MA Programme in Specialized Translations and Terminology

 

The MA Programme in Specialized Translations and Terminology is organized in compliance with all European requirements. This Programme has a curriculum which covers a two-year cycle of studies and is based on the transfer credit system (120 ECTS, 4 semesters) plus the 30 credits allocated for the graduation exam.

This MA Programme trains translators’ ability to approach and work with a text drafted in a foreign language and pertaining to a specialized area, to correctly construe its meaning and thus find the most appropriate variant to accurately render the message of the source text into the target language. The Programme also provides the students with all the necessary instruments to compile bilingual specialized glossaries covering a multitude of specialized areas. Such glossaries address both specialized translators and the public at large interested in acquiring more detailed knowledge of specific specialized languages.

The Programme is monitored and supported by the European Commission via its DG Translation, as it is included in the assistance programme called Visiting Translator/Terminologist Scheme.

The foreign languages which participate in this MA Programme are English, French, German and Spanish. The students are expected to take two of these four languages.

The teaching staff includes academics who are also experts and qualified translators, with wide hands-on experience both in practical translation work and in the education and training of young translators. While focusing mainly on the foreign languages included in the Programme, the teaching staff also stress the importance of the mother tongue and the need to achieve excellence in its handling, because a major part of the work of a translator working for a European or international organization consists of translations into the mother tongue.

The curriculum covers a wide variety of courses, such as: Text Typology, Discourse Analysis, Translation Theory, various modules of specialized translations focussing on major areas of interest in today’s world (Business, Law, Medicine, Technology and Science, the Media), European Law and European Institutions, Specialized Terminologies, Cultural Studies covering the most significant trends and developments in Europe and the USA, Geopolitical Studies, Romanian History, Romanian Stylistics. The aim is to provide the students with the theoretical and practical knowledge that will help them become real professionals.

The academic year is divided as follows: 1. The autumn semester (1st October–21st January, with a winter break covering a period of two weeks, somewhere between 20th December and 4th January); 2. A three-week exam period after the first semester (23rd January–14th February); 3. A one-week break between the two semesters (15th-21th February); 4. The spring semester (22nd February–3rd June, with an Easter break); 5. A four-week exam period in June.

Any candidate wanting to access the programme must be the holder of a BA or any equivalent degree. The Programme can be accessed following an entrance exam which includes a four-hour written test. The test has the following components: translation from/into both foreign languages into/from Romanian and a multiple choice type of exercise covering basic knowledge of the European institutions.

The graduates of this MA Programme can participate in the open competitions organised by the European Commission (via EPSO, the European Personnel Selection Office) to successfully occupy a position as translator (language administrator) for the European institutions, but they can also be employed by any other international employer. At the same time they can have successful national careers with institutional or corporate employers (multinationals active in Romania, publishing houses, government agencies, NGOs, municipalities, law enforcement agencies such as police, Prosecutor’s Offices, courts, translation companies). Obviously, they can also become freelance translators and also build their own company.

Contact person: Prof. dr. Roxana-Cristina Petcu, roxana-cristina.petcu@lls.unibuc.ro