Course Requirements
Students must complete 24 credits of course work and an additional 6 credits of either thesis or practicum.
01:940:401 Advanced Translation I (3 cr.)
(This course will not be counted in the degree but may be required of some students as a prerequisite.)
Core Courses: Translation/Interpreting
(12 cr.-18cr. of which at least 3 cr. must be interpreting.) (This latter requirement is waived for practicing interpreters)
01:940:471 Internship in Translation/Interpreting (BA)
(This 1-3 credit option will be required of degree candidates who do not have experience as practicing translators or interpreters.)
01:940:476 Legal Translation (1.5 cr.)
16:617:535 Court Interpreting (3 cr.)
01:940:486 Medical Translation (1.5 cr.)
01:940:487 Hospital/Community Interpreting (1.5 cr.)
16:940:502 Translation of Specialized Texts (3 cr.)
16:617:531-Assisted Translation (1.5 cr.)
16:940:563 Theory and Practice of Translation (3 cr.)
16:940:575 or 16:617:533 Community and Simultaneous Interpreting (3 cr.)
16:940:579 Translation, Media, and Technology (3 cr.)
MA and graduate students need to add a G prefix when registering for the following courses to be counted towards graduation:
01:940:486 Medical Translation (1.5 cr.)
01:940:487 Hospital/Community Interpreting (1.5 cr.)
01:940:476 Legal Translation (1.5 cr.)
01:940:471 Internship in Translation/Interpreting (1-3 cr.)
Linguistics or related field (minimum of 3 cr.)
A course on linguistics or related field among the list of approved courses for the MA in Translation related to Research and Training Methodologies, Dialectology, Bilingualism or any other graduate course offered by our Department in the Bilingualism/Language Acquisition PhD or the MAT (Prior approval by faculty responsible for course required).Other appropriate linguistics theory courses, taught within or outside the Spanish program, are subject to approval by the Graduate Director. (Students who have had a substantial concentration of linguistics courses as an undergraduate may waive this requirement.)
Literature/Culture/Study Abroad (maximum of 6 cr.)
All degree candidates must have some study abroad or life experience in both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries. For native speakers of English, this requirement may be met through 6 credits taken in the Department’s Summer Study in Peru and Spain program or other appropriate program. For foreign students coming from Spanish-speaking countries, this requirement may be met through appropriate English-language coursework within Rutgers University (possibilities include American Studies as well as offerings in the English Department). Degree candidates who have already met the study abroad requirement will fulfill their literature/culture component through 400-level or graduate courses in Hispanic literature/culture or British/American literature/culture, subject to approval by the Graduate Director.
Degree candidates who already have a substantial concentration in the relevant literature/culture area may choose additional translation/interpreting/linguistics or courses in a specialized field with approval of the Graduate Director.
Elective in Field of Specialization (3 cr.)
This is a flexible option, depending upon individual student need. The course may be outside the Graduate Program in Spanish, subject to approval by the graduate director.
Language Requirement:
The world language requirement may be completed by taking two semesters of an approved world language (in addition to the twenty-four credits of required coursework), one semester of an appropriate intensive course, or by passing a reading examination in the world language. Deadline to register in the Summer Reading Knowledge Course programs is early May every year. Here is the link for more information and to register.
The requirement will be waived for candidates who completed an undergraduate major or minor in or are native speakers of a third language, or who had extensive study abroad experience in a relevant country. Approval of the Graduate Director is required.
Examination:
The comprehensive examination for the translation option will be based on coursework and includes three different types of translation. The exam must be taken before beginning the thesis or practicum. The exam lasts six hours and is administered in two parts on a single day. Students can use any reference material of their choice and will be administered using a departmental computer with unrestricted access to Internet resources. The first part replicates the American Translators Association Certification Examination and it includes both form and style-oriented translation. The second specialized part is based on the student’s main field of expertise (prior to registering for the exam students will select their field of specialization in consultation with the program director). Students will prepare a comprehensive resource and documentation list throughout all of their coursework. The examination will have the following format:
Morning [3 hours]
a. Translation – Literary/Essay: Spanish to English or English to Spanish (Language B to Language A.)
b. Translation - Non-literary: Spanish to English or English to Spanish (Language A to Language B.)
Afternoon [3 hours]
a. Specialized Translation based on student´s field of choice (Language B to A) [450 to 500 words]
Grading Policy:
Each translation is graded independently by three faculty members appointed by the graduate director using a standardized translation grading scale. If a faculty member assigns a failing grade (i.e., below 70%) on any question, the faculty member will submit an explanation in writing. All scores are averaged.
- In order for the exam to be judged passing, the candidate’s translations must average 80% (i.e., be of B quality) or better.
- If the examination average falls between 75% and 79%, the Graduate Director will call a meeting to discuss the examination and the Graduate Faculty will make a recommendation.
- If the examination average falls below 75%, the examination is considered an automatic failure.
- Faculty members will normally grade translations within thirty working days of the completion of the examination. The Graduate Director will then convey the results to the candidate in writing.
- In the case of a failure, the candidate may meet with the Director, the Chair, or other appropriate faculty to discuss the examination.