Academic Order (A Collection of Contemporary University Essays)

Author: (American) Hilles, translated by Li Jiayong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: During the translation process of this book, the translator felt there were many regrets, mainly two points as previously mentioned. As already explained, the articles included in this book span over fifty years, primarily discussing issues in the United States but also extensively covering many countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some important figures, events, or concepts are mentioned in passing by the author, considering the context of his time and the intended audience. This may have been natural, but for some readers today, it might feel confusing. Therefore, the translator has added annotations to certain parts based on his understanding, but due to time constraints, this work may still be imperfect.
Second, the translator has participated in the translation of many academic works (mainly in the field of education) but has never faced a challenge as significant as The Order of Academia. During the translation process, my friend, Professor Charles Townley from the College of Education at New Mexico State University in the United States, was visiting Beijing Normal University for a year and teaching a course on "American Higher Education Administration" to graduate students. As an expert in American higher education, Professor Townley was certainly familiar with the content of the book. However, when I sought his advice on certain sentences I was unsure about, he was even surprised to say, "It's unbelievable." One of his explanations was that Hilles wrote in German sentence structures and grammar, making his English so complex that even native speakers found it difficult to understand. I have no knowledge of German and cannot verify Professor Townley's observation, but it is a fact that Hilles's German is at an expert level.
Regardless, I believe readers who have read this book or other works by Hilles in their original form will appreciate the peculiar and challenging style of his writing. Although the translator has done his utmost to be meticulous and cautious, there are undoubtedly many instances where the original text was not fully understood, leading to inaccuracies in conveying the author's intent. I sincerely hope for the criticism and guidance of experts and readers.