The program, developed with support from a grant from the Arizona Board of Regents, is designed to prepare students with good writing proficiency in Spanish and English for careers in translating and in related areas. As a non-credit certificate sequence, it is an excellent complement to any professional degree where cross-linguistic communication is involved.
The program is ideal for candidates that, because of geographical location or career demands, would not have easy access to traditional university courses. Students who are admitted to the program and complete the 3 course sequence with a grade average of C or better will receive a certificate of completion.
Who Should Apply
Students and/or professionals who:
- Are highly proficient in written communication in English and Spanish
- Would like to complement other professional skills
- Have a busy work schedule and/or do not have access easy access to the University of Arizona campus
About the Curriculum
The focus of the translation certificate courses is not on theoretical content. These are skills-based courses, whose goal is to facilitate acquisition of translation competence, more specifically the transfer component of competence. Given the short duration of the program (each course is only 16 weeks), we focus on core skills, which require rich feedback (from instructors and peers) and guided practice. Unlike transfer competence, content (terminology, field specific knowledge) can be learned independently and through intensive specialized webinars, widely available in the field. Certificate courses teach content and terminology in the context of translation tasks (rather than as separate discrete units) and aim to teach students how to identify and remedy knowledge gaps (something they will have to do throughout their careers as translators) . The translation certificate courses are practical, workshop-style courses, as indicated on the syllabus. The assignments provide opportunities to learn (with purposely selected texts and guided activities to help students learn translation skills). Exams do not test content, but skills and thus, no preparatory materials are needed. Students prepare for exams throughout the entire course (through guided practice and feedback).
The translation certificate consists of three online courses:
Medical Translation
January - May
This course provides guided practice in the successful completion of professional translation tasks involving authentic texts commonly translated into Spanish in the medical domain. It follows a workshop design, accompanied by theoretical components directly related to the tasks at hand.
Legal Translation
May - August
Using an online delivery method, this course provides guided practice in the successful completion of professional translation tasks involving texts in the legal domain (e.g. legal forms, legal documents in the civil, commercial and criminal domain, etc.). It follows a workshop design, accompanied by theoretical components directly related to the tasks at hand
Business Translation
September - December
This course provides guided practice in the successful completion of professional translation tasks involving texts in the business/financial domain (e.g. stock market, business correspondence, advertising). It follows a workshop design, accompanied by theoretical components directly related to the tasks at hand.
SPANISH/ENGLISH TRANSLATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
How to Get Started
You will need to have:
- Reliable Internet connection (fast connection preferred)
- Computer access and computer literacy
- Formal writing proficiency in English and Spanish
- Application required
To apply:
- Visit program page
- Complete and submit an application form, including information on your educational background and experience
- Complete and submit your translation exam (2 hour time limit)
Employment
The University of Arizona National Center for Interpretation is looking for experienced instructors to teach for the online translation certificate. If you are a professional translator specializing in health care, business or legal translation interested in this opportunity, please send your resume to scolina@email.arizona.edu.