"Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iasi
Faculty of Letters Departament of English
2009 - 2010 Academic year Departament of French
MA IN TRANSLATION AND TERMINOLOGY
The MA in Translation and Terminology was set up in the 2000-2001 academic year as a follow-up to the undergraduate translation programme that was established as a distinct area of specialisation of the Faculty of Letters in 1997.
Objectives
This MA programme has been so designed as to equip trainees with the wide range of competences and skills they will need to work as professional translators and terminologists, proof readers and translation revisers in Romanian or European institutions as well as on a freelance basis. More specifically, it aims to train students so as to:
§ provide high quality translation services for the local market and European institutions;
§ become acquainted with the rules of interaction functioning in their work environment and, more generally, in the community in which they live;
§ make use of the appropriate strategies for the elaboration of translations and terminological documents;
§ integrate the new technologies (translation memory, localisation tools, subtitling software, etc.) with their current work;
§ revise other translators' texts, self-evaluate their work, proofread and transedit;
§ observe the ethical norms that are related to the profession.
So far highly motivated university graduates, with high standards in foreign languages have joined the MA in translation. Many of them have been subsequently recruited to work for the European Commission and Parliament. Others work for various companies, translation agencies and bureaus or have become translator trainers themselves.
The programme is also included among the Master's Programmes of the Utrecht Network.
(http://utrechtnetwork.multimove.nl/masterprogramme/result/masters/city/iasi).
Programme outline:
§ Duration: 2 year full-time study programme, corresponding to 60 credits (ECTS) per year. The dissertation is (separately) awarded another 5 credits (ECTS).
§ Languages: English, French, Romanian
§ Entry requirements
1. a joint honours (BA) degree in translation (English and French), or
2. a joint honours (BA) degree in English and French language, or
3. an honours degree in other subject fields, and a very good command of English and French (testified by high scores in such tests as, for instance, Cambridge Advanced Certificate, IELTS, TOEFL, DALF, etc.).
§ Academic calendar:
1st semester: October 1- January 18 (Christmas holidays: December 22 - January 5)
Examination period: January 19 - February 1
Winter holidays: February 2- 15
2nd semester: February 16 - May 24 (Easter holidays: April 4 - 6)
Examination period: May 25 - June 7
(Final years) June 8 - 21 preparation for the Dissertation Examination
June 22-28 Dissertation Examination
§ Curriculum
The premise that underlies the curriculum structure is that translation as a job is a complex activity that does not involve mere transcoding but also a comprehensive range of skills and competences which have inter-cultural, service-providing and technological dimensions. Thus, in a world characterized by multilingualism and multiculturalism, with increasingly complex communication channels and with diversity being one of its key values, the translator becomes a provider of high quality translation services as well as a mediator between different cultures and values.
The curriculum has been designed in the light of the Bologna Declaration, and in keeping with the programme objectives and with the DGT guidelines, as many trainees have shown an interest in working for the European institutions. It is flexible enough to allow for different forms of teaching (lectures, seminars and practical classes), with the practical activities prevailing over the theoretical ones. The total number of hours per week is 14. Trainees are also expected to work independently and are given translation assignments for each subject every week.
§ Subjects taught
§ Translation Studies (English and French);
§ Terminology (English and French);
§ Specialised translation (translations of various legal, economic, EU, technical, medical text-types: English and French);
§ Computer-assisted translation;
§ European institutions: translation as a profession in these institutions;
§ Practical training in companies, translation bureaus, etc.
§ Practical training
The compulsory period of practical training carried out in translation offices, companies, agencies and publishing houses is part of the curriculum and gives trainees first-hand experience of the working environment of professional translators. A number of trainees are asked to carry out their practical training period in the Department of International Relations of the "Al. I. Cuza" University which has recruited, through the years, some of its staff from among the MA in Translation graduates.
§ Dissertation:
The final dissertation is the result of the (applied)research undertaken by the students, in close consultation with their supervisors, in the fields of translation and terminology, frequently approached from an interdisciplinary stance.
The successful completion of the programme is concretized in an MA diploma in translation and terminology, which enables graduates to work as professionals in the institutions, firms, companies, publishing houses, etc. requiring translation services or as trainers for such programmes.
Facilities
Students attending the MA in Translation and Terminology work in special multimedia laboratories having access to Internet, translation software - translation memory and software localisation tools, TRADOS, PASSOLO, Déjà-Vu, subtitling software and video-conference equipment.
The library of the translation programme contains recent (national and international) publications in the fields under study as well as a rich collection of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries and encyclopedias. Students can also find translation related bibliography at the British Council library as well as at the University library and at the library of the Faculty of Letters.
Cooperation with Romanian institutions
Besides cooperating with other Romanian universities that have their own translation programmes, with the Romanian Translators' Association as well as with local and national translation agencies and bureaus, there are close links between the MA students and important Romanian publishing houses that are located in Iaþi.
Cooperation with the European institutions and with other European universities
Between 2000-2009 the MA in Translation and Terminology of the "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi has been constantly in touch with the European Commission (DGT), Bruxelles. It has been part of "The Visiting Translator Scheme", whereby translators from the DGT have informed the teaching staff and students on their work and even taught translation and terminology to the MA students. They also had the opportunity to improve their knowledge of Romanian by attending Romanian language courses. On the other hand, many of the MA graduates now work for the European Commission and other European institutions, and some of them have spent periods of internship at the DGT.
The MA Programme in Translation has been recently involved in several European projects. The most recent ones are the eCoLoTrain LEONARDO project (Developing innovative e-content localisation training opportunities for trainers and teachers in professional translation) - 2005-2007 and the eCoLoMedia LEONARDO project (Développement de ressources pédagogiques partagées et adaptables pour l'enseignement professionnalisant de la localisation de contenus électroniques multimédias) -2007-2009. Such projects have been instrumental in updating the curriculum and enhancing the quality of the courses according to the on-going European standards and the latest developments in the profession.
Intensive exchanges have also taken place, at both student and teaching staff level within the LLP/Erasmus project. Such exchanges have involved European universities that offer MA's in translation, e. g. the Universities of Leeds, Middlesex, ISTI - Bruxelles, Université Rennes2 (Haute Bretagne), Université Catholique de l'Ouest-Angers, Université d'Angers, Université Paris III, Université de Poitiers, Universities of Copenhagen, Salamanca, Vigo, Alicante, Saarbrücken, Erasmus Hogeschool-Bruxelles, Université Catholique de Louvain, Université de Liège, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Università degli Studi di Bari, etc.
Universitatea "Al. I. Cuza"
Facultatea de Litere
B-dul Carol I nr. 11, 700506 Iaþi
Phone: +40-232 201253;
Fax: +40-232 201201;
Email: letters@uaic.ro
Websites: http://www.uaic.ro;
