10月3日下午，應本院李麗青副教授的盛情邀請，英國斯特靈大學（University of Stirling）的李賽紅教授蒞臨澳門大學人文學院英文系，為本院師生帶來一場題為“跨越界限：對領導可持續糧食系統跨學科研究的反思”（Crossing Boundaries: Reflections on Leading Transdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Food Systems）的專題講座。講座中，李教授以其主持的英國自然環境研究理事會（NERC）跨學科項目為例，深入探討了人文學科如何從研究的“跟隨者”轉變為“領導者”，並在應對全球挑戰中發揮關鍵作用。本次講座由人文學院副院長李德鳳教授主持。
李教授於講座伊始即明確指出：“面對氣候變化、糧食安全及公共衛生等嚴峻挑戰，任何單一學科均已無法獨立提供全面的解決方案。因此，跨學科合作已非可有可無，而是勢在必行。”
她分享了於2023年榮獲NERC資助的“學科躍升”（Interdisciplinary Hopping）項目經驗。該項目聚焦“一體健康”（One Health）的核心理念，旨在研究越南及中國社區對水產與陸生動物食品的認知。項目團隊匯聚了來自環境科學、營養學、水產養殖學、語言學、計算機科學與政治生態學等多個領域的專家學者。
李教授特別強調，翻譯研究在跨學科合作中具備不可替代的獨特價值。她以珍・奧斯汀（Jane Austen）作品的中譯本為例，闡明食物的描寫如何揭示社會階級的區隔：“譯者不僅要完成詞彙的轉換，更必須深刻理解並準確傳遞食物背後的社會意涵。在文學作品中，食物是文化與社會關係的有力象徵。”
此觀點亦在其越南的研究項目中得到印證。研究團隊發現，當地社群對水產食品的認知，深受其語言、文化傳統及對市場信任度的影響。她闡釋道：“這些認知是如何被塑造的？它們又如何影響可持續政策的制定？這些正是人文學科所能揭示的核心問題。”
面對人工智能（AI）在食品翻譯領域的廣泛應用，李教授提出了嚴正的警示：“當機器翻譯忽略了文化語境的細微之處，不僅會導致誤譯，更可能因錯誤的食品標籤資訊而危害公眾健康。”她指出，AI翻譯存在着文化內涵流失、威脅專業譯者職業前景、以及問責機制缺失等多重倫理風險。“人文學科的領導作用，正在於為技術應用提供文化洞察與倫理綱領，以引導AI翻譯的健康發展。”李教授強調：“翻譯必須在技術的精確性與人文的關懷之間尋求平衡，其最終目的應是服務於人與文化。”
在講座尾聲，李教授總結了人文學科在應對全球挑戰時所扮演的三個關鍵角色：一、提供文化與倫理的深刻洞見，以補充純科學數據的不足；二、擔當科學與社會之間的橋樑，促進知識的有效轉移；三、參與塑造核心研究議題，引導科技朝向更富人文價值的方向發展。
“人文學科的存續與繁榮，取決於我們能否引領國際化及跨學科的前沿研究。”她總結道：“我們不應再是跟隨者，而要立志成為塑造全球議題與解決方案的領導者。”
是次講座吸引了校內眾多師生踴躍參與，現場交流氣氛熱烈。與會者普遍認為，李賽紅教授的分享不僅為跨學科研究帶來了嶄新的思路，更為人文學科在新時代的定位與發展指明了清晰的方向。
On October 3, Professor Li Saihong of the University of Stirling delivered a lecture at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau. Invited by Associate Professor Victoria Lei Lai Cheng, she spoke on “Crossing Boundaries: Reflections on Leading Transdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Food Systems.” The session was chaired by Professor Li Defeng, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and drew an engaged audience of faculty and students.
Professor Li Saihong addressed global challenges and argued that wicked problems such as climate change, food security, and public health cannot be solved by a single discipline. She stressed that transdisciplinary collaboration is essential.
She shared insights from her “interdisciplinary hopping” project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in 2023. Using a One Health framework, the project examines community perceptions of aquatic and terrestrial animal foods in Vietnam and China. The team brings together researchers in environmental science, nutrition, aquaculture, linguistics, computer science, and political ecology.
Professor Li highlighted the unique contribution of translation studies to cross-field collaboration. Drawing on Chinese translations of Jane Austen, she showed how descriptions of food signal class distinctions. “Translators must understand and convey the social significance of food, not just convert vocabulary. Food in literature is a powerful symbol of cultural and social relationships.”
This perspective proved crucial in her Vietnam research. The team found that perceptions of aquatic foods are shaped by language, traditions, and market trust. She noted that understanding how these perceptions form, and how they influence sustainable policy making, are questions the humanities can illuminate.
Turning to the rapid use of AI in food translation, Professor Li warned that when machine translation overlooks cultural nuance, errors can affect public safety through incorrect labeling. She also flagged ethical risks, including the loss of cultural meaning, threats to professional translators’ livelihoods, and the absence of clear accountability.
According to Professor Li, the leadership of the humanities lies in providing cultural awareness and ethical responsibility to guide AI translation. “Translation should balance technical accuracy with ethical care, serving people and cultures.”
She concluded with three roles for the humanities in addressing global challenges: to provide cultural and ethical insight that complements scientific data, to bridge science and society to support effective knowledge transfer and to shape research questions and steer technology toward humanistic values.
“The survival and development of the humanities depend on leading international and transdisciplinary research,” she stated. “We should not be followers but leaders in shaping global problems and solutions.”
The lecture drew a strong turnout and lively discussion. Participants said that Professor Li’s insights offered fresh perspectives on transdisciplinary research and clarified the positioning and future direction of the humanities.