian subcontinent (e.g. India, Pakistan and Nepal), Thailand, the Malay world (e.g. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei) and the Middle East (e.g. Dubai and Qatar).
Academic background
PgCAP (University of Liverpool, UK)
FHEA (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK)
PhD Interpreting Studies (University of Manchester, Greater Manchester, UK)
MA Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies (University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK)
BA English (Northeast Normal University, China)
Teaching experience
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Assistant Professor in Translation and Interpreting, Hong Kong SAR, China (2021 - now)
University of Liverpool, Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Chinese Translation Studies and MA programme director of Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting, Merseyside, United Kingdom (2019 - 2021)
Westminster University (UK), Leicester University (UK), London Metropolitan University (UK), Manchester University (UK), Harbin Normal University (China) (2013 - 2019)
Editing Experience
Co-guest-editor (special issue), 'New Voices in Translation Studies' (IATIS), special issue dedicated to the topic ‘Negotiating Power in Translation and Interpreting: Agency, Representation, Ideology’.
Co-editor, edited volume Translation as a Set of Frames (Routledge).
Associate editor, The International Journal of Chinese and English Translation & Interpreting (IJCETI) (until september 2024)
Book review editor, The International Journal of Chinese and English Translation & Interpreting (IJCETI) (September 2024 onwards)
Review editor/editorial board member, Frontiers in Psychology (Language sciences)
Research topic editor 'Translation and Interpreting as Communication', Frontiers in Communication
Peer-reviewing experience
Along the way, he has reviewed articles for international journals in the area of translation and interpreting (e.g. Target, Perspectives, The Translator, Translation and Interpreting Studies, New Voices in Translation Studies, The Interpreters' Newsletter) as well as discourse analysis and media/communication (e.g. Journalism, Discourse Studies, Language and Intercultural Communication, and Discourse & Communication) amongst others (e.g. International Journal of Multilingualism, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Cogent Social Sciences, Language and Health, Linguistics Vanguard, SAGE Open, Frontiers in Psychology and Acta Koreana). He has also reviewed book proposals (e.g. Cambridge University Press and Routledge) and various book chapters.
External engagement
External examiner for MA programmes in translation and/or interpreting at the University of Essex since 2020
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
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SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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A piece of Thailand recontextualized in Hong Kong: a linguistic and semiotic landscape account of “Little Thailand” in Kowloon city
Gu, C. & Phanthaphoommee, N. (Corresponding Author), 1 Feb 2026, In: Chinese Semiotic Studies. 22, 1, p. 103-141 39 p.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Open Access -
Capturing mundane everyday grass-roots multilingualism in Yiwu, China
Gu, C., 10 Mar 2026, In: Critical Asian Studies.Research output: Journal article publication › Comment/debate/erratum
Open Access -
Linguistic landscape as a dynamic 'palimpsest': Exploring Kuala Lumpur's urban space as a multilingual, negotiated and contested zone
Gu, C., 1 Apr 2026, Seeing beyond a ‘Chinatown’: Heritage and Identity in Chinese Spaces in Kuala Lumpur. Ding, S. L. & Ng, Y. L. (eds.). Singapore: Palgrave Macmillian, p. 95-129Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceeding › Chapter in an edited book (as author) › Academic research › peer-review
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Orchestrating mobility: a study on the linguistic landscape of the Seac Pai Van Park in Macau through a language-spatial relationships lens
Ma, E.J.-J., Tang, T.-Y. (Corresponding Author) & Gu, C., 9 Apr 2026, In: Chinese Semiotic Studies. 22, 1, p. 75-101 27 p.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Open Access -
Unpacking the “language” of low-end globalization: Grass-roots multilingualism at MBK Center and Indra Square mall in superdiverse Bangkok
Gu, C., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication.Research output: Journal article publication › Journal article › Academic research › peer-review
Prizes
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Faculty Award for Outstanding Performance Achievement 2025 (Services (Team))
Li, D. (Recipient), Hui, M. (Recipient), Li, W. (Recipient), Liu, K. (Recipient), Wu, Z. (Recipient), Cheung, A. (Recipient), Weng, Y. (Recipient), Xu, H. (Recipient), Gu, C. (Recipient) & Ho, W. C. (Recipient), 8 Nov 2025
Prize: Prize (teaching & learning)
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The 3rd UK-China Symposium on Translation Studies
Li, D. (Member of programme committee) & Gu, C. (Member of programme committee)
11 Apr 2025 → 12 Apr 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organizer / committee member
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International Conference on Quantitative Translation and Interpreting Studies in the Age of AI
Li, D. (Chair), Liu, K. (Programme Chair), Cheung, K. F. A. (Programme Co-chair), Xu, H. (Programme Co-chair), Wu, Z. (Member of organizing committee), Gu, C. (Member of organizing committee), Weng, Y. (Member of organizing committee), Chersoni, E. (Member of organizing committee), Li, W. (Member of organizing committee), Hui, T. T. (Member of organizing committee), Wan, M. (Member of organizing committee) & Gu, J. (Member of organizing committee)
6 Jun 2025 → 7 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organizer / committee member
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AI-Driven Dynamics: Charting the Course for Translation and Interpreting Certification, Services, and Education
Hui, M. (Chair), Li, W. (Co-chair), Li, J. (Co-chair), Li, D. (Member of organizing committee), Cheung, K. F. A. (Member of organizing committee), Liu, K. (Member of organizing committee), Wu, Z. (Member of organizing committee), Gu, C. (Member of organizing committee), Xu, H. (Member of organizing committee) & Weng, Y. (Member of organizing committee)
12 Jun 2024 → 13 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organizer / committee member
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Shaping the Future of Translation and Interpreting Studies in a Context of Technological, Cultural and Social Changes
Xu, H. (Chair), Gu, C. (Co-chair), Weng, Y. (Co-chair), Li, D. (Member of organizing committee), Cheung, K. F. A. (Member of organizing committee), Liu, K. (Member of organizing committee), Wu, Z. (Member of organizing committee), Li, W. (Member of organizing committee) & Hui, M. (Member of organizing committee)
14 Jun 2024 → 16 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organizer / committee member
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The 2nd UK-China Symposium on Translation Studies
Li, D. (Member of programme committee) & Gu, C. (Member of programme committee)
15 Sept 2023 → 16 Sept 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organizer / committee member