Search

International students form an important element of most universities' internationalisation strategies, especially for research and the recruitment of high calibre PhD students (PGRs). Despite the numerous studies of PGRs' post-arrival experiences, there is a major dearth of research into their pre-arrival, application experiences. Given the worldwide competition for high calibre PGRs, along with impact posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and by Brexit for the UK, it is vital for universities to ensure that factors clearly under their control, such as the information on their websites and the way they communicate, are as informative and helpful as possible. In this article, we draw on social media data to examine the challenges and uncertainties that Korean PGR applicants experienced in navigating the process of applying to UK universities. The paper compares their confusions with information available on university websites and recommends a series of points that higher education institutions should check for. It also reveals and discusses issues associated with communication. While the data has been collected from Korean social media websites, we argue that our paper has broader relevance for the following reasons. First, the same fundamental intercultural issues--different educational systems and different background knowledge--apply to PGR applicants from other countries and so their queries are likely to be similar or comparable. Second, the insights gained from social media websites to facilitate the application process and thereby enhance recruitment can usefully be applied to other countries and levels of study, in a way that has rarely been done to date.

International students form an important element of most universities' internationalisation strategies, especially for research and the recruitment of high calibre PhD students (PGRs). Despite the numerous studies of PGRs' post-arrival experiences, there is a major dearth of research into their pre-arrival, application experiences. Given the worldwide competition for high calibre PGRs, along with impact posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and by Brexit for the UK, it is vital for universities to ensure that factors clearly under their control, such as the information on their websites and the way they communicate, are as informative and helpful as possible. In this article, we draw on social media data to examine the challenges and uncertainties that Korean PGR applicants experienced in navigating the process of applying to UK universities. The paper compares their confusions with information available on university websites and recommends a series of points that higher education institutions should check for. It also reveals and discusses issues associated with communication. While the data has been collected from Korean social media websites, we argue that our paper has broader relevance for the following reasons. First, the same fundamental intercultural issues-different educational systems and different background knowledge-apply to PGR applicants from other countries and so their queries are likely to be similar or comparable. Second, the insights gained from social media websites to facilitate the application process and thereby enhance recruitment can usefully be applied to other countries and levels of study, in a way that has rarely been done to date., Author(s): Kyung Hye Kim [sup.1] , Helen Spencer-Oatey [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.16821.3c, 0000 0004 0368 8293, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, , Shanghai, China (2) grid.7372.1, 0000 0000 8809 1613, [...]

Background: High‐functional cosmetic products combined with the concept of "treatment" cosmetics are being introduced to the market. Cosmetic products containing a skin‐derived microbiome, a three‐dimensional (3D) stem cell culture medium, and low‐molecular‐weight collagen are being introduced, and these products are leading the cosmeceutical market. We aimed to confirm the potential of a 3D stem cell culture medium‐containing cream as a skin‐whitening and moisturizing product. Aim: To determine the enhancing effects of a cream containing 3D adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cell‐conditioned media (3D ADMSC‐CM) on whitening and moisturization. Methods: The inhibitory activities of tyrosinase (TYR) and melanin were confirmed using 3D ADMSC‐CM. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid expression in 3D ADMSC‐CM was verified. The clinical efficacy of the cream containing 3D ADMSC‐CM was established by evaluating its antioxidant properties and effects on skin tone, radiance, freckles, and moisturization. Results: The use of 3D ADMSC‐CM suppressed the inhibitory effects of TYR and melanin by approximately 24% and 33%, respectively, and increased the expression of hyaluronic acid synthase. A significant difference was observed after 4 weeks of using 3D ADMSC‐CM in the skin antioxidant evaluation. After 2 and 4 weeks of use, skin tone and radiance increased and skin freckles decreased significantly. Under extremely cold and dry weather conditions, the use of the cream increased skin moisturization. Conclusions: The 3D ADMSC‐CM cream evaluated in an environment similar to the human body was found to enhance skin whitening and moisturization and can therefore be used in the skin care and cosmetic industries as a biocosmetic product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the manner in which Korean news outlets express different socio-political positions by way of framing and re-constructing news, this study examines the extent to which Muslim refugees are framed and represented in major newspapers—Hankyoreh on the political left and Chosun Ilbo on the right—between January and November in 2018, when the issue of Muslim refugees received unprecedented attention in Korea. Through analysis of the custom-built corpora, this study identifies discursive practices of the media institutions in relation to Muslim refugees in Korea and explains these practices in terms of the socio-political orientation of each newspaper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the flow of knowledge from and within Asia has a long history and continues to gain momentum, more attention has been paid to how western knowledge travels to Asia. Furthermore, the scholarship around knowledge transfer tends to focus on its historical and cultural patterns, leaving the role of translation largely unexplored. Thus, the essays in this issue aim to explore the less studied reverse direction of knowledge flow from East Asia to Anglophone cultures and within Asia. Focusing on the mediating role translation plays in this process, the authors contributing to this special issue explore a number of relevant issues across a range of cultural contexts through a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. Together, they demonstrate that a translator plays an active and agentive role in confronting and transplanting imported knowledge into local environments and is a key mediator in the exchange, de/reconstruction, and (re)production of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses postings made by student applicants on Korean online communities about how best to handle interactions with potential future PhD supervisors at UK universities. The questions they posed reveal the lack of relevant contextual information they experienced, especially around the rights and obligations of supervisors. This paper thus analyses students' metapragmatic comments and argues for greater attention to be paid within interpersonal and intercultural pragmatics to interactional goals and conceptions of role relations, especially the rights and obligations associated with them. The analysis has revealed that background information on role relations is of great importance for relational management and communication planning in high stakes intercultural interaction. This suggests that potential cultural variation in the perceived rights and obligations associated with a given role (in this case, PhD supervisor) and their implications for assessments of role relations are of central concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the ways in which collaboration in audiovisual translation is approached and portrayed by different parties involved in the transnational distribution and consumption of cultural products. It considers the case of the Korean translation of Spy, an American action comedy spy film that was praised by many critics for its feminist message. Prior to its release in Korea, the film became widely known for its translators, which included a high-profile comedian, comedy scriptwriters, and a professional translator. Drawing on the concepts of 'framing' and 'voice', the present study shows how collaborative translation was used as a tool by the distributor to promote and market the film and to extend its commercial reach. The paper also argues that today's viewers are not passive audiences. Empowered by social networks and digital devices, they actively share reviews and engage in discussions concerning translation method and quality, translators' identities, and translation effects. Linking collaborative translation to what they see as the 'flattening' of a feminist voice and the insertion in the film of humor that reinforces unequal gender relations, many audiences actively resisted the distributor's portrayal of collaborative translation as an optimal way to translate the film. The findings have implications for enhancing our understanding of collaborative translation work, translation of humor within the Korean cultural context, and perceptions on the connection between translation quality and collaborative translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]