News

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will present Beethoven’s chamber music concert “Beethoven and His Transition”, featuring two classics of Beethoven’s works on Saturday, 14 January, at 8pm, at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. In tandem with the theme of this concert season “My Time with Music”, the activity “Music Hour with Musicians” will be held before the concert, in which Horn principal Wu Tianxia and horn player Scott Holben from the Orchestra will interpret the compositions. Music fans are welcome to join and share their views with the musicians.
Beethoven’s artistic career is conventionally divided into three periods with string quartets being, so to speak, his compositional focus throughout the time, and his string quartets are regarded as the greatest of chamber music. This concert features two works Sextet in E-flat Major, Op. 81b and String Quartet No.7 in F Major, Op.59, No. 1 “Rasumovsky”, which respectively embody the composers’ styles in different periods. As an early work of Beethoven, Sextet in E-flat Major, Op.81b is a passionate piece for two virtuoso horns and string quartet, while String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59, No.1, also known as “Rasumovsky”, epitomises his middle period style and outweighs average chamber music both in length and scale. Meanwhile, the Orchestra will hold the activity “Music Hour with Musicians” before the concert at the Mirror Hall of the Dom Pedro V Theatre, at 7:15 pm, on that day. Admission is free. All music fans can register from 4 to 11 January through tel. no. 2853 0782 during office hours or through Macao Orchestra’s Wechat official account “Macao Orchestra”.
Tickets for the concert “Beethoven and His Transition” are priced at MOP120 and MOP100, with various discount packages available. Ticketing Hotline: 2855 5555. For details and enquiries about the programme, please visit Macao Orchestra’s webpage www.icm.gov.mo/om.

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Prof Li Defeng, director of Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, has been elected president of the World Interpreter and Translator Training Association (WITTA) at the organisation’s First Congress and Inaugural General Assembly held in Guangzhou.
The newly founded WITTA is an international non-governmental and non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing together industrial and academic institutes to promote interpreter and translator training worldwide. The association has 40 founding institutions from around the world, including top universities providing translation and interpreting programmes, such as University College London, the University of Westminster, the University of Leeds, Durham University, the University of Essex, the University of Ottawa, the University of Melbourne, Macquarie University, Nanyang Technological University, the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Macau, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing Language and Culture University, as well as major translation and interpreting service providers, publishers and academic journals, such as The Translator and Interpreter Trainer and Chinese Translators’ Journal.
Senior advisers to the association include Prof Hannelore Lee-Jahnke, lifetime honorary president of International Standing Conference of the University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters (CIUTI); Mr Henry Liu, president of the International Federation of Translators (FIT); Prof Huang Youyi, director of China National Committee for Translation and Interpreting Education and vice president of the Translators Association of China (TAC); Prof Anthony Pym, former president of the European Society for Translation Studies; Prof Zhong Weihe, president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies; Prof Arnt Lykke Jakobsen, president of the European Society for Translation Studies; Prof Martin Fostner, former secretary general of CIUTI; Prof Douglas Robinson from Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof Chai Mingjiong from Shanghai International Studies University; Prof Dorothy Kelly, editor of The Interpreter and Translator Trainer; and Prof Lawrence Wong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Speaking at the congress, Prof Li Defeng indicated that since the beginning of the 21^st century, translation and interpreting education has been developing rapidly and has achieved remarkable progress while facing various challenges, such as the great gap between demand and supply in the translation industry. WITTA was set up to address these challenges by promoting international exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and commercialisation of research results. ‘As leaders and active researchers in our institutions and our field of research, we came to Guangzhou to build and strengthen ties and partnerships, share experience, and assess pertinent interpreter and translator training developments that have occurred in these years,” said Prof Li.

Over 100 experts and scholars of translation education from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan attended the congress and assembly. Topics discussed during the congress include the current trends of translator training, the new ways and approaches of training translation and interpreting students, development and assessment of translation competence (especially critical thinking abilities in translation students), new research methods of translation training and translation studies, government-university-industry collaboration, and innovation in translation and interpreting education.The next WITTA Congress will be held at the University of Westminster, UK, in 2018.

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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council on 3 January collects prices of fresh pork from wet markets and supermarkets for consumers’ reference. The mentioned data collected during 28 December of 2016 to 3 January of 2017 are used for comparing the average selling price of the same products from Zhuhai and Hong Kong. The relevant data has been uploaded to the Council’s website for consumers’ reference.
The specific price surveys on fresh pork and vegetables are now available on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), iPhone & Android ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ app, and the Council’s WeChat Account page. The relevant surveys include the average selling prices of local fresh pork and vegetables, and comparison on the respective the average selling prices rom Zhuhai, HK, and Macao.
For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.

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To facilitate the public and philatelists for ordering new philatelic products, please note the followings: (attached file)

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To celebrate the coming Chinese New Year, Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue a lucky ornament titled “Macao’s Lunar Year of the Rooster Stamp” on 5^th January 2017. It is engraved with laser techniques for highlighting our headquarters’ building and a thin wooden card with the wood monkey stamp image is affixed on the other side. The unique design is certainly a precious and commemorative collectable. It will be available for sale at the Central Post office, the “Rua do Campo” Post Office, the Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, the Airport Post Office and the Communications Museum and the selling price is MOP 15.00.

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Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue two annual albums on 9^th January 2017, which are “Annual Album of Stamps 2016” and “Annual Album of Souvenir Sheets 2016”. Their covers are printed in red and yellow respectively, and illustrated with a drawing of an animated monkey, together with the hot foil stamping with golden title, on which the technical data are printed on the pages.
The Annual Album of Stamps comprises the full collection of 16 sets of stamps issued in 2016, each album priced at MOP268.00; the Annual Album of Souvenir Sheets comprises the full collection of 13 souvenir sheets issued in 2016, each album priced at MOP208.00.
These two Annual Albums will be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Central Post Office, “Rua do Campo” Post Office, Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, Airport Post Office, and the Communications Museum. It is certainly an excellent product, either as a collectable or as an elegant gift.

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Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue a new greeting card for Lunar Year of the Rooster titled “The Year of the Rooster brings Good Auspices”. This card will be available for sale at the Central Post Office, all post offices and postal kiosks on 4^th January, 2017.
This greeting card priced at MOP15.00 each can be sent to every corner of the world without stamp. It’s saving your time and money.

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To further enhance the leisure and beautify the lakeside environment, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has introduced new decorations and renewed graffiti creation at Anim’Arte NAM VAN. Visitors and residents are welcome to experience the joyful atmosphere.
The new decorations at the retail area of the Anim’Arte NAM VAN include awning lighting, plants, and window decorations, as well as installations under the “Cats” theme. Twelve cats in a fun-loving posture are installed, enhancing the atmosphere in the recreational area of Anim’Arte NAM VAN. The colours are based on the colourful tones of the South American Carnival, while the combination of patterns draws inspiration from typical Portuguese tiles. Tourists and residents are welcome to enjoy the distinctive dining, pedal boats, and cultural and creative local products while experiencing the lively atmosphere of the Anim’Arte NAM VAN under the colorful decoration.
In addition, in order to continuously bring new graffiti creation to Anim’Arte NAM VAN, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has once again cooperated with the local professional graffiti art group GANTZ 5. In conjunction with the three-dimensional art installations, of two main characters of the Macao Cultural and Creative Map, “Pipi” and “Lulu”, the graffiti brings more creativity and vitality to Anim’Arte NAM VAN. Founded in 2004, the GANTZ 5 has been cooperating with local and foreign organizations in order to promote local graffiti art and culture.
Jointly managed by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Sports Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office, and the Institute for Tourism Studies under the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Anim’Arte NAM VAN has been opened to the public since June 2016. It combines distinctive cafés, pedal boats, cultural and creative stores, weekend craft markets, exhibitions, and performances, which provides a great leisure place of tourism and recreation for residents and tourists.

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Macao people would continue to work together in a well-planned way, in order to strengthen the community and make Macao an even more prosperous city, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On.In his New Year Message delivered today, Mr Chui said that in order to further the advance of society, the Government would continue to give priority to policies concerning: economic development; enhancement of social wellbeing; and lawful and effective administration.Mr Chui stressed that support from the Central Government – as well as the concerted efforts of all Macao residents – were indispensable factors in Macao’s ongoing achievements.Macao would enhance its economic competiveness while also assisting national development efforts, stated the Chief Executive.Under a plan approved by the Central Government, Macao would have opportunities to make further contributions to the country’s development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (collectively known as the “Belt and Road” initiative).To coordinate that work, the Government had established a committee, led by the Chief Executive’s Office, to study how to boost cooperation with countries and neighbouring areas – in particular, with the mainland’s Guangdong and Fujian provinces – covered by the “Belt and Road” initiative; and to link to national strategies the Macao development goals of being a world centre of tourism and leisure, and a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, (collectively known as the “Centre and Platform” policies).In 2016 the Government had discharged its duties in a courageous way, in order to address challenges faced by Macao, and in order to formulate a long-term development plan for Macao’s stability, said Mr Chui.With the help of the community, Macao had been able to maintain its economic stability, its strong fiscal reserves and its high rate of employment, amid a period of economic adjustment.Reviewing 2016’s achievements, Mr Chui noted the Government had formulated Macao’s first-ever Five-Year Development Plan, a blueprint for the city’s socio-economic development spanning the period 2016 to 2020 inclusive. The Plan also aims better to align Macao with the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan.In October, the Government successfully held the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), which was attended by Premier Li Keqiang. During his visit to Macao, Premier Li had announced a total of 18 new measures to assist in supporting economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries; and 19 new measures supporting Macao’s development.The Government would take full advantage of Central Government policies aimed at supporting the development of Macao. This would enable Macao to develop a greater number of external ties and increase cooperation globally and regionally, said Mr Chui in his speech.On behalf of the Government, the Chief Executive extended his sincere greetings to the Macao public and expressed gratitude to residents and public servants, in particular those who had to work round the clock to provide services during the holidays.
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