This paper reports an interview with Academician Zhuang Songlin,a distinguished and renowned Chinese expert in the field of optical engineering.Academician Zhuang first shared his experiences in learning foreign languages,arguing that perseverance and autonomy were essential for mastery of a foreign language.Then he explained his difficulty in foreign language learning,especially in writing in English for international publication,pointing out the significance of English academic writing and publishing for graduate education and discipline development.Further,Academician Zhuang provided suggestions on foreign language teaching based on his own learning and supervising experiences,and concluded the interview with his expectations and wishes for teachers and students at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.