M.A. in Translation and Interpreting

Purpose

This program provides advanced professional and theoretical training for translators and interpreters. Includes practice in legal, medical, technical, legal, audiovisual and literary translation, as well as community, court and medical interpreting. It also includes advanced training in translation technology tools and project management. Students will acquire a thorough understanding of the main contemporary theoretical approaches to translation and interpreting and prepare students to work in a variety of leading roles within the language industry, such as court and medical interpreters, legal and technical translators, project managers, in-house specialized translators, translation and interpreting for the government etc. Students can also be trained in translation and interpreter pedagogy. The MA in Spanish (Option in Translation) is considered to be a terminal degree, in that it does not automatically lead to a consideration for the PhD. For the student who wishes to seek admission to the PhD program in literature or linguistics after having completed the MA (Option in Translation), s/he must apply to the PhD program through the normal application process.

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Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Students must complete 24 credits of course work and an additional 6 credits of either thesis or practicum. 

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Admission Requirements

Students are admitted on the basis of undergraduate records, letters of recommendation, appropriate score on the Graduate Record Examination (native speakers of English and Spanish) and TOEFL (native Spanish speakers from abroad), and demonstrated competency in both English and Spanish. Applicants should have the fluency of a college educated native speaker of their first language and a near native competency in the language from which they will translate. The undergraduate major needs not be Spanish (or English, for foreign students from Spanish-speaking countries) but should be related to the intended field of translation. Applicants must submit a personal statement of approximately 500 words in both Spanish and English in which they outline their relevant background and their reasons for pursuing the master option in translation/interpreting.

Guidelines for Translation Projects and Thesis

The source text of individual projects will be selected by the student in consultation with the course instructor or thesis director. In general, texts chosen for projects should not be ones previously translated to the target language. (There are bibliographies in the library to assist in verifying what works have previously been translated.) In the case of the Master’s thesis in translation, the project will include an introduction to the source text. If the text selected is under copyright, the thesis should include written authorization for its translation or evidence of efforts to obtain such authorization. Translation projects should be prepared on a word processor to facilitate revision from first draft through final version. The text of the translation should coincide, page by page, with the source text. Both texts must be submitted for evaluation. Like other Master’s theses, a translation thesis will be evaluated by a faculty committee. Whenever possible, the committee will include someone with particular expertise in the subject of the source text (e.g., a professor of Economics for a text in that field).

Guidelines for the Practicum (940:669-670)

Students receive letter grades for Practicum credits. That grade is assigned by the faculty member directing the individual work. In this respect, work in progress is treated as independent study. Masters candidates who wish to use Practicum credits (minimum of six) in lieu of a thesis, must file the relevant application form in the Department and submit a final project to the Graduate Director. A practicum can consist of an advanced internship in a Translation Company or Department, or a project. The project should be reviewed or supervised by a reader in addition to the faculty member who directs the work; the reader may be Rutgers faculty or may be a qualified professional from outside the university. The reader will be invited by the candidate and director to offer suggestions/corrections related to the project and will be asked to submit a signed/dated note for the student's file indicating that he or she has reviewed the work. No formal defense of the practicum project is required.

M.A. Spanish Translation - Learning Goals and Assessment

The Graduate Program in Spanish-English Translation/Interpreting trains Master of Arts students at an advanced level in aspects of interlingual and intercultural communication for various settings. In providing training, the graduate program keeps in mind expectations and standards as outlined by professional organizations that sponsor relevant certification examinations, such as the American Translators' Association (ATA). Students may emphasize translation (written) or interpreting (oral) work; special attention is paid to the areas of legal and medical translation/ interpreting.

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