Welcome to the Translation and Interpreting Department
Classes in the Department of English Translation and Interpreting at Yaşar University are taught by instructors who are specialists in their fields. The curriculum is designed to ensure that students become adept in the use of the latest translation technology, have a critical understanding of current affairs, are aware of the larger cultural and linguistic contexts in which translation is performed and begin to develop a sense of themselves as researchers and practitioners within the field.
The Department, recognizing the importance of cooperation between the academic world and the commercial sector, maintains close contact with translation companies, professional organizations and also those state institutions most concerned with translation. Our students have the opportunity to take part in internships and other projects which arise out of such cooperative relationships. The translation project carried out with the Ministry for the European Union on its chapter concerning the information society and the media was the first cooperation of its kind in Turkey. It is on the basis of the education they received in the department and also the experience gained through this project that our students were placed first in the competition for your translators organized by the Ministry for the European Union.
Students currently studying in the department are active as translators in a variety of official events and festivals, and instructors and students in the department have taken on the role of guides and interpreters for visiting international journalists. Students have helped in development campaigns for the city and region by, for example, taking on the project of translating brochures for the Sarpıncık soap workshop in Karaburun.
The Yaşar University Translation Society has been one of the most active student societies in the country, organizing several events every academic year and inviting academics and experts within the commercial sector to the campus; its members were among the founders of the Izmir Platform for Translation Students.
Many of our students also make the very most of the sporting opportunities available at Yaşar, which has a history of illustrious achievements in fields such as Amerıcan football, basketball, soccer, mountaineering and trekking.
Our priority in the department is to offer the best possible education in the preparation of the next generation of communication specialists, and, as a result of this, a broad array of vocational opportunities is available to students upon graduation. As translators and experts ın communication, students graduating with a degree from our department may find themselves working as translators, localization specialists, technical writers, editors, researchers, academicians and project directors in the translation sector, in international commerce, within large multinational companies, in education and in various organizations and sectors within civil society. Past graduates from our department are currently completing postgraduate degrees abroad, working freelance or in the context of their own translation agencies, responsible for international logistics and trade, pursuing academic careers, working as language instructors, and serving as translation and localization specialists within some of the foremost translation agencies in the country.
Our Program:
The compulsory and elective translation oriented courses that serve as the core of the intended high-quality education are shaped by the contemporary scientific and social requirements of the field. Our academic curriculum includes reading, speaking and writing classes in the Turkish-English language pair and aim to improve the basic linguistic and cultural competence of the students. In the sophomore year, translation oriented applied and theoretical courses are introduced so that the students not only gain ample knowledge but also start hands-on practice in the area. In addition to this core module, our program focuses on specialized translation areas and the courses comprise of approaches to the translation of a wide range of text types from medical, legal , technical, to texts dealing with the economy, politics, EU relations. The courses are offered to students both specializing in translation and interpreting. Moreover,since translation studies is an interdisciplinary field, our students are given the chance to do double major or minor in other programs that our university offers.
Erasmus International Exchange Program and Internship
Our students have the opportunity to do their internship within the Erasmus program. The collaboration of the Department with translation and language services and industry allows our students to do their internships at home as well.
Foreign Language Learning
Alongside their eight semester-long department courses, the students are free to choose foreign language courses from the wide range that the School of Foreign Languages offers every semester.
Translation and Interpreting Laboratories
Equipped with the latest technology for interpreting training, our interpreting laboratory has a capacity of 7 simultaneous interpreting booths and 30 desks. The students can run individual or group activities in an interactive environment and do simultaneous interpreting practice with current information.
Student Activities and Yaşar University Translation Students Community
Cooperation with the sector is also supported via the Translation Students Community. Our students host many business owners, academicians and freelance translators in their activities.
The students also enjoy a variety of facilities that the university provides. The students of our Department participate in different branches such as climbing, dance, American football, rhythm, etc.
Graduates
Graduates of the Department are entitled to a “translator-interpreter” title. They can work in national and international businesses, public enterprises, banks, publishers, translation firms alongside ministries such as Foreign Ministry, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Finance.
They can also do master’s degree in areas such as International Relations, European Studies, Business, Economy, Women’s Studies, Cultural Studies, Communication, Language, and Literature. It is also possible for our graduates to work as English teachers provided that they complete the teacher training program.