Do you aim for a career in Translation? The Stellenbosch University offers you 3 top-quality programmes

Monday, 09 March 2020

Translation studies is the right career path for you if you consider that today's multicultural and multilingual world requires skilled professionals  able to allow those unable to understand other languages than their own to communicate with anybody around the world. The Stellenbosch University offers you three top-quality programmes that range from a Bachelor of Honours degree, a Master's degree and a Doctor's degree.

Translation studies is an interdisciplinary academic discipline dealing with the systematic study of the theory, description and application of translation, interpreting, and localization. As an interdisciplinary discipline, Translation Studies borrows much from the various fields of study that support translation. These include comparative literature, computer science, history, linguistics, philology, philosophy, semiotics, and terminology.

Why Study Translation at Stellenbosch University?

If you consider that communication between different languages is compulsory to enable the world to stay connected, this field of study is the right career path for you. 

Skilled translators are becoming ever more important and sought after internationally as today's multicultural and multilingual world demands effective, efficient, and empathetic communication between languages and cultures.

Sometimes, communication between two parties is hindered because of the lack of a common language and culture between the two of them. That's where Translation comes into place and gives them the possibility not only to understand each other but also to communicate effectively and to lead their routine life as usual.

Careers in Translation

Translation Studies prepares students for various careers. Some graduates choose to start their own business as a freelance translator. Others become in-house translators or project managers for translation companies or international businesses. There are also roles in such language services industries as international publishing, journalism, public relations, and teaching.

Translation is a skill that many areas of study require. Those areas include:

• Life science and medical translation: Accurate translation of doctor manuals, medical records, patient records, leaflets, medical reports, instructions and prescription information really help healthcare companies to provide world class information.
• Finance and Banking: In order to attain new customers in foreign countries, banking and financial services use translation services to make their communication clear and effective.
• Information and technology: Organizations working in this sector need the services of translation for translating their technical documents in different languages so that they can cater to customers globally.
• Travel and tourism: Translation services allow them to provide travel documents, leaflets, brochures and terms and condition documents to offer exceptional services to their foreign customers in several different languages.  
• Legal translations: translation will help you in understanding everything pertaining to legal matters.

Here are the programmes offered by the Stellenbosch University:

Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Translation:

This research-oriented bachelor's degree, consisting of coursework over one year, offers students a choice between any of the African Languages of South Africa: Afrikaans, Chinese, Dutch, English, French and German. Students of this bachelor's degree choose one language for editing and one language as target language for translation or interpreting.   

Master of Arts in Translation:

Students of this Master's degree write a thesis on a topic in translation/interpreting/editing practice or translation/interpreting/editing theory.

The desired outcomes of this Master's degree are to enable the students:
a) to undertake individual research into the science of translation, interpreting or editing, and
b) to apply your knowledge in careers related to language practice.

Doctor of Philosophy in Translation:

This doctor's degree consists of a dissertation that is written under the supervision of a supervisor.

Students of this doctor's degree write a dissertation on a specific theme that is determined in consultation with your supervisor. The theme will be related to the subject area of translation, interpretation or editing.

These programmes offered by the Stellenbosch University will provide you a deep insight into the translation world. If you study these programmes, you will be able to apply your knowledge in a skillful way and you will also allow those who can't communicate with others outside of their language and cultural sphere with anyone in the world. This is the power of language! Translation gives you the power to keep in touch with human beings' most basic and intrinsic skill.