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Interpretation and translation degrees | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Immersion, Schools & Certificates |  | |
| magnus c Newbie United States Joined 5698 days ago 14 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* | Message 1 of 11 04 June 2009 at 10:21pm | IP Logged |
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Hello all,
Has anyone considered a degree in interpretation or translation? As I understand it, you need three languages for most masters degrees in interpretation. Is that generally what the good positions require? I had a small, slightly delusional hope of doing it for two. Translation programs only require two, but what is the value of a translation degree? Most of what I have read concerns native German speakers translating from X, and in my case it would be from German. Are the job prospects any better for me? The University of Mainz has a page addressing English natives, but can I really expect a job in a German business or ministry? : ) Regardless, there must be a higher demand for German>English, or AnyLanguage>English, it would seem? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Iwwersetzerin Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member Luxembourg Joined 5675 days ago 259 posts - 513 votes  Speaks: French*, Luxembourgish*, GermanC2, EnglishC2, SpanishC2, DutchC1, ItalianC1 Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 2 of 11 05 June 2009 at 10:20am | IP Logged |
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Hi Magnus,
I work as a freelance translator in Luxembourg. I studied translation at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. They also offer a Master's degree in interpreting and it is possible to do it with only 2 languages, but both languages have to be on a very high level. They do offer German-English. Check out www.unige.ch/eti/ (website only in French, feel free to contact me if you need more info). I believe that it is not necessary to have more than two working languages to work as an interpreter (possible exceptions if you want to work for the UN or the European Union), but you can perfectly work as an interpreter with only two languages. If you want to work freelance, you might want to combine interpreting with translation though, as you may not always be fully booked with interpreting assignments. From my experience, German > English is a language pair with high demand, both in the US and in Germany. It is certainly possible to work as an in-house translator/interpreter for a German company. I don't think that there are many companies that would employ you as interpreter only, but if you combine interpreting and translation, or are willing to do translation only, you probably have a good chance of finding a job in Germany. A degree in translation is certainly very valuable if you want to work as a translator, especially if you want to work for a company in Germany. Most job announcements for in-house translators I have seen do require a degree in translation. I have compiled a large list of translation and interpreting programs on my blog (see my profile - sorry for the self-promotion, but I do believe that it is relevant here and helpful to you). For Germany, Mainz-Germersheim certainly is the most prestigious program. In the US, it would be Monterey. Have you considered the UK? There are various Master's in interpreting for German- English. Westminster has a very good reputation. Many programs only require 2 languages. Good luck to you and don't hesitate to contact me for any information on translation (I'm not an expert on interpreting though). 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| magnus c Newbie United States Joined 5698 days ago 14 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* | Message 3 of 11 06 June 2009 at 6:36pm | IP Logged |
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Hi Iwwersetzerin,
Thank you for the great response, and link to your excellent blog! I am mostly considering Germany and Austria due to favorable tuition costs. Do you know how competitive the translation programs are there to get into? I am interested in Cologne, Leipzig, Hildesheim, Vienna, Graz, and as I mentioned, Mainz-Germersheim. I will be graduating with a BA in linguistics next year. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Iwwersetzerin Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member Luxembourg Joined 5675 days ago 259 posts - 513 votes Speaks: French*, Luxembourgish*, GermanC2, EnglishC2, SpanishC2, DutchC1, ItalianC1 Studies: Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 4 of 11 07 June 2009 at 2:11pm | IP Logged |
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Hi Magnus,
Sorry, I have no idea how competitive the translation programs in Germany and Austria are. Maybe you could ask that question in the forum on www.proz.com. I don't know if you already know that site, it's a great resource for translators and the forums are packed with useful information. There are translators from all over the world, so you can probably get answers from people who have studied in the programs that you are interested in. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| magnus c Newbie United States Joined 5698 days ago 14 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* | Message 5 of 11 10 June 2009 at 6:36am | IP Logged |
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Ok, thanks again. : )
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| RBenham Triglot Groupie IndonesiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5649 days ago 60 posts - 62 votes Speaks: English*, German, French Studies: Indonesian | Message 6 of 11 20 June 2009 at 12:39am | IP Logged |
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I just finished a degree (in Linguistics) at the University of Geneva, and their fees were 500 francs a semester, although there was talk of raising them. However, I don't think they're interested in people who don't have French as one of their languages.
On the subject of translation, there are certifications you can get without doing a degree. You might consider the American Translators' Association's exam, or, if you don't mind trying your hand at UK English, the Institute of Linguists' DipTrans. (I did OK in that, and I am Australian....) The DipTrans is very highly regarded in the UK, although not well-known elsewhere. The trouble with most European universities is that they often don't cope well with native speakers of other than their national language (even if they say they do). Still, you are likely to be better-off if you are only doing one foreign language, as you don't have to worry about how well-resourced the French-English teaching will be in a country where neither is the national language. On the topic of demand, German-English is one of the biggest and combinations around. A second (or third) target language is always useful, however. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| magnus c Newbie United States Joined 5698 days ago 14 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* | Message 7 of 11 30 June 2009 at 11:24pm | IP Logged |
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Interesting, it may be better to study in an English country. I see the point. Thanks for the information, RBenham.
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| !LH@N Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6827 days ago 487 posts - 531 votes Speaks: German, Turkish*, English Studies: Serbo-Croatian, Spanish | Message 8 of 11 22 July 2009 at 3:01pm | IP Logged |
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Hello everybody!
I have a few similar questions and didn't want to open another thread. I am into languages, yes, but my "formal" studies (that is college) lead me to aerospace engineering. Still, I would like to go into translation in order to have a flexible job to finance college. So my questions are: 1.) Do you think it would be possible for me to find jobs as a translator without a formal translator education? 2.) I have a very high level in both German and English, but I figured I definitely need to get a few certificates in order to find work. I have a German Abitur, so I think I won't need to prove my proficiency in German, but I think having been in the US for 1 year is not enough to show expertise in English. Which language/translation certificates would you recommend me? 3.) I am planning to attend CELTA classes to get that certificate. I think it will help, even though it has nothing to do with translation. Are there intensive classes for translators, like for the CELTA? Thanks for the answers! Ilhan 1 person has voted this message useful |
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