What to look for in a T&I program

By Werner George Patels

A freelance translator and conference interpreter (German/English) since 1987.
He specializes in the translation of legal, commercial, financial and marketing texts.

Mr. Patels can be contacted through www.translations-canada.net/wpatels

“T&I” stands for translation and interpretation and is a common abbreviation in such phrases as “She has a T&I degree” or “XYZ has 13 years of experience in T&I”.

Many translators and interpreters today are self-taught or learned the necessary skills under the supervision of a mentor. A better way of becoming a translator, I believe, is to enrol in a T&I program. But which one is the right one for you?

Here is a list of schools accredited by CIUTI (CONFERENCE INTERNATIONALE PERMANENTE D'INSTITUTS UNIVERSITAIRES DE TRADUCTEURS ET INTERPRETES):

AT - Austria

Graz - Institut für Theoretische und Angewandte Translationswissenschaft
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Merangasse 70
A-8010 Graz
Tel. ++ 43 - 316 - 380 26 67 / 2666
Fax ++ 43 - 316 - 380 9785
A - 8010 Graz
http://www-gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at/uedo/index.htm
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Erich PRUNC
(member of the CIUTI council)
erich.prunc@uni-graz.at

Innsbruck - Institut für Translationswissenschaft (INTRAWI)
Universität Innsbruck
Herzog-Siegmund-Ufer 15
Tel. ++ 43 - 512 - 507 42 52
Fax ++ 43 - 512 - 507 28 85
A - 6020 Innsbruck
http://www.uibk.ac.at/c/c6/c613
Univ.-Prof. Wolfgang POECKL
Wolfgang.Poeckl@uibk.ac.at

Vienna - Institut für Übersetzen und Dolmetschen
Universität Wien
Gymnasiumstraße 50
A - 1190 Wien
Tel. ++ 43 - 1 - 4277 43901
Fax ++ 43 - 1 - 4277 9439
http://www.univie.ac.at/transvienna
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dieter KASTOVSKY
dieter.kastovsky@univie.ac.at

Prof. Dipl.-Dolm. Ernst KLAMBAUER
(member of the CIUTI council)
ernst.klambauer@univie.ac.at

Prof. Dipl.-Dolm. Margarete SCHÄTTLE
margarete.schaettle@univie.ac.at

BE - Belgium

Antwerp - Hoger Instituut voor Vertalers en Tolken (HIVT)
Hogeschool Antwerpen
Associatie Universiteit Antwerpen-Hogescholen
Schildersstraat 41
B - 2000 ANTWERPEN
Tel. ++ 32 - 3 - 240 19 04 / 1905
Fax ++ 32 - 3 - 248 19 07
http://www.hivt.be
Prof. Dr. Frank PEETERS (vice-president of the CIUTI)
f.peeters@hivt.ha.be

Antwerp - Departement Vertaler-Tolk
Lessius Hogeschool
Associatie KU. Leuven
Sint - Andriesstraat 2
B - 2000 Antwerpen
Tel. ++ 32 3 206 04 91
Fax ++ 32 3 206 04 99
http://www.lessius-ho.be/vt/index.htm
Dr. Paul PAUWELS
(treasurer of the CIUTI)
paul.pauwels@lessius-ho.be

Prof. Dr. Frieda STEURS
frieda.steurs@lessius-ho.be

Brussels - Institut Supérieur de Traducteurs & Interprètes (ISTI)
Haute École de Bruxelles
Pôle universitaire européen Bruxelles-Wallonie
rue Joseph Hazard 34
B - 1180 Bruxelles
Tel. ++ 32 - 2 -340 12 93
Fax ++ 32 - 2 - 346 21 34
http://www.heb.be/isti
Prof. Frans DE LAET
(secretary general of the CIUTI)
fdelaet@heb.be

Brussels - Institut Libre Marie Haps
Haute École Léonard de Vinci
Rue d’Arlon 11
B - 1050 Bruxelles
Tel. ++ 32 – 2 - 549 54 86
Fax ++ 32 – 2 – 502 96 36
http://www.ilmh.be
Prof. Bernard DEVLAMMINCK
inthaps@innet.be

Gent - Departement Vertaalkunde
Hogeschool Gent
Groot-Brittannielaan 45
B - 9000 Gent
Tel. ++ 32 - 9 - 2249745
Fax ++ 32 - 9 - 2249701
http://www.hogent.be / http://www.hogent.be/veto
Prof. Dr. Rita GODIJNS
Rita.Godijns@hogent.be

Prof. Dr. Joost BOYSSCHAERT

Mons - Ecole d'Interprètes Internationaux
Université de Mons-Hainaut
Avenue du Champ de Mars 17
B - 7000 Mons
Tel. ++ 32 - 65 - 37 36 01 / ++ 32 - 65 - 37 36 04
Fax ++ 32 - 65 - 37 36 22
http://www.umh.ac.be/~eii
Prof. Alain PIETTE
alain.piette@umh.ac.be

CA - Canada

Montreal - Département de linguistique et de traduction
Université de Montréal
C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7
Canada
Tel. 001 – 514 – 343 - 6024
Fax 001 – 514 – 343 - 2284
http://www.FAS.UMontreal.CA/LING
Gilles BÉLANGER, Professeur agrégé
Gilles.Belanger@umontreal.ca

CH - Switzerland

Geneva - Ecole de Traduction et d’Interprétation
Université de Genève
40, boulevard du Pont-d’Arve
CH-1211 Genève 4
Tel. ++ 41 - 22 - 705 87 01/13
Fax ++ 41 - 22 - 781 62 21
http://www.unige.ch/eti/
Prof. Dr. Hannelore LEE-JAHNKE
(vice-president of the CIUTI)
hannelore.lee-jahnke@eti.unige.ch

CZ - Czech Republic

Prague - Ústav translatologie
Univerzita Karlova v Praze
Hybernská 3
CZ - 110 00 Praha 1
Tel. ++ 42 - 2 - 21619513
Fax ++ 42 - 2 - 21619528
http://utrl.ff.cuni.cz/
PhD Zuzana JETTMAROVÁ, M.Sc.
jettmar@ff.cuni.cz

DE - Germany

Heidelberg - Institut für Übersetzen und Dolmetschen (IÜD)
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Plöck 57a
D - 69117 Heidelberg
Tel. ++ 49 - 6221 - 54 75 59
Fax ++ 49 - 6221 - 54 75 60
http://www.iued.uni-heidelberg.de
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Joern ALBRECHT
Joern.Albrecht@iued.uni-heidelberg.de

Leipzig - Institut für Angewandte Linguistik und Translatologie (IALT)
Universität Leipzig
Augustusplatz 10/11
D - 04109 Leipzig
Tel. ++ 49 - 341 - 97 37 600
Fax ++ 49 - 341 - 97 37 649
http://www.uni-leipzig.de/~ialt
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Peter A. SCHMITT
(member of the CIUTI council)
schmitt@rz.uni-leipzig.de

Germersheim - Fachbereich Angewandte Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft (FASK)
Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
An der Hochschule 2
D - 76711 Germersheim
Tel. ++ 49 - 7274 - 508 35 139
Fax ++ 49 - 7274 - 508 35 437
http://www.fask.uni-mainz.de
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin FORSTNER
(president of the CIUTI)
forstner@mail.fask.uni-mainz.de

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas KELLETAT
Tel. ++ 49 – 7274 – 508 35 335
kelletat@t-online.de

Saarbrucken - Fachrichtung 4.6 Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft sowie Übersetzen und Dolmetschen
Universität des Saarlandes
Postfach 15 11 50
D - 66041 Saarbrücken
Tel. ++ 49 - 681 - 302 2501 / 2505
http://fr46.uni-saarland.de
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Hans HALLER
Hans@iai.uni-sb.de

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Erich STEINER
E.Steiner@mx.uni-saarland.de

DK - Denmark

Copenhagen - Fakultetet for Sprog, Kommunikation og Kultur
Handelshøjskolen i København
Dalgas Have 15
DK - 2000 Frederiksberg
Tel. ++45 - 38 - 15 38 15
Fax ++45 - 38 - 15 38 30
http://web.cbs.dk/spfak
Prof. Ole HELMERSEN
(member of the CIUTI council)
oh.spfak@cbs.dk

Aarhus - Fakultet for Sprog og Erhvervskommunikation
Handelshøjskolen i Århus
Fuglesangs alle 4
DK-8210 Århus V, Denmark
Tel. ++45 - 89 - 48 66 19
Fax ++45 - 86 - 15 77 27
http://www.asb.dk/org/langcom
Prof. Karen M. LAURIDSEN
Vice-rector, International relations
(vice-president of the CIUTI)
kml@asb.dk

ES - Spain

Madrid - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, Traducción e Interpretación
Universidad Pontificia Comillas
Quintana, 21
E - 28008 Madrid
Tel. ++34 91 548 44 07
Fax ++34 91 541 18 60
http://www.upco.es
Dr. Christopher WADDINGTON, Vicedecano
cwaddington@chs.upco.es

Joseph MUNZ, Coordinador de Relaciones Internacionales
jmunz@chs.upco.es

FR - France

Paris - Ecole Supérieure d'Interprètes et de Traducteurs (ESIT)
Université Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle
Centre Universitaire DAUPHINE
Place de Lattre de Tassigny
F - 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16
Tel. ++ 33 - 1 - 44 05 43 82
Fax ++ 33 - 1 - 44 05 41 43
http://www.univ-paris3.fr/esit
Prof. Fortunato ISRAEL
Fortunato.israel@univ-paris3.fr

Paris - Institut Supérieur d'Interprétation et de Traduction (ISIT)
21, rue d'Assas
F - 75270 PARIS CEDEX 06
Tel. ++ 33 - 1 - 42 22 33 16
Fax ++ 33 - 1 - 45 44 17 67
http://www.isit.icp.fr
Marie MERIAUD
Directrice Générale
m.meriaud@isit.icp.fr

GB - Great Britain

Bath - Department of European Studies and Modern Languages
University of Bath
Claverton Down
GB Bath BA2 7AY
Tel. ++44 -1-225 - 82 62 47
Fax ++44 -1- 225 - 82 60 99
http://www.bath.ac.uk/esml
Dr. Steve Slade
mlsss@bath.ac.uk

Bradford - Department of Languages and European Studies
University of Bradford
Richmond Road
Bradford BD7 1DP
Tel. ++44 1274 234574
Fax ++44 1274 235590
http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/mod-lang
Dr. John RUSSELL
(member of the CIUTI council)
j.russell@bradford.ac.uk


Edinburgh - School of Management and Languages
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh EH14 4AS
Tel. ++44 131 449 5111
Fax ++44 131 451 30 79
http://www.hw.ac.uk/langWWW
Prof. Dr. Ian MASON
i.mason@hw.ac.uk

Dr. Ursula BÖSER
u.boser@hw.ac.uk

London - School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages
University of Westminster
309 Regent Street
London W1B 2UW
Tel. ++ 44 (0) 20 7915 5425
Fax ++ 44 (0) 20 794 5106
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/sshl/new
Prof. Ingeborg Smallwood
Tel. ++ 44 (0) 20 7911 5804
I.Smallwood@westminster.ac.uk

Prof. Stella CRAGIE
Tel. ++ 44 (0) 20 7911 5000
S.Cragie@wmin.ac.uk

IT - Italy

Triest - Scuola Superiore di Lingue Moderne per Interpreti e Traduttori
Università degli Studi di Trieste
Via Filzi, 14
I - 34132 Trieste
Tel. ++ 39 - 040 - 676 23 45
Fax ++ 39 - 040 - 676 23 43
http://www.sslmit.univ.trieste.it
Prof. David SNELLING
snelling@sslmit.univ.trieste.it

Prof. Alessandra RICCARDI
riccardi@sslmit.univ.trieste.it

Prof. Maurizio VIEZZI
(member of the CIUTI council)
viezzi@sslmit.univ.trieste.it

Forli - Scuola Superiore di Lingue Moderne per Interpreti e Traduttori
Università degli Studi di Bologna
Corso della Repubblica 136
I - 47100 Forlì
Tel. ++ 39-0543-374 508
Fax ++ 39-0543-374 506
http://www.ssit.unibo.it
Prof. Dr. Guy ASTON
direzione@sslmit.unibo.it

Dr. Gabi MACK
mack@sslmit.unibo.it

LB - Lebanon

Beirut - Ecole de Traducteurs et d’Interprètes
Université Saint-Joseph
Rue de Damas
B.P. 17-5208
Mar Mikhael Beyrouth 1104 2020
Tel. ++ 961-1-611 456
Fax ++ 961-1-611 360
http://www.usj.edu.lb
Prof. Henri AWAISS, Directeur
hawaiss@usj.edu.lb

US - United States of America

Monterey - Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation
Monterey Institute of International Studies
425 van Buren Street
Monterey CA 93940
Tel. 001 - 831 647 - 4170
Fax 001 - 831 647 - 3560
http://www.miis.edu
Chuanyun Bao, Dean
cbao@miis.edu

These are the schools that have been accredited by CIUTI (always check www.ciuti.org for updated information). Of course, there are plenty more – for example, McGill University in Montréal and the University of Ottawa also offer programs in translation, but they are not accredited. Whether you enrol in an accredited or non-accredited program, there are certain aspects you should consider first before making a decision.

1. At least 70% of the faculty members should be practising translators/interpreters. Several schools focus too much on theory and/or linguistics, and most of their teachers are linguists or philologists that have never translated for a living. Translation/interpretation is best taught by people who know the business inside out.

2. Look at the school’s curriculum. Does it meet the professional requirements of the translation market? For example: Does the school adhere to the “golden rule of translation” of translating only into the native tongue and/or dominant language? If so, you may have found a winner. Every school offers, and requires its students to take, translation courses or workshops into a foreign language. But these courses are designed to give students a better understanding of the foreign language (i.e., by practising translation into a foreign language, you will learn more about the various nuances and intricacies of such language – and this will help you immensely when you translate from such language into your mother tongue). These courses, however, are not meant to encourage graduates to translate into a foreign language in “real life”.

3. Again, look at the school’s curriculum. Does it incorporate courses on new technologies relevant to the business of translation, such as CAT tools (DéjàVu, Trados, etc.)? Or workshops on how to navigate the Internet and perform effective online research? Translators can no longer do without technology: most of our research is done online these days (in the past translators would have to camp out at public libraries while working on their projects or “pester” university professors and other experts with terminological questions and clarifications). CAT tools also play a big part in our profession: we create databases of translated text (known as “translation memories”) and, generally, work more efficiently and consistently using these tools.

4. Look at the school’s courses in interpretation. Who are the teachers? Again, make sure the teachers are practising professionals. With interpreting courses this is even more crucial than in translation. Ideally, the teachers should all be practising and experienced conference interpreters (and members of an interpreters’ association such as AIIC or others) and, which is very important, native speakers of the target language (= the language you interpret into) of each course.

5. Next question: does the school offer interdisciplinary courses on various subject matters so that students can familiarize themselves with different topics? And are these courses offered in cooperation with other university schools or departments? For example, I am thinking of introductory and intermediate courses on law, business, engineering, medicine, economics, etc. Personally, I believe that this is a very important aspect of “translation school”: the opportunity to learn about other, non-linguistic, subjects, which will help you to specialize as a translator (e.g., medical translator, legal translator, technical translator).

Generally, it will be difficult to find a school that meets all of these criteria. Personally, I would consider a school excellent if it met at least 50% of them.

If you are pressed for time or simply too busy, you may also want to consider the possibility of earning a certificate in translation online (distance-learning):

1. New York University: Certificate in Translation: http://www.scps.nyu.edu/departments/certificate.jsp?certId=157

2. WLS (Worlds Language Services) Translation Courses (Certificate, Diploma): http://homepage.tinet.ie/~wls/tranbroc.htm

3. University of Toronto Certificate in Translation: http://learn.utoronto.ca/uoft

Whatever you decide to do, remember: translation is best learned by doing it, which is why you should always look for programs that emphasize the practical aspects of translation, and not so much the theory behind it. If none of these programs and schools is right for you, go out and find yourself an experienced translator to mentor you.

Good luck and may St. Jerome be with you!

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