所謂旅行書寫的文類包括虛構的遊記（例如曼德維爾寫的《曼德維爾遊記》）、航海文學、冒險文學、自然書寫，還有暢遊外國的遊記，甚至旅遊指南與旅遊雜誌文章。這一門課程的目的在於幫助同學熟悉上述各種不同類型旅行書寫作品，並且培養日後翻譯這一類作品所需的技巧。在第一週導論把某些基本詞彙與一般性問題介紹過後，同學們將有機會熟悉各種目前最流行的英文旅行書寫作品（本學期所選的每一本原著都至少有一個中譯本）。本學期所選讀的作家囊括了很長的一段時期，最早可以回溯到十四世紀的曼德維爾爵士。翻譯不同類型旅行書寫文字時，同學將會碰到不同問題。例如，翻譯斯諾（E. Snow）的《紅星照耀中國》與賓罕（J. Eliot Bingham）的《遠征中國紀實》時，必須設法把已經翻譯成英文的中文地名在翻回準確的中文；在翻譯克拉庫爾（J. Krakauer）的《聖母峰之死》與史洛肯的《孤帆獨航繞地球》之際，分別會遇到很多登山與航海的術語。上述每一週課程都會有翻譯練習與作業。
The genre of travel writing includes fictional travel accounts (such as The Travels of Sir John Mandeville written by Mandeville), seafaring literature, adventure literature, nature writing, guide books, as well as accounts of visits to foreign countries, and even articles in travel writing magazines. This course is designed to help students become familiar with various types of above-mentioned travel writing and develop translation skills needed in order to translate them. After the introductory section dealing with some basic terms and general problems encountered by travel writing translators, the students will have a chance to examine closely the popular types of travel writing books in English, each with at least one version of Chinese translation. The writers to be dealt with in the semester cover a very long chronological range, which dates back to John Mandeville in the 14th-century England. Students will face different problems when translating the texts provided for each week. For example, with Red Star over China (by E. Snow) and Narrative of the Expedition to China (by J. E. Bingham), they can learn to translate Chinese names and terms written in English back to Chinese. With Sailing Alone around the World (by J. Slocum) and Into Thin Air (by J. Krakauer), they can learn to translate technical mountain-climbing and seafaring terms. During each week, there will be exercises and assignments given by the instructor for students to complete.