Translation schools/programs in Minnesota Thread poster: Gregory Lassale
|
|---|
Hello all,
Wondering if anyone could recommend a good translation school or program in the Twin Cities area. I am a French native speaker and have been living in the US for over 17 years. I'm mulling over a career change into translation (French is in very low demand around here for interpreting) and even though I was an English major and took translation classes in college, that was 20 years ago and I'd like to take a course (even better if it leads to a certificate or accreditatio... See more Hello all,
Wondering if anyone could recommend a good translation school or program in the Twin Cities area. I am a French native speaker and have been living in the US for over 17 years. I'm mulling over a career change into translation (French is in very low demand around here for interpreting) and even though I was an English major and took translation classes in college, that was 20 years ago and I'd like to take a course (even better if it leads to a certificate or accreditation) to get back into the swing of things.
Thanks in advance. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X) 
Local time: 05:30
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Not much in MN | Oct 13, 2017 |
Gregory Lassale wrote:
Hello all,
Wondering if anyone could recommend a good translation school or program in the Twin Cities area. I am a French native speaker and have been living in the US for over 17 years. I'm mulling over a career change into translation (French is in very low demand around here for interpreting) and even though I was an English major and took translation classes in college, that was 20 years ago and I'd like to take a course (even better if it leads to a certificate or accreditation) to get back into the swing of things.
Thanks in advance.
Hi, Gregory,
I did a search and found only two universities or colleges offering a 2-year translation program: https://www.universities.com/find/minnesota/best/language-interpretation-and-translation-degrees
Whether any of these programs is any good is a big question mark. The United States' track record in 4-year translation programs at university level is dismal. Most universities and colleges offer a 1-year translation certification program (which is just a scam, in my view) or a 2-year program, neither of which even begins to delve into what the profession really is. The few universities that offer MA degrees in translation, such as Kent State University (Ohio) and Wake Forest University (North Carolina) may be a better bet. Then you have many online university courses. If I were you, I would go with an online program at a European university, not an American one.
| | | | Gregory Lassale
United States
Local time: 04:30
English to French
TOPIC STARTER
Hi Mario and thank you very much for your input. I had found those two programs as well and you're right; the question mark is whether or not any of them is any good indeed. I found rather bad reviews for Century College and the program director of UoM whom I contacted didn't really answer my question when I asked whether the program would be a good fit for someone in my position.
Could you please tell me why you think American universities' translation programs (4, 2 or 1 year) ar... See more Hi Mario and thank you very much for your input. I had found those two programs as well and you're right; the question mark is whether or not any of them is any good indeed. I found rather bad reviews for Century College and the program director of UoM whom I contacted didn't really answer my question when I asked whether the program would be a good fit for someone in my position.
Could you please tell me why you think American universities' translation programs (4, 2 or 1 year) are so bad? If there is a general consensus on that, it would definitely be a much better value proposition for me to do an online course with a European university indeed.
Thanks,
Greg ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 05:30
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Why most American translation certificates are just a scam | Oct 14, 2017 |
Hi, Gregory,
Glad to be of service. My first impression is based on my own experience teaching for one of these programs. I taught technical translation for almost two years (an online translation certificate, linked to an online/campus-based MA program offered by a private New York institution.
Each course cost the student $600-$700 and runs for 12-15 weeks. I had the freedom to design my classes and exercises, but the administrators didn't like it that I wanted to em... See more Hi, Gregory,
Glad to be of service. My first impression is based on my own experience teaching for one of these programs. I taught technical translation for almost two years (an online translation certificate, linked to an online/campus-based MA program offered by a private New York institution.
Each course cost the student $600-$700 and runs for 12-15 weeks. I had the freedom to design my classes and exercises, but the administrators didn't like it that I wanted to emphasize the importance of good writing in order to achieve good translation results. They basically told me that, since students were expecting to learn translation, they should be receiving 600-word translation assignments every week. I disagreed and we parted ways.
The reason why I think that program is weak is that, like similar programs across the country, is heavy on translation practice and translation technologies but very weak on best translation practices (which, surprise, surprise, come from learning the basics of translation theory). It's like teaching writing in a foreign language without teaching how to conjugate verbs and use prepositions.
One or two years are not enough to teach how to translate to a bilingual person, especially someone who never had the chance to attend college in her country of origin (say, a Guatemalan who came to the US as a teenager, with no high school diploma, but who attended two years of college in an American university). If you compare different translation certification programs in the US, they offer to teach health care, medical or technical terminology, how to build glossaries, manage projects and use CAT tools, but little else. These programs make quite an irresponsible assumption (in my opinion) that their translation students are fully functional bilinguals. That is, that they know how to write, read and speak two languages fluently and at a native level. But they do not administer writing tests other than a TOEFL test.
Having graduated with a BA in Translation Studies and English myself, I took part in a 4-year program with specialization in Law and a short seminar on simultaneous interpreting. We had 3 years (6 semesters) of English and Spanish grammar, language and cultural studies, along with 4 semesters of Law Studies, not counting 4 semesters of English Phonetics and other subjects. American universities have nothing like that.
Don't take my word for it, however. You may contact the American Translators Association (by email, for instance) and get the opinions of people with degrees in Translation or similar disciplines so that you can get a more balanced view. ▲ Collapse
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Translation schools/programs in Minnesota | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
