BA in Translation and/or linguistics
Thread poster: lana s
lana s
lana s

Local time: 13:44
English to Greek
+ ...
Oct 11, 2010

fellow linguists,

I am at present, a student, and I wish to study translation or linguistics, that would eventually enable me to have a Master degree in Translation or Interpretation.
However, i have to choose a good university..... Ive looked on the web, ive found a few that meet my linguistic abilities, but I still would like to get advice from the people in this specific field, and from other students.
Can anyone suggest me any universities to look at in europe that
... See more
fellow linguists,

I am at present, a student, and I wish to study translation or linguistics, that would eventually enable me to have a Master degree in Translation or Interpretation.
However, i have to choose a good university..... Ive looked on the web, ive found a few that meet my linguistic abilities, but I still would like to get advice from the people in this specific field, and from other students.
Can anyone suggest me any universities to look at in europe that specialize in this field? for a BA degree? Ive heard of a university in Geneva, but can someone tell me if the BA in Geneva is taught only in French? Or is it taught also in English?

thanks for all your help!!! =]

[Edited at 2010-10-12 03:51 GMT]
Collapse


 
Williamson
Williamson  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
Flemish to English
+ ...
ETI Oct 11, 2010

There used to be an interpreter training at the department of linguistics at the university of Nicosia.Don't know if it still exists.
Anyhow, the school in Geneva is the Ecole des traducteurs et interprètes (ETI), the oldest school for translators and interpreters in the world.
The school offers courses into six target-languages (see web-page) and is one of the court-suppliers of inte
... See more
There used to be an interpreter training at the department of linguistics at the university of Nicosia.Don't know if it still exists.
Anyhow, the school in Geneva is the Ecole des traducteurs et interprètes (ETI), the oldest school for translators and interpreters in the world.
The school offers courses into six target-languages (see web-page) and is one of the court-suppliers of international institutions.
http://www.unige.ch/eti/index.html
Collapse


 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 05:44
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Correct Writing Oct 11, 2010

Correct writing in English means among other things, that the first person singular pronoun "I" is always written with a capital letter. So maybe you should start there.

 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
I'm a bit confused Oct 12, 2010

Linguistics does not necessarily lead to Translation/Interpretation (and in fact may fall far off from the practice of languages, except for language teaching), although the term "linguist" as a scientist dealing with languages is commonly used to denote a person who uses languages well.

That said, it easier to find courses in linguistics than translation courses, although couse offerings in the latter have recently increased, particularly in the EU member states.

Shoul
... See more
Linguistics does not necessarily lead to Translation/Interpretation (and in fact may fall far off from the practice of languages, except for language teaching), although the term "linguist" as a scientist dealing with languages is commonly used to denote a person who uses languages well.

That said, it easier to find courses in linguistics than translation courses, although couse offerings in the latter have recently increased, particularly in the EU member states.

Should you want updated information on EU efforts to reinforce this thurst, you could try checking out the following website:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1315&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Collapse


 
lana s
lana s

Local time: 13:44
English to Greek
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Uni's Oct 12, 2010

Thanks for the help, but i still am in search of more Uni's.
ETI, unfortunately doesn't give me the option of studying there because the language combinations aren't suitable for me....
Parrot, i loked at the link that you sent me, however it talks about a MA in Translation, and the Translators competition....


 
Neil Coffey
Neil Coffey  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
French to English
+ ...
Look at the BA prospectus Oct 13, 2010

I *think* a BA in whatever language you want to translate from will generally fulfil the entry requirments for a master's in translation.

But, I'd really take things one step at a time. I would suggest:

- try and find a language course that has a decent translation component. You ideally want to try and find one that will dedicate several hours per week to translation, and will have involvement from genuine translators, and will give you some practice in translations of
... See more
I *think* a BA in whatever language you want to translate from will generally fulfil the entry requirments for a master's in translation.

But, I'd really take things one step at a time. I would suggest:

- try and find a language course that has a decent translation component. You ideally want to try and find one that will dedicate several hours per week to translation, and will have involvement from genuine translators, and will give you some practice in translations of genuine commercial value.
- Try to avoid a language course that will dedicate most of its time to debates about Mme Bovary's hat size, or whose translation component will be centred around 19th century descriptions of wildlife.
- Then, once you've got your BA, reflect on how much translation experience you've had during your degree and what feedback you've had from your translation tutors, and sound the market and see what professionally you actually want to dedicate yourself to, and what masters if any is necessary. (While you're doing your degree, people at careers fairs will constantly be trying to persuade you to become a business solutions consultant/tupperware party inspector etc and nobody will be trying to persuade you to become a translator -- it's worth waiting to the end of your degree to see if translation is still what you want to do.)
Collapse


 
lana s
lana s

Local time: 13:44
English to Greek
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Languages Oct 13, 2010

Thank you Neil, you do have a point.
The thing is that I learnt these languages not from courses, but I learnt them due to constant moving around the world- and I use them all in everyday life. I'm currently learning my fifth language via courses. I already know the languages though, that's why Im not sure that dedicating 3 years of University to one language only will be the right thing to do...
Someone else suggested me to take a BA in Modern Languages, where I can also focus on s
... See more
Thank you Neil, you do have a point.
The thing is that I learnt these languages not from courses, but I learnt them due to constant moving around the world- and I use them all in everyday life. I'm currently learning my fifth language via courses. I already know the languages though, that's why Im not sure that dedicating 3 years of University to one language only will be the right thing to do...
Someone else suggested me to take a BA in Modern Languages, where I can also focus on several languages at the same time, but this BA course is apparently very rare.... Or is it?
Collapse


 
Neil Coffey
Neil Coffey  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
French to English
+ ...
Think depth not breadth Oct 13, 2010

lana s wrote:
The thing is that I learnt these languages not from courses, but I learnt them due to constant moving around the world- and I use them all in everyday life.
I'm currently learning my fifth language via courses. I already know the languages though, that's why Im not sure that dedicating 3 years of University to one language only will be the right thing to do...
Someone else suggested me to take a BA in Modern Languages, where I can also focus on several languages at the same time, but this BA course is apparently very rare.... Or is it?


Remember translation isn't a competition to see how many languages you can speak. It's about being highly proficient and having a *depth* of knowledge in your native language and one or maybe two other languages. Your client won't think that your Greek translation of their software licence is any better just because you know how to order a coffee in Swahili.

So I think you need to decide what your ultimate goal is: are you prepared to pick one language-- or at a stretch two-- that you will truly "live"-- watching online TV in that language several hours a week, visiting a country where it is spoken a couple of times a year (and maybe spending a year or two living there), making an effort to socialise with native speakers of that language, reguarlarly reading quality press in that language and in subjects you're interested in, developing your knowledge of specialist areas of use of that language (and indeed of your native language) etc.

Alternatively, if you'd rather have a career based on more watered down knowledge in a few languages, there are careers that rely on this. Various areas of the tourist industry value people with "day-to-day" knowledge of a few languages, even if they'd be lost translating technical articles in those languages.

As far as a BA in Modern Languages is concerned, I would have thought that in the UK at least most universities will offer one. It's actually quite common to study two languages on such courses, though there may be a notion of one of the languages being a "subsidiary" (i.e. not the one you specialise in).

Don't forget as well that many university language departments will offer free or low-cost courses available to anybody. So if you had the time, you could well do a BA in two languages and at the same time follow courses in a third language even though it wouldn't count towards your degree strictly speaking. IF you have the time and that's really what you want to do.


 
Gloria Palubjakova
Gloria Palubjakova
Canada
Local time: 12:44
French to English
+ ...
Very very informative Nov 23, 2010

Neil Coffey wrote:

I *think* a BA in whatever language you want to translate from will generally fulfil the entry requirments for a master's in translation.

But, I'd really take things one step at a time. I would suggest:

- try and find a language course that has a decent translation component. You ideally want to try and find one that will dedicate several hours per week to translation, and will have involvement from genuine translators, and will give you some practice in translations of genuine commercial value.
- Try to avoid a language course that will dedicate most of its time to debates about Mme Bovary's hat size, or whose translation component will be centred around 19th century descriptions of wildlife.
- Then, once you've got your BA, reflect on how much translation experience you've had during your degree and what feedback you've had from your translation tutors, and sound the market and see what professionally you actually want to dedicate yourself to, and what masters if any is necessary. (While you're doing your degree, people at careers fairs will constantly be trying to persuade you to become a business solutions consultant/tupperware party inspector etc and nobody will be trying to persuade you to become a translator -- it's worth waiting to the end of your degree to see if translation is still what you want to do.)


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Nawal Kramer[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

BA in Translation and/or linguistics






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »