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With demand growing, now is a great time to enter a career in translation or interpretation. Find out how a master's program could get you started.
Despite more universities developing graduate programs in translation studies and interpretation, the demand for qualified graduates in the professions relating to these academic areas is still largely unmet.
The study of foreign languages has been under considerable pressure in recent years, with the school and college curriculum in many English-speaking countries refocusing on the development of core literacy and numeracy skills at the expense of previously common taught areas such as French and German.
International demand
Famously, in the days following 9/11 it became apparent that the CIA had such limited language capacity that only three full time members of staff had Arabic proficiency, reducing the US's ability to interpret material and anticipate further international terrorist activity.
Perhaps less dramatically, international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Commission have identified the critical need to recruit more interpreters and translators if they are to fulfil their diplomatic and cultural functions in the years to come.
The situation at the European Commission illustrates the opportunity many qualified graduates now have to enter the translation profession. An analysis of the current age profile of English language interpreters at the Commission tells a stark story – by 2015, a third of all current staff will have retired due to age, with a further quarter retiring by 2019.
Given that the staffing levels of the English Language Unit at the European Commission are critical to the operation of the organization as a whole, it is clear that the demand for interpreters is likely to dramatically increase in the years to come.
What programs are available?
Leonard Orban, the European Commissioner for Multilingualism, believes that a career in translation and other related fields is among the most attractive in the current climate.
"The language industry is one of the sectors in which high-quality jobs are being created worldwide, notwithstanding the financial crisis. Hence there are attractive job opportunities for graduates with the right qualifications."
One such qualification is offered by the University of Warwick in the UK. Regarded as having some of the best graduate translation programs available in Europe, the university's Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies offers three master's programs: Translation Studies, Translation, Media and Cultural Transfer, and Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference.
The Masters in Translation Studies aims to examine translation in context and looks at different ways in which the translation of texts from one culture to another can leave them open to different interpretation and manipulation.
'More to offer' employers
Katherine Ong from Singapore graduated from Warwick's Masters in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference in 2007 and now works as an editorial assistant for an academic publisher in London.
She was attracted to the unique interdisciplinary nature of the course. "Combining theoretical and creative elements with a cultural perspective, was really appealing. I enjoyed the challenges of working between different departments, drawing on diverse areas of expertise and developing skills in new areas such as creative writing.
"It was particularly rewarding to have contact with, and learn from, people who translate and write professionally. I got to spend a week with the Royal Shakespeare Company as an interpreter backstage on a production by the Berliner Ensemble. My MA year was an extremely worthwhile experience and when it came to looking for a job I felt I had a great deal more to offer as a result."
There is no doubt that with the increasing internationalization of government, business and other employment sectors, high-level skills in different languages will be vital to have in the future.
Translation studies opens doors to a range of exciting international careers at a time when some of the more traditional employment routes for master's students are under some pressure.
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Careers in Interpreting and Translation
Staff Writer
Updated Aug 14, 2024Save
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With demand growing, now is a great time to enter a career in translation or interpretation. Find out how a master's program could get you started.
Despite more universities developing graduate programs in translation studies and interpretation, the demand for qualified graduates in the professions relating to these academic areas is still largely unmet.
The study of foreign languages has been under considerable pressure in recent years, with the school and college curriculum in many English-speaking countries refocusing on the development of core literacy and numeracy skills at the expense of previously common taught areas such as French and German.
International demand
Famously, in the days following 9/11 it became apparent that the CIA had such limited language capacity that only three full time members of staff had Arabic proficiency, reducing the US's ability to interpret material and anticipate further international terrorist activity.
Perhaps less dramatically, international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Commission have identified the critical need to recruit more interpreters and translators if they are to fulfil their diplomatic and cultural functions in the years to come.
The situation at the European Commission illustrates the opportunity many qualified graduates now have to enter the translation profession. An analysis of the current age profile of English language interpreters at the Commission tells a stark story – by 2015, a third of all current staff will have retired due to age, with a further quarter retiring by 2019.
Given that the staffing levels of the English Language Unit at the European Commission are critical to the operation of the organization as a whole, it is clear that the demand for interpreters is likely to dramatically increase in the years to come.
What programs are available?
Leonard Orban, the European Commissioner for Multilingualism, believes that a career in translation and other related fields is among the most attractive in the current climate.
"The language industry is one of the sectors in which high-quality jobs are being created worldwide, notwithstanding the financial crisis. Hence there are attractive job opportunities for graduates with the right qualifications."
One such qualification is offered by the University of Warwick in the UK. Regarded as having some of the best graduate translation programs available in Europe, the university's Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies offers three master's programs: Translation Studies, Translation, Media and Cultural Transfer, and Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference.
The Masters in Translation Studies aims to examine translation in context and looks at different ways in which the translation of texts from one culture to another can leave them open to different interpretation and manipulation.
'More to offer' employers
Katherine Ong from Singapore graduated from Warwick's Masters in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference in 2007 and now works as an editorial assistant for an academic publisher in London.
She was attracted to the unique interdisciplinary nature of the course. "Combining theoretical and creative elements with a cultural perspective, was really appealing. I enjoyed the challenges of working between different departments, drawing on diverse areas of expertise and developing skills in new areas such as creative writing.
"It was particularly rewarding to have contact with, and learn from, people who translate and write professionally. I got to spend a week with the Royal Shakespeare Company as an interpreter backstage on a production by the Berliner Ensemble. My MA year was an extremely worthwhile experience and when it came to looking for a job I felt I had a great deal more to offer as a result."
There is no doubt that with the increasing internationalization of government, business and other employment sectors, high-level skills in different languages will be vital to have in the future.
Translation studies opens doors to a range of exciting international careers at a time when some of the more traditional employment routes for master's students are under some pressure.
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