Future Scope 2014 Education Fair

Future Scope 2014 Education Fair

Future Scope Education Fair 2014 is a quest to provide every student the solution and guidance towards choosing the right career. Consisting of seminars, a counsellors forum & career advisors, the fair aspires to guide students to choose the right institution and course in line with their future aspirations.

More information can be found at: http://futurescope.co.in

ACCC signs agreement to support skills development in India

Source: Association of Canadian Community Colleges via Academica | February 24, 2014

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) has signed an agreement with India’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to develop projects and programs to promote the development of needed skills in India. “Initiatives under this [agreement] will be based on the transfer of knowledge from Canada’s colleges, institutes and polytechnics, which are experts in providing career-focused education for employment,” says ACCC CEO Denise Amyot. “Colleges and institutes create economic opportunities for Canadians and ACCC is pleased to assist India in addressing the challenges of its own skills gap.” ACCC will support the objective of India’s National Skills Policy: to provide required workforce and skills development for 500 million people by 2022.

TCS Insights: Such cooperation between nations will allow India to address its current skills gap and achieve their workforce development goals in the years to come. Canadian colleges create opportunities for citizens and the ACCC aims to bring such benefits to India.

IITs Find A Place In 2014 World Ranking

Source: Times of India | February 26, 2014

COIMBATORE: IIT-Delhi, IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay have found a place in the subject-wise ranking for the year 2014 released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a leading world university ranking agency, in the city on Tuesday.

Under the civil and structural engineering subject, IIT-M and IIT-B have been ranked as 49 and 50 respectively. Similarly, under the electrical and electronic subject, IIT-D and IIT-B have been ranked as 42 and 489 respectively. For material science, Indian Institute of Science has been awarded 46th place.

The rank list was released during a higher education summit held at the city-based Amrita University. The event was initiated by The Economic Times. Ben Sowter, the head of QS Intelligence Unit, said that the rankings were based on three criteria – academic reputation, employer reputation and citations per paper.

TCS Insights: With Indian institutions focusing more on increasing their reputation in global rankings, these IIT campuses look to set a trend that will continue across the country for years to come.

UK Takes Notice of Canada’s International Education Strategy

Source: Times Higher Education via Academica | February 20, 2014

As part of Canada’s new federal campaign to increase the number of international students to 450,000 by 2022, marketing efforts are directly targeting countries such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam, promoting the broad recognition of Canada’s PSE credentials, the comparatively safe, welcoming and multicultural society and the possibility of immigration, along with the relative affordability of tuition. A recent piece in Times Higher Education reports that in many countries, “There is no awareness that Canada has world-class educational establishments,” a problem that the marketing campaign hopes to address. Gail Bowkett, Director of Research and International Relations for the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, notes that “it is very much about building awareness and building your brand and making those mobile students aware of the value proposition.” Another facet of the marketing campaign is to portray Canada’s cold weather as a positive to students from warmer countries that may be turned off by the thought of the snow and ice. “It’s about a whole new experience and opening up new experiences – in a whole new climate.”

TCS Insights: The improved Canadian strategy to increase the size of their international student body has begun to garner attention around the world. By making more people aware of the quality of Canadian educational facilities, the country should be able to establish its reputation in new markets while bringing in young minds from abroad.

Maritime Enrolment Held Steady By Out-of-Region, International Students

Source: MPHEC News Release | February 25, 2014

A report released this week by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC) reveals that 70,433 students were enrolled in Maritime universities in 2012-13. While the overall number of students remains steady compared to the year before, the last 10 years have seen the number of Maritimers enrolled decrease by 12%. Over the same time period, the number of Canadians from outside the Maritimes enrolled has increased by 28%, and the number of international students has doubled, shows the report. In PEI, the number of undergraduate students enrolled has increased by 20% over 10 years, but fell by 2.5% over the past year. Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia the number of undergraduate students increased by 4% over 10 years, and 1% over one year; in New Brunswick, the number of undergraduate students decreased by 12% over 10 years, and 1% over one year.

TCS Insights: The amount of international students choosing to study in the Maritimes is on the rise. Specifically, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have witnessed overall enrolment numbers rise over the last decade while New Brunswick has made improvements when compared to years prior.

Letter of Intent Between Canada and India

Source: Business Standard | February 27, 2014

India and Canada have inked a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on research exchanges to increase student mobility between the two countries.

The agreement was formalised by Mitacs CEO Arvind Gupta and Additional Secretary Amita Sharma, representing the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

“This LOI represents the start of a long and fruitful collaboration which will see exceptional students travelling between our two countries to promote research, share perspectives and build joint R and D capacity,” said Dr. Gupta.

Launched in 2008, the Mitacs Globalink program has brought top international undergraduate students to Canada for summer research internships.

In the first six years of the program, over 800 students have come to Canada.

On January 15, 2014, the Government of Canada announced USD 13 million in funding for Mitacs in its International Education Strategy, enabling Mitacs to launch new initiatives to provide research and training opportunities for Canadian students in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam.

TCS Insights: Students looking to carry out research while experiencing a new country will be afforded more opportunities to as a result of this letter of intent. Hundreds of students have already gained from the partnership between these two countries and this trend will continue to rise as mobility becomes easier.

More Needs To Be Done For Enrolment in Higher Education: President

Source: Times of India | February 22, 2014

CHENNAI: Observing that India has made a good improvement on the enrolment in higher education, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said however more have to be done in this regard as countries like the US and Germany were far ahead in number. He said that enrolment ratio has increased from point six per cent to seven per cent but, we still have to be kept in mind that India was still behind nations like Germany and the US, whose enrolment ratios stood at 27 per cent and 37 per cent respectively. In his address at the first convocation of Indian Maritime University here, Mukherjee also urged the students to serve the society alma mater and the country.,/span>

TCS Insights: With college and university enrolment numbers on the rise, President Mukherjee remains focused on closing the gap between India and different western countries. Students would do well to become involved in their schools and still contribute to its success after graduation.

PSE Institutions Must Take International Student Mental Health Into Consideration

Source: Canadian Bureau of International Education via Academica | February 13, 2014

Queen’s University Principal Daniel Woolf suggests in a recent blog that as PSE institutions increasingly aim to increase their international student populations they should make sure they are aware of the unique mental health needs of these students. Woolf points out that these international students can suffer from homesickness, language barriers, isolation and perceptions of not belonging. He also suggests that while Canadian students are increasingly open about mental health issues and more likely to confide in friends or university staff, international students may not be; “as such, they may well be harder for the system to ‘catch’ before they find themselves in serious trouble,” says Woolf. These issues must be taken into account when institutions plan for international student enrolment, he concludes.

TCS Insights: While many students are effected by their transition to life attending college or university, international students may have the most to cope with. Institutions must be aware of this when recruiting international students so that they can offer proper services should students find themselves in need during their studies.

Pearson Launches Open Badge Platform

Pearson Launches Open Badge Platform

Source: Pearson News Release via Academica | February 13, 2014

The Pearson [CIEC Academic Member] publishing company has launched an open badge platform called Acclaim, which will allow PSE institutions to recognize student achievements and learning outcomes with badges that can be shared online. Acclaim will use the Mozilla Open Badge standard, and will work with academic institutions and credentialing organizations to offer diplomas, certificates and other professional credentials as open badges. “Open badge-earners have complete control to display them wherever they choose—on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, a blog, or website—to prove their credentials,” reads a Pearson news release. “This allows potential employers to quickly and easily verify the qualifications of job applicants.”

TCS Insights: By using online badges to represent student achievement, Pearson is making it easier for students to prove their credentials to prospective employers and educational institutions alike. Students pursuing opportunities in new parts of the world will quickly be able to prove their past accomplishments without needing to request transcripts from previous schools.

Students to Be Connected Through Cloud Services

Source: Times of India | February 21, 2014

Guwahati: Students in Assam will soon be connected via cloud services, announced state education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here on Thursday. 
 
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an event to distribute Netbooks among students under a government-sponsored programme, Sarma said that the education department is also aiming at providing internet connectivity for students in all colleges across the state to keep them updated. 
 
“We are planning to connect all the students who have got laptops and Netbooks through cloud services. Only then can the government’s initiative of providing laptops and Netbooks to students be fully effective,” said Sarma. 
 
The state government has been awarding free Netbook computers and laptops to students who have passed matriculation with 50 per cent or more marks. He said that plans to connect students with cloud services are aimed at keeping them in constant touch with the latest developments in the education department. 
 
“After the students are connected via cloud, we will be able to send them timely updates related to examinations and study routines and even send them study material,” the minister said. Cloud computing, which is a process of running a program or application over many computers connected by a network, will benefit thousands of matric passouts who have received laptop computers and Netbooks from the state government. Sarma said connecting the students through cloud services features in the state’s annual plan this year.

TCS Insights: The Indian government is achieving their goal of keeping Assam students connected to their studies by making portable computers accessible to an increasing number of students. Through this upgrade to the education system, students will have more access to course material and information than ever before.

Governor General to Undertake State Visit to the Republic of India

Source: Consulate General of Canada News Release | February 19, 2014

OTTAWA—At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston will conduct a State visit to the Republic of India, from February 22 to March 2, 2014.

“Sharon and I are looking forward to our State visit to India, which will be centred on the themes of innovation, entrepreneurship and education, with a special focus on the contributions of women and girls,” His Excellency said. “This visit is a reflection of the importance Canada attaches to its relationship with India. Both of our countries are committed to strengthening our partnership and co-operation. The Canada-India economic relationship is strong and holds tremendous potential for broader and expanded collaboration. During our time spent in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, we will meet with government officials, representatives from the business and education sectors, and those from non-governmental organizations with the aim of advancing our economic, academic and cultural ties with our Indian counterparts.”

His Excellency will be joined by parliamentarians and an accompanying delegation of Canadians who will enhance business, academic, cultural and people-to-people ties with their Indian counterparts. These exchanges will further develop the wide-ranging and multi-faceted relationship with India, a major economic player and priority market for Canada, and will provide greater impetus to bilateral initiatives in various sectors, particularly in strategies promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and education.

State Visit to India: New Delhi (February 22 to 25)

In the capital city of New Delhi, Their Excellencies will be officially welcomed by the President and Prime Minister of India during a welcoming ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Presidential Palace. To underscore the important friendship and co-operation between both countries, and on behalf of the people of Canada, Their Excellencies will present an inuksuk to the people of India.

During this visit, His Excellency will meet with Canadian and Indian business leaders to discuss our nations’ economic relationship at a business meeting with the Chambers of Commerce hosted by the Government of India, and at the Canada-India CEO Forum. The Governor General will also discuss the role of innovation in addressing global health challenges during the Grand Challenges Global Health Innovation Roundtable, organized by Grand Challenges Canada.

Her Excellency will discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by women researchers supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and also by women entrepreneurs. She will also visit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing education to underprivileged children, and free services to children diagnosed with cancer.

State Visit to India – Bangalore (February 26 and 27)

In Bangalore, Their Excellencies will meet with the Governor of Karnataka. They will visit the All India Coordinated Small Millets Improvement Project—created by IDRC and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) at the University of Agricultural Sciences, in Bangalore—as well as inaugurate the new consulate general, which will oversee Canada’s expanded presence in South India.

His Excellency will discuss the importance of skills development in further building connections between Canadian and Indian institutions during a panel discussion, and participate in a Canada-India discussion on innovation hosted by the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and the National Innovation Council of India.

Her Excellency will visit NGOs dedicated to helping children with HIV and to supporting Indian women entrepreneurs.

State Visit to India – Mumbai (February 27 to March 2)

While in Mumbai, Their Excellencies will meet with the Governor of Maharashtra, and pay their respects at a memorial to the 32 victims of the November 2008 terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. During a visit to Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Asia, Their Excellencies will see, first-hand, examples of India’s deep-seated entrepreneurship and various micro-businesses. They will also discuss the future of audiovisual co-production between Canada and India at Film City, one of the largest shooting locations in India.

In addition, His Excellency will have the opportunity to open the stock market at the Bombay Stock Exchange, and witness the inauguration of BIL-Ryerson DMZ India Ltd., an incubation centre for entrepreneurs supported in partnership with the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, Ryerson University and Simon Fraser University. He will also address innovators and entrepreneurs at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay; business leaders at the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber Annual Convention; and the heads of various educational institutions to exchange views on skills development and the future of education in India.

Her Excellency will meet with women leaders from the private and public sectors, civil society and academia on the status of women in India, and visit a strategic philanthropy NGO co-founded and co-managed by an Indo-Canadian. She will also meet with social workers and volunteers who prevent second-generation trafficking among the children of sex workers in Asia’s largest and oldest red-light district.

Visits abroad by a governor general play an important role in Canada’s relations with other countries. They are highly valuable as they help broaden bilateral relations and exchanges among peoples.

Members of the public can follow the Governor General’s State visit to the Republic of India online at www.gg.ca, where speeches, photos and videos will be posted.

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The detailed itinerary and a list of accompanying delegates will be published at a later date.

Media information:

Marie-Ève Létourneau                                               Rideau Hall Press Office 613-998-0287 [email protected]

69% of 2005 bachelor’s entrants completed PSE credential in BC by 2011

69% of 2005 bachelor’s entrants completed PSE credential in BC by 2011

Source: Government of British Columbia | December 2013

A new study of 12,508 students who entered BC bachelor’s programs in fall 2005 reveals that 69% of students completed a credential of some kind by fall 2011, and that 93% achieved the credential they initially entered – a bachelor’s degree. The Student Transitions Project also showed that 23% of these students were still registered in a PSE institution in BC in 2011. These students who are still attending PSE are, on average, more mobile among BC institutions than those students who completed a credential within 6 years, or those who didn’t continue studying at a BC institution. The study is produced by a partnership between BC’s education and advanced education ministries and public PSE institutions.

TCS Insights: Undergrad students in British Columbia who began completing their degrees in 2005 were found to have completed their studies by 2011, with 93% of them acquiring the Bachelor’s degree they originally set out to achieve. Institutions in the province have displayed their dedication to providing as many of their students with a valuable educational experience as possible.

Global Job Offers Double for IIM Bangalore Graduates

Source: Times of India | February 18, 2014

BANGALORE: It’s a windfall for the class of 2012-14 at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore. Bucking negative trends, 388 students received 425 job offers from 150 companies during the final placement season. And compared to last year, international placements offered to the students doubled, from 20 to 41. This year, the B-school saw its biggest ever postgraduate programme in management (PGP) batch.

The pre-placement offers poured aplenty with 117 students receiving offers prior to the start of the final placements, which is 20% higher than last year.

The lateral placement season for candidates with more than 22 months of work experience broke all records with 127 offers made by firms in varied domains like strategy , leadership, product management , consulting and general management . Nine candidates chose to join social ventures.

The highest number of offers, about 27%, came from the consulting sector. Accenture Management Consulting, with 13 offers, was the top recruiter in this segment this year; McKinsey and Co. and the Boston Consulting Group had 11 each.

Average hike: The average salary offered this year is Rs 19.5 lakh per annum, 13.3% more than the Rs 17.2 lakh offered in 2013

Top sectors: Consulting 27% Banking & finance 19% IT & technology 17% General management 14%

Key recruiters: Amazon, Samsung, IBM, Coca-Cola , PepsiCo, Reliance Industries Ltd and Flipkart

Foreign companies flock to IIMB: Germany-based incubator Rocket Internet hired exclusively from IIMB for the first time, offering an international role for one candidate. Another firsttime recruiter was LinkedIn.

Sankarshan Basu, chairperson of Career Development Services, IIMB, said usually final placements take place during March. This year it was advanced by three weeks. Two students opted out of the placement process, with one wanting to pursue research and the other seeking to explore opportunities with his previous employer.

There is a rise in salary package over last year. This year the average salary is Rs 19.5 lakh per annum and the median salary, Rs 17.3 lakh. Last year, they were Rs 17.2 lakh and Rs 15.5 lakh, respectively. Ankit Rustogi, students’ placement representative , said the highest salary packages were offered by general management and financial services sector.

TCS Insights: Students of IIMB found success after graduation with many graduates quickly earning job offers, including international placements. Industries that have seeked IIMB graduates include Management, IT, Consulting, Banking and Finance. With the average annual salary offered having increased from last year, graduates look to gain as much from foreign companies as these firms hope to gain from their new employees.

Federal Budget Includes Funding for Research, Internships, Training

Source: Government of Canada Release | February 11, 2014

Canada’s 2014 federal budget tabled on Tuesday includes a new Canada First Research Excellence Fund, which will provide $1.5 billion over 10 years for university research, starting with $50 million in 2015-16. Universities and PSE associations from across the country are welcoming the new funding. The budget also pledges an increase of $46 million annually to research granting agencies such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and $40 million to support up to 3,000 full-time internships for PSE graduates in high-demand fields. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is applauding the budget measure that will see the value of a student-owned vehicle removed from the student loan eligibility consideration, which will add an estimated $8 million in aid for students each year. The budget also includes a Canada Apprentice Loan that provides apprentices registered in Red Seal trades access to over $100 million in interest-free loans each year, and the Flexibility and Innovation in Apprenticeship Technical Training pilot project that will expand the use of innovative approaches for apprenticeship technical training. The government has also pledged $10 million over 2 years for colleges to do social-innovation research with community organizations.

TCS Insights: The Canadian government has ensured that post-secondary institutions will have the opportunity to make significant strides for years to come. Students entering Canadian educational facilities, from abroad or domestically, will be able to benefit from increased financial aid as well as funding for research grants and apprenticeships.

BC Introduces International Student Regulations to Comply with Federal Plan

Source: BC News Release | February 6, 2014

The British Columbia government has announced new requirements that require PSE institutions accepting international students in study programs of longer than 6 months to have BC’s Education Quality Assurance (EQA) designation. A BC news release says the requirement will be phased in over the next 18 months to give institutions time to acquire the designation, which will entail “establishing quality assurance standards—including having a transparent tuition refund policy.” The regulations are in response to the federal government’s new program within the International Education Strategy, which requires all provinces and territories to develop a list of PSE institutions eligible to host international students for study programs of longer than 6 months.

TCS Insights: BC aims to assure students coming to Canada from abroad that their educational facilities are of high quality by forcing them to earn this designation. Institutions will have to meet various standards in areas such as programs and tuition refund policy so international students will be better informed when choosing where to study.

Poll Says NS Middle-Income Earners Would Pay Higher Taxes for Lowered Tuition

Poll Says NS Middle-Income Earners Would Pay Higher Taxes for Lowered Tuition

Source: Metro News | February 5, 2014

A survey by the Nova Scotia Post-Secondary Education Coalition says that 71% of Nova Scotians who make between $40,000 and $70,000 a year would pay higher taxes if they knew the money went towards lowering university and college tuition. The poll, which surveyed 800 people in December, also reveals that more Nova Scotians say they were concerned about PSE and health care (at 65%) than taxation (64%) or crime (39%). According to Metro News, the coalition—which is comprised of NS student, faculty and public employee associations—plans to meet with Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan to advocate for a 15% tuition decrease at NS universities and colleges. The poll has a margin of error of 3%, 19 times out of 20.

TCS Insights: This research demonstrates the dedication that those in Nova Scotia have to making an affordable higher education possible. Such commitment to providing students with better opportunities helps the province stand out as an educational destination in Canada.

New Multiple-Entry Visas to Benefit Foreign Students

Source: Canada News Release | February 3, 2014

The Canadian government has announced that visitors to Canada will be automatically considered for a multiple-entry visa for 6 months at a time, for up to 10 years, without having to reapply, which will make it easier for international students to visit home. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) applauded the move. “CASA has been calling on the government to provide multiple-entry visas to students and we’re happy these changes are being made,” says CASA Chair Amanda Nielsen. “Improving the clarity of visa applications will help government reach the goal of increasing Canada’s international student population.” Canada recently launched its new International Education Strategy, sparking considerable discussion within the PSE sector.

TCS Insights: In the Government of Canada’s new strategy for international education it is explained that visitors to the country, international students included, will be able to travel to and from Canada with more ease than before. By granting students opportunities to return to their home countries while attending post-secondary institutions, the government aims to convince more international students to choose Canada as an educational destination.

MUN Receives $1.98 million for Geophysics Education and Research

Source: MUN News Release | January 31, 2014

Memorial University has received a $1.98-million donation from Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd (HMDC), and will use the money to create a new fund to enhance geophysics education and research. The endowment will also allow MUN to purchase specialized equipment for geophysical exploration and its geophysics laboratories, and create a new guest-speaker series that will host up to 3 geophysical experts annually for the next 3 years. Earlier this year, HMDC provided an additional $420,000 in funding to support the university’s development of a new environmental geology and geophysics field school.

TCS Insights: Aspiring geophysics students are being afforded new opportunities at Memorial University as this field of study is expanding with new labs and equipment. Students will now also be able to conduct field research; an experience that will prove valuable to both domestic and international students looking to spend time in real-life work environments.

BC Contributes $4.5 million to Heavy-Duty Transportation Training Centre

BC Contributes $4.5 million to Heavy-Duty Transportation Training Centre

Source: BCIT News Release | February 3, 2014

The British Columbia government is providing $4.5 million to allow the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Vancouver Community College (VCC) to create a new Motive Power Centre, which will house heavy-duty transportation programs from both institutions. BCIT says the new centre will create partnership opportunities for BCIT, VCC and prospective employers, while also providing the physical space to allow industry to participate in the centre. “Around 43% of the one million jobs expected to open by 2020 will require trades or technical training,” says BC Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk. “Co-locating two existing heavy-duty transportation programs into one centre will benefit students, industry and employers.” The 142,000-square-foot facility is set to open to students in September 2014.

TCS Insights: Through the creation of the Motive Power Centre, the province of BC is preparing both domestic and international students for the heavy-duty jobs in the transportation industry that are expected to arise in the near future.

WesternU Releases New Strategic Plan

Source: WesternU News Release | January 31, 2014

Western University [CIEC Academic Member] has released its new strategic plan, Achieving Excellence on the World Stage, which was approved by the university board of governors and senate. The plan includes 4 strategic priorities: creating a world-class research and scholarship culture; providing Canada’s best education for “tomorrow’s global leaders;” engaging alumni, community, institutional and international partners; and generating and investing new resources in support of excellence. The plan also focuses on raising WesternU’s profile “among globally pre-eminent universities.” High-level targets in this area include increasing international undergraduate student enrolment to at least 15% and domestic out-of-province student enrolment to at least 10% of the undergraduate student body, and doubling the number of academic departments, schools and faculties that rank among the world’s top 100 universities in major international surveys.

TCS Insights: Western University has begun the process of improving their standing on the global stage with the introduction of their plans for the future. While aiming to collaborate with more international partners and establish a globally recognized research environment, Western will look to recruit students from around the world as well. This represents an opportunity for students from outside of Canada who are looking to be a part of an institution on the rise.

Canada Launches New Mining Institute at UBC

Source: Vancouver Sun | January 30, 2014

The Canadian government has formally launched the Canadian International Institute for Resource Extraction and Development, and its first order of business is to pilot a project to train small-scale miners in improved techniques. The institute’s Executive Director, Bern Klein, says the project capitalizes on research done in the mining school at the University of British Columbia, one of 3 academic partners in the institute along with Simon Fraser University [CIEC Academic Member] and École Polytechnique de Montréal. “The resource sector is a necessity,” said UBC VP Research John Hepburn. “So, unless you’re willing to give up your toys like [the iPhone], we do need the ores and minerals that we extract and that are in demand for all of our products.” In fall 2012, the 3 academic partners were given $25 million to create the institute.

TCS Insights: Growth in the mining industry has made the establishment of this institution much needed.  Academic partners from across Canada are uniting to educate those interested in the resource sector so that improved methodology can be taught to students and spread throughout this expanding industry over time.

uWaterloo’s Velocity startups raise more than $100 million

Source: uWaterloo News Release | January 29, 2014

Start-ups in the the University of Waterloo’s Velocity entrepreneurship incubator program have raised more than $100 million in funding in the 5 years since the initiative was launched. The investments received include funding from venture capitalists, angel investors, government programs, grants from the Velocity Fund, and crowd-funding website Kickstarter. Velocity’s Pebble, the makers of a “smart watch,” raised $10 million on Kickstarter in 2012. Velocity’s milestone announcement follows the launch of the provincial government’s new Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund, which aims to drive private-sector investment in Canadian companies in the early to middle stages of growth.

TCS Insights: Students with small businesses participating in the uWaterloo Velocity program are being provided with opportunities to reach their entrepreneurial goals through the aid of a variety of sources.  Both the university and the Ontario provincial government continue to display a commitment to developing entrepreneurs.

Global Declaration on The Future of Internationalizing PSE

Source: University World News | January 18, 2014

More than 20 international education organizations from around the world gathered in South Africa recently to attend a global dialogue with the “express purpose of investigating whether and how higher education internationalization might be made more globally equitable, value-driven and collaborative and how practitioners might go about shaping its future agenda and harmonizing their efforts.” Participants agreed on an official declaration that identifies 3 areas of development, including “Enhancing aspects of quality and diversity in programmes involving the mobility of students and academic and administrative staff; Increasing focus on the internationalization of the curriculum and of related learning outcomes; and gaining commitment on a global basis for the creation of equal and ethical higher education partnerships.” Canada was represented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).

TCS Insights: The CBIE joined 19 other groups from around the world to determine the worth and how to improve the experience of an international education.  This is important as the meeting addressed the transfer of students and faculty around the world while giving programs a more international focus.  As a result of this dialogue, international students will be able to better transition into institutions globally.

Translating Culture vs. Cultural Translation

Source: Hindi Center

Contact: Ravi Kumar, President – Indian Translators Association, 613-707-1349; [email protected]

Harish Trivedi, Professor at University of Delhi, highly appreciates the fact that over last two or three decades, translation and translation studies have become a more visible, more prolific and more respectable activity than ever before.

Trivedi further links this discipline with post-colonial studies that emerged as an area of studies just a few years before translation studies and both of them have become interactive to each through a series of books in this direction, eg. Siting Translation: History, Poststructuralism and the Colonial Context (1992) by Tejaswini Niranjana, The Poetics of Imperialism: Translation and Colonization from The Tempest to Tarzan (1997) by Eric Cheyfitz, Translation and Empire: Postcolonial Theories Explained (1997) by Douglas Robinson, and Postcolonial Translation: Theory and Practice (1999), a collection of essays edited by Susan Bassnett and Harish Trivedi etc.

Before new development took place, translation remained confined to two different subjects or discipline: linguistics and comparative literature, and remained restricted to substitution of a text in one language for a text in another. But shortly after, it began to be noticed that literary texts were constituted not primarily of language but in fact of culture, language being in effect a vehicle of culture. 

Trivedi recognizes that interaction of language with culture helped translation studies expand its horizons and revitalize the discipline. This helped liberate it from the completely mechanical tool of analysis available in linguistics. The words which proved intractable are often described as being culture specific. For example, words like kurta, dhoti, roti, loochi, dharma, karma, or maya etc.  began to be treated as specific cultural elements very different from their corresponding western near equivalence shirt, trouser, bread, religion, deeds both past and present, or illusion respectively. Slowly not only some words were taken as culture specific but indeed the whole language became specific to the particular culture it belonged to.

Trivedi refers to Susan Bassnett and Andre Lefevere who added cultural dimension to translation studies through their title, ‘the cultural turn in translation studies’ in their book – Translation History and Culture (1990). Trivedi further explains, it was Susan Bassnett who declared death of comparative literature in wake of gaining popularity of post–colonial literature.

Trivedi is concerned with the fact that in parallel there has been growth of Culture Studies – from Eurocentric beginning to International stature- which is like translation studies is interdisciplinary in nature, but of them have failed to interact properly. Susan Bassnett did propose a four point agenda: the way in which different culture construct their images of writers and texts, a tracking of the ways in which text become cultural capital across culture boundaries, and an exploration of the politics of translation, especially of what Lawerence Venuti has called, “ethnocentric violence of translation”, and pooling of the resources.

Trivedi is disappointed with the fact that the cultural turn in translation and culture studies have not come to terms together, maybe because of the fact that translation deals at least between two languages whereas culture studies deals only in one language mainly English. Hence it remains an unfulfilled desire.

Trivedi further moves on to yet another discipline called, “Cultural Translation”. This may not be confused with old fashioned sense of translation that involves domestication of text from source to target language. This sort of cultural translation is yet to find its entry in the encyclopedia and anthologies of translation studies, and that this sort of Cultural translation is a dangerous trend that promotes monolingualism, monoculturalism and wants to convert multicultural and diversified world to a monolithic world.

Trivedi sites some examples of this postcolonial and postmodernist discourse and refers to Homi Bhabha who promotes this trend. Trivedi is critical of Bhabha who in his book, “The Location of Culture (1994)” discusses Salman Rushdie’s novel “Satanic Verses” as an example of cultural translation, inspite of the fact that this mentioned book was written originally in English and read in that language only (not in any other translation). Trivedi called it representation of postcolonial diaspora, and what Bhaba is talking is “Transnational as Translational”. Trivedi rejects this concept and suggests for use of another word in place of translation. It is not translation, it is a process of human migrancy.

Trivedi further sites examples of Hanif Kureishi, a writer born in England with one British and one Indian/Pakistani parents. He has nothing to do with immigrant population as he is by birth British, but he writes on new British immigrant’s communities because he is being paid for it. Thus Trivedi rejects Bhabha’s claim that cultural translation is the need of immigrant population, and asserts that such works are hegemonic western demand and necessity.

Trivedi further sites examples of Jhumpa Lahiri, who was born of Bengali parents in London, grew in America to become an American citizen at age of 18. She has written fiction not about Indians in America, but also some stories about Indians still living in India. She has been criticized for having reflected erroneous and defective understanding of India. She admits that her knowledge of India is limited- the same way- all translations are defective, thus her representation of India is her translation of India. She further elaborates that almost all her characters are translators, insofar as they must make sense to the foreign to survive.

Trivedi is very much worried about use of the word translation with cultural translation as it dilutes the discipline of translation studies. Therefore, he calls for use of other words like migrancy, exile or diaspora with culture to describe such phenomenon, but not the “Translation”.

Trivedi is worried over Susan Bassnett’s statement on Edwin Gentzler’s book, “Contemporary Translation Theories” where she says, “… the book is not only a critical survey but effectively also a translation, it transforms a whole range of complex theoretical material into accessible language”. Trivedi puts his concern by saying, “it is the same language English, in which such theoretical complexity and such accessibility both exist”.

Thus we notice that Trivedi ‘s concern on dilution of the word ‘translation’ with monolingual cultural interpretation of migrant population is quite genuine, and that a careful approach is needed to tackle such dilution process that aims to bury multilingualism, multiculturalism and diversity of culture in name of cultural translation.