Educational Programs in Translation and Interpretation in the Carolinas
Please note: CATI makes no claim that this is a complete list of all educational opportunities in the Carolinas. More information will be added as it becomes available. Use the contact information provided for further details of the colleges and universities listed here.
Education is a lifelong process, not something that ends with that first diploma. We are fortunate in North and South Carolina to have a great number of basic and continuing educational programs that focus on the translation and interpretation (T/I) professions. The list below represents CATI's compilation to date and will be updated as new information becomes available. If you are an educator and you are aware of any new curriculum certificates or degree programs at community colleges or four-year institutions that might be of interest to T/I professionals, please contact CATI's Administrative Manager at catiadmin@catiweb.org.
For background information, read Memuna Williams' informative article, “Why Professional Development? Reflections on Renewal Through Continuing Education."
North Carolina: UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL
Community Colleges: Several community colleges throughout the state of North Carolina offer Associate degree and certificate programs in Spanish Community Interpreting. The Associate in Arts Degree Programs generally include a co-op, or internship. Classes offered: Spanish Phonetics, Reading and Composition, Introduction to Interpreting, Analytical Skills for Interpretation, Introduction to Translation, among others. For more information, see “Interpreter Training in North Carolina Colleges" by Georgia Betcher.
Cape Fear Community College
Cape Fear Community College in Castle Hayne, NC offers an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S) Community Spanish Interpreter degree. The AAS consists of 74 credit hours. Course work includes the acquisition of Spanish: grammar, structure, and sociolinguistic properties, cognitive processes associated with interpretation between Spanish and English; the structure and character of the Hispanic community; and acquisition of communication skills. We also offer an online Medical Interpreting class for those needing a 40-hour course to take the CCHI or NBCMI certification.
For details, see http://catalog.cfcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=5&poid=386&returnto=214.
Contact Maria Rodriguez at mrodriguez@cfcc.edu
Gardner-Webb University
Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC offers many language related undergraduate degrees. Nationally recognized for its excellent academic core curriculum, Gardner-Webb students have the opportunity to engage in small, individualized classes with a 13-to-1 student-faculty ratio taught by professors from numerous prestigious educational institutions.
- English as a Second Language (undergrad)
- World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (undergrad)
- Classical Languages (minor)
- Biblical Languages (undergrad)
- American Sign Language (undergrad)
UNC Charlotte: Languages and Culture Studies
The Undergraduate Certificate in Translating (CT) at UNC Charlotte, created in 1979, anticipated today's increasing demand for qualified translators. It currently offers the following language pairs and directionality:
French>English
German>English
Spanish<>English
The CT consists of 12 credit hours (four courses). It is not equivalent to a major in a foreign language (30-33 credit hours - a minimum of ten courses), rather it represents a theory-based intercultural communication skill developed at the bachelor's degree level. The CT may complement a major in any field, and is especially recommended for majors and minors in French, German, Spanish, International Studies, Latin American Studies, or International Business.
For details, please visit the UNC Charlotte Department of Languages and Culture Studies website.
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem offers certificates in the field of translation and interpretation:
Certificate in Spanish Translation/Localization, STL; 13-15 hours. This teaches strategies of Spanish into English translation and introduces students to various software language applications; includes an internship in a professional translation environment.
Certificate in Spanish Interpreting (SI); 10-12 hours This teaches strategies for different types of Spanish/English interpreting; includes an internship. For details, see www.wfu.edu/romancelanguages/spanish/spdegrcert.htm.
Contact Ola Furmanek at furmano@wfu.edu.
Wake Forest University also offers a certificate in Spanish for the Professional World (Business or Health). Classes offered include: Spanish for Business, Spanish for the Medical Profession, Art and Commerce in the Spanish-Speaking World and Spanish Translation. For details, see www.wfu.edu/romancelanguages/spanish_for_business/indexpages/frameset.htm. Contact Dr. Alan Jose at josea@wfu.edu.
North Carolina: GRADUATE LEVEL
UNC Charlotte
The Department of Languages and Culture Studies (LCS) at UNC Charlotte offers a well-established curriculum in translating and translation studies (TTS):
- Graduate Certificate in Translating and Translation Studies (GCTTS in English-Spanish), created in 2001
- Masters of Arts in Spanish, also created in 2001, with two tracks from which to choose:
For details, please visit the UNC Charlotte Department of Languages and Culture Studies website.
UNC Wilmington
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington seeks to promote student understanding of the languages it teaches and the cultural communities they represent through innovative and substantive pedagogies. In the language skills, the Department prepares students to acquire proficiency at all levels. Ancillary goals of this proficiency-based language instruction include an enhancement of the students' understanding of their own language, and a sharpening of critical thinking skills. Through classroom exposure, local, regional, and international outreach, and study abroad, students prepare themselves to participate in the emerging global community.
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers two programs at the graduate level:
- A 30-credit-hour non-thesis program leading to the Master of Arts in Spanish
- an 18-credit-hour post-baccalaureate certificate program in Hispanic Studies
For more information, go to www.uncw.edu.
Wake Forest University: Graduate Program in Interpreting and Translation Studies
In response to the growing demand for interpreters, translators, interpreting instructors and intercultural specialists, WFUA Graduate Program in Interpreting and Translation Studies offers Master of Arts Degrees in three tracks:
- MA in Interpreting and Translation Studies (ITS)
- MA in Teaching of Interpreting (TI)
- MA in Intercultural Services in Healthcare (ISH)
For candidates who are not able to commit to full-time graduate studies, it also offers four Graduate Certificates and one Postgraduate Certificate. Pease download our Program Brochure (PDF). For information contact Monica Weber at webermc@wfu.edu.
South Carolina: UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL
Upstate - University of South Carolina Upstate
The USC Upstate Spanish program opens news worlds of opportunity. Students in USC Upstate's Spanish program learn to communicate in Spanish and to understand Hispanic and Latino cultures at home and abroad. Our students prepare to bridge English and Spanish cultures and speakers in business, healthcare, education, politics, community leadership and more. Students who complete the Spanish major, Spanish minor, or minor in Spanish Translation and Interpreting gain cultural competence, leadership skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to communicate with speakers of Spanish in their own language.
Midlands Technical College
Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC is now offering a legal and medical interpreter programs.
Tennessee
East Tennessee State University
The Department of Literature and Language at East Tennessee State University is offering a Graduate Certificate in Health Care Translation and Interpreting. The first classes will begin Fall semester 2010.
For more information, see the Brochure (PDF) and the Fact Sheet (PDF).
On-Line Opportunities
Kent State University
Are you interested in earning your master's degree in translation, but not able to relocate or attend classes in person and at set times?
Kent State University's M.A. in Translation is adding an online option: The Gawlicki Family Foundation M.A. - a world-class translation program is now available worldwide.
Questions? Contact the online M.A. program coordinator, Erik Angelone, at eangelon@kent.edu
https://www.kent.edu/appling/ma-translation
University of Maryland Department of Communication
The University of Maryland Department of Communication is offering professional degrees in Interpreting and Translation.
Interpreting
- Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Consecutive Interpreting
- Master of Professional Studies in Interpreting (with two tracks): Conference Interpreting; or Public Service Interpreting
Translation
- Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Translation
- Master of Professional Studies in Translation (with two tracks): Translation; or Translation and Localization Project Management
Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation offers graduate degrees that advance students’ professional skill set and enhance their career advancement readiness.
GSIT Contact: Esperanza Pombo, GSIT Director (epombo@umd.edu)