Translation Courses - America

To become an Axis Translations approved translator you must be a qualified translator, together with relevant translation experience. There is much more to being a translator (as you will discover) then simply speaking a second language.

On this basis, please find the following list of translation courses:

Graduate Certificate in Translation: French, Russian, and Spanish - The American University, Washington

Language majors and minors, students in international business or international affairs, and anyone who will be employed by agencies or businesses that have an international dimension can enhance future job possibilities through translation expertise.

The Department of Language and Foreign Studies offers graduate translation certificates (with an emphasis on translation into English) in the following languages: French, Russian, and Spanish.

Curriculum and Degree Requirements
15 credit hours of course work according to the required sequence for the particular language. All courses taken in the Department of Language and Foreign Studies toward the certificate may be used by graduate students toward the master’s degree in the same language.
Students must have an overall 3.0 GPA in certificate courses in order to be awarded the certificate.
Admissions Requirements
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.
TOEFL score of 600 paper / 250 computer for all international students whose first language is not English.
If undergraduate degree is not in the language for which they wish to obtain a certificate, students must have completed the appropriate 300-level Conversation and Composition II or Advanced II language course, or equivalent.
Before commencing the program, students should consult the appropriate advisor in the Department of Language and Foreign Studies to plan their program of study.
Contact information
Department of Language and Foreign Studies
The American University
Asbury Building Room 324
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20016

Translation and interpretation are intercultural communication specialties: different ways of taking words and ideas expressed in one language and putting them into another. Translators work with written text, interpreters with the spoken word.

In partnership with the Translation and Interpretation Institute and with the input of experienced and working professionals, BCC offers up-to-date training for aspiring and practicing translators and interpreters. In the core courses (taught in English) you will get a solid overview of the field. You’ll also learn how to master new vocabulary quickly and how to use the latest technological tools effectively. Small-group advanced classes are taught in the students’ target or dominant language. One of the few in the U.S., BCC’s translation and interpretation program gives you balanced, comprehensive and rigorous professional training.

Potential Job and Salary Opportunities
Interpreters are in demand in a variety of medical, legal, social-service and government settings. Translators and interpreters usually work on a freelance basis, sometimes through an agency. Others are employed by international businesses. The rates of pay vary. A state court interpreter may earn up to $50 per hour and an experienced translator may earn up to $50,000 per year. Freelance translators are paid by the word. Translators and interpreters with specialized expertise can command higher rates. “Software localization,” for example, is a rapidly-expanding specialty. A software localizer adapts computer files, websites and other documentation for users in another country.

Is This Program for You?
You’re a good match for this field if you have excellent fluency in English and at least one other language and if you enjoy challenge and change, are flexible and can learn new material quickly. Translators need excellent writing and editing skills in the target language as well as the ability to work independently. Interpreters need strong oral communication skills. Responsibility and a sense of professional ethics are essential characteristics for both branches of the field.

How is the Program Structured?
Most students take the basic “Introduction to Translation and Interpreting” course before applying for the certificate program and deciding between the two tracks. You may start the program during any quarter of the academic year. Most classes are offered during evening or weekend hours and provide 30 hours of instruction. You can usually complete the program in 1 – 2 years.

Certificates are language-specific and are offered in various languages according to student demand. To apply for acceptance into the certificate program, you must submit written and oral (taped) work in both English and your other language.

Upon earning the Translation and/or Interpretation Certificate, you may consider taking professional certification or accreditation tests such as the state court interpreter certification exam. BCC offers non-credit workshops in preparation for these exams.

Translation involves transferring a written message from one language to another. The text to be translated may be a treaty, a law, or a press release; a user manual, bidding specifications, or engineering plans; a novel, a poem, or a play; a handwritten letter, a medical textbook, or a historical document‹in short, anything that is written is a potential translation assignment.

The United States, unlike many other countries, does not require any licensing or certification of translators and interpreters. In the absence of licensing and certification, the Monterey Institute GSTI degree attests to the high quality of graduates.

As with other professions, computers are an essential tool for translators. Not only does the professional translator rely on the personal computer for word processing, desktop publishing, and glossary databases, but in-house translators work on networks that feature computer aids such as glossary management and translation software. Translators who work with machine translation software must become adept at the pre- and post-editing that such programs require. In addition, many translators become involved in the design and engineering of translation software, performing tasks such as building dictionaries and writing rules for parsing. Another aspect of the software industry that relies heavily on translators is localization ‹ the adaptation of programs and user manuals to other linguistic and cultural environments.

Translators work as full-time employees or as freelancers for international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States; they are employed by government agencies including the Department of State and the National Security Agency and work for nonprofit organizations like the Red Cross and church organizations; private companies, such as software developers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, international corporations and law firms, as well as translation agencies.

Although interpretation and translation have much in common, the practice of each profession differs in the same way that written language differs from spoken. Thus, both translation and interpretation involve careful analysis of meaning in context and attention to extra-linguistic aspects of communication. Interpreters must be good public speakers who are adept at grasping meaning and solving complex linguistic problems quickly, whereas translators must be able to conduct thorough and meticulous research and produce accurate, camera-ready documents while adhering to tight deadlines.

Translation and interpretation are indeed complementary pursuits: The research conducted for a translation project can enhance in-depth knowledge of a given subject and ease preparation for a subsequent interpreting assignment, while the spontaneity necessary for interpretation can increase the speed with which translation assignments can be completed. By the same token, the training received in the MATI program is complementary in that students reinforce their mastery of the written and oral aspects of their working languages by performing both translation and interpretation of related texts. Recent technological innovations blur the distinction between the two.

Many clients, unaware of the distinction between the two aspects of the profession, expect the same person to be able to perform both tasks. As a result, more than 60 percent of GSTI students choose to pursue an MATI degree. Graduates have found that being able to provide both translation and interpretation services gives them a significant edge in today's competitive job market.

Conference interpretation enables participants in a multinational meeting to communicate with each other in a seamless fashion, making the language barrier almost imperceptible. Such interpreting is generally performed in two modes: consecutive and simultaneous.

In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter usually sits with conference delegates while a speech is being made, listens to the speech, and takes notes. When the speaker pauses or finishes, the interpreter renders the speech in the first person in the target language. Speech and interpretation generally occur in segments no longer than 10-15 minutes.

In simultaneous interpretation, interpreters sit in soundproof booths (one booth for each language), where they listen to the speech from the meeting room through headsets. As the speaker talks, each interpreter interprets at the same time into his or her native or A language. The interpreter's words are spoken into a microphone and transmitted via headset to meeting participants. In this manner, the same speech can be interpreted into several languages at once with very little time lag. In each booth, interpreters work as a team, sharing the workload at regular intervals.

Many conference interpreters work on a freelance basis, since staff positions at organizations that require the services of conference interpreters, such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the US State Department, are limited. Both freelance and staff conference interpreters are eligible for membership in the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence (AIIC), based in Geneva. As the only worldwide organization of conference interpreters, it maintains high admissions standards in order to guarantee the professional expertise of its members and their respect for professional ethics.

The Certificate in Translation--an optional professional credential--is intended for linguistically skilled individuals of diverse professional and educational backgrounds who seek to develop abilities in the field of translation. The certificate can be earned in one of six language pairs or in general translation: Arabic to English Translation French to English Translation German to English Translation Spanish to English Translation English to Portuguese Translation English to Spanish Translation General Translation The German to English, English to Portuguese, and Arabic to English Certificates are offered online only. The other language pairs are offered both on-site and online.

Select all the courses now that you need to earn a certificate. We'll store them in your Wish List so that you can save them for future enrollment. (You need to be logged in to do this.)

An elective is chosen from among a group of courses such as Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations; International Organizations; Translating the News, Literary Translation; and Translation into the Source Language that are offered on a rotating basis. Consult the bulletin for current listings.

Required Introduction to Translation Studies Course
1 of these courses is required.
Introduction to English to Portuguese Translation

Introduction to Arabic to English Translation
Introduction to French to English Translation
Introduction to Spanish to English Translation
Introduction to English to Spanish Translation
Introduction to English to Spanish Translation
Introduction to French to English Translation
Introduction to German to English Translation
Introduction to Spanish to English Translation
Arabic to English Core Courses
1 of these courses is required.
Arabic to English Legal Translation
Arabic to English Translation of Military Documents
Computer-Assisted Translation
Arabic to English Translating the News

Or...French to English Core Courses
4 of these courses are required.
French to English Financial Topics
French to English Commercial Translation I
French to English Commercial Translation II
French to English Medical Translation
French to English Technical Translation
French to English Legal Translation I
French to English Legal Translation II
French to English Medical Translation
French to English Commercial Translation II
French to English Translating Financial Topics
French to English Legal Translation I
Computer-Assisted Translation
French to English Commerical Translation I
French to English Legal Translation II

Or...German to English Core Courses
4 of these courses are required.
German to English Translating Computer Related Material
German to English Patents Translation
German to English Legal Translation I
German to English Commercial Translation II
Computer-Assisted Translation
German to English Commercial Translation I
German to English Legal Translation II
German to English Medical Translation

Or...Spanish to English Core Courses
4 of these courses are required.
Spanish to English Technical Translation
Spanish to English Medical Translation
Spanish to English Legal Translation II
Spanish to English Technical Translation
Spanish to English Legal Topics
Spanish to English Legal Translation I
Spanish to English Commercial Translation I
Spanish to English Commercial Translation II
Spanish to English Legal Translation I
Spanish to English Commercial Translation II
Spanish to English Medical Translation
Computer-Assisted Translation
Spanish to English Commercial Translation I
Spanish to English Legal Translation II
Spanish into English Legal Translation II

Or...English to Portuguese Core Courses
4 of these courses are required.
English to Portuguese Medical Translation
English to Portuguese Commercial Translation
English to Portuguese: Legal Translation II
English to Portuguese IT Translation and Localization
Computer-Assisted Translation
English to Portuguese Legal Translation I

Or...English to Spanish Core Courses
4 of these courses are required.
English to Spanish Legal Topics
English to Spanish Financial Topics
English to Spanish Technical Translation
English to Spanish Translating Computer Related Material
English to Spanish Medical Translation
English to Spanish Technical Translation
English to Spanish Medical Translation
English to Spanish Legal Translation II
English to Spanish Commercial Translation II
English to Spanish Legal Translation I
English to Spanish Commercial Translation I
English to Spanish Commercial Translation I
English to Spanish Legal Translation II
English to Spanish Translation in Healthcare
Computer-Assisted Translation
English to Spanish Legal Translation I
English to Spanish Commercial Translation II
French to English Elective Course

Select 1 of the following courses.
French to English Translation for Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations
French to English Literary Translation for Publication
French to English Translating the News
French to English Translating into the Source Language
French to English Literary Translation
French to English Translation for Diplomacy and International Affairs
French to English Translation for Marketing and Advertising
Project Management for Translation
Introduction to Software Localization

Or...German to English Elective Courses
Select 1 of the following courses.
German to English Translation of Products and Services
Project Management for Translation
Introduction to Software Localization

Or...Spanish to English Elective Courses
Select 1 of the following courses.
Spanish to English Literary Translation
Spanish to English Translating Print News
Spanish to English Translating into the Source Language
Spanish to English Translation for Diplomacy and International Affairs
Spanish to English Literary Translation
Spanish to English Translation for Marketing and Advertising
Project Management for Translation
Introduction to Software Localization

Or...English to Portuguese Elective Courses
Select 1 of the following courses.
English to Portuguese Translating the News
Project Management for Translation
Introduction to Software Localization

Or...English to Spanish Elective Courses
Select 1 of the following courses.
English to Spanish Translating Print News
English to Spanish Literary Translation
English to Spanish Financial News and Reports
English to Spanish Translation for Marketing and Advertising
English to Spanish Literary Translation
English to Spanish Translation for Diplomacy and International Affairs
English to Spanish Translating the News
English to Spanish Translation for E-Business
Project Management for Translation
English to Spanish Translating the News

The Program in Translation and Interpreting (PTI) at the University of Minnesota is committed to building the capacity of Minnesota institutions, businesses, and public services to communicate with speakers of all languages through written translation and live interpretation of oral interactions. The PTI offers an educational program for interpreters and translators, including a Certificate in Interpreting with Health Care and Legal specializations. In addition, the PTI offers publications and training materials free or for purchase and can provide specialized training in areas related to cross-cultural communication.

The Program in Translation and Interpreting is thus active in two interrelated areas:

course offerings in translation and interpreting, including the Certificate Program in Interpreting;
services and publications.
Curriculum

The Program in Translation and Interpreting offers a series of courses designed for highly proficient bilinguals from various language communities who want to develop their knowledge and skills for professional translation and interpreting. Courses are offered on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota and at the University Center-Rochester. A Certificate in Interpreting with specializations in legal and health interpreting care is available for students who satisfactorily complete a prescribed program of study.

Courses are offered through the Office of Evening Classes and Summer Session to fit the schedules of working adults, and are available in the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Twin Cities classes generally meet on the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota. Classes in Rochester meet at the University of Minnesota Rochester Center.

Some courses are taught in English, while others are bilingual in several languages. Spanish-English sections are offered on a regular basis. However, the viability of sections in other languages is dependent on interested participants.

The list of translation courses shown above is not all inclusive and the translation courses shown will be subject to change, addition and removal.

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