Difference between 課 and 軌

Question

I would like to learn the equivalent translation for course in Cantonese, as in "I am taking a course online". For this reason I entered this word in the dictionary CC-Canto and received both 課 and 軌 as results. What is the difference in meaning between these symbols and which is more accurate in my case?

Answer 1

This is a result of the polysemy of the word 'course' in English. 課 and 軌 are fairly distinct characters in Cantonese.

• If you intend 'course' to mean 'A series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject, leading to an examination or qualification.', you use 課 (see a.), NEVER 軌. Sometimes, even if you use 'course' directly in Cantonese, it's understandable (see b.).

  a. 我將會上網課。I will attend online lessons.

  b. 我嚟緊有個網上嘅course。I have an online course soon.

• If you intend 'course' to mean 'The way in which something progresses or develops.', you may use 軌, but not always. This to me is not an accurate translation, because 軌 means more like 'track; trajectory; locus'.

  二戰嘅始末/過程 the course of WWII
  鐵路軌道 rail track

Answer 2

Even in some cases regarding education, you can still use 軌.

1. course = 課
2. curriculum = 軌 (approximately); the publication record, dozens of papers = 軌 (approximately)

For point 2, there are many courses in the curriculum to develop certain skills. "curriculum" is usually translated to 課程, where 程 has the meaning of journey or track.

Nowadays, China's universities introduce the "tenure track" to evaluate the academic performance of new teachers within their first 6-8 years. "tenure track" are translated to 常任軌.

However, I think 軌 is a more Western usage in education.