Translation & Interpretation
This is a self-supporting program offering credit toward two certificates, one in interpretation and the other in translation. Permission is required to take courses. Students may start the program during any quarter of the year. Please call (425) 564-3177 for further information.
The programs are intended for bilingual people of diverse educational backgrounds who are interested in pursing a career in interpretation or translation. The primary criterion for admission is high proficiency in the candidate’s working languages. The certificate granted will be language-specific.
On this page:
Certificate of Accomplishment Interpretation
Learning Outcomes
Certificate recipients should possess the skills and abilities described below:
- Interpret speeches and documents in a variety of fields at real-life speeds and in a variety of situations. Possess the skills necessary for consecutive interpretation, sight translation, and simultaneous interpretation
- Know the role and importance of local and national professional organizations
- Understand the different types and levels of certification available to interpreters; know the legal requirements for work as an independent contractor in the state of Washington
- Understand and apply a variety of Codes of Ethics for interpreters, as well as the concepts of impartiality, confidentiality, and conflict of interest
- Know the basic tools needed to begin work as a freelance interpreter; be familiar with the equipment commonly used by interpreters in various settings
- Create a variety of marketing materials: an up-to-date résumé, business cards, portfolio, contractual agreements, invoice, and a personal website targeted to the interpretation market
- Select and consult dictionaries and other resources from an interpreter’s perspective, and be able to effectively use the Internet to conduct research
- Create and maintain a terminology database relevant to interpretation, using a variety of data management tools
- Understand the three modes of interpretation: consecutive, simultaneous, and sight translation, and the different settings in which each is used
- Be adept at note-taking for consecutive interpretation
- Analyze a source speech or text for interpretation; understand linguistic and cultural translatability and untranslatability and of cultural equivalent and functional equivalent as they pertain to oral interpretation; have the ability to relay different registers of language, and to evaluate emotional tone; comprehend differences in meaning, i.e. propositional meaning, presupposed meaning, evoked meaning
- Apply the general principle of the stepping stones to achieve interpretation skills, i.e. paraphrasing, summarizing, anticipation, and dual-tasking; understand the physical dimensions of interpreting: good posture and breathing, voice projection, and speech
- Obtain professional experience in an actual work setting, and to analyze said experience and make changes based on professional evaluation of said experience
Completion Worksheet
Download the completion worksheet for this certificate (PDF)
Requirements
| Course No. | Course Name | Credit Hrs. |
|---|---|---|
| TRANS 101 | Introduction to Translation & Interpretion | 3 |
| TRANS 102 | Fundamentals of Interpreting | 3 |
| TRANS 104 | Technology for Translation & Interpretation | 3 |
| TRANS 105 | Terminology Management & Research | 3 |
| TRANS 106 | Ethics & Business Practice of Translation & Interpretation | 3 |
| TRANS 202 | Advanced Interpreting Skills I | 3 |
| TRANS 204 | Advanced Interpreting Skills II | 3 |
| TRANS 206 | Advanced Interpreting Skills III | 3 |
| Total | 24 |
Certificate of Accomplishment Translation
Learning Outcomes
Certificate recipients should possess the skills and abilities described below:
- Translate a variety of documents in different subject areas into their dominant language, producing formatted, professional quality translations
- Know the role and importance of local and national professional organizations
- Understand the different types and levels of certification available to translators
- Know the legal requirements for work as an independent contractor in the state of Washington, and the legalities surrounding contractual agreements and copyright law.
- Understand and apply a variety of Codes of Ethics for translators, as well as the concepts of impartiality, confidentiality, and conflict of interest
- Know the basic tools needed to begin work as a freelance translator and make an informed decision regarding what hardware, software, library resources and other equipment to acquire
- Create a variety of marketing materials: an up-to-date résumé, business cards, portfolio, contractual agreements, invoices, and a personal website targeted to the translation market
- Effectively use all basic Microsoft Office applications, send and receive files, and to conduct research on the Internet; be familiar with the most common Computer Assisted Translation Tools and understand the basic concepts involved in software localization
- Select and consult dictionaries and on-line resources for research; create and maintain a terminology database with a format consistent with those being used in the industry, using a variety of data management tools
- Analyze a source text for translation and apply the ten step process of translation; evaluate a source translation in terms of stylistics, difficulty, and emotional tone.
- Understand the concepts of linguistic and cultural translatability and untranslatability, of cultural equivalent and functional equivalent; assess differences in meaning (i.e. propositional meaning, expressive meaning, presupposed meaning, and evoked meaning).
- Create and use a style-sheet; understand the difference between editing and proofreading.
- Obtain professional experience in an actual work setting and to analyze said experience and make changes based on professional evaluation of said experience
Completion Worksheet
Download the completion worksheet for this certificate (PDF)
Requirements
| Course No. | Course Name | Credit Hrs. |
|---|---|---|
| TRANS 101 | Introduction to Translation & Interpretion | 3 |
| TRANS 103 | Fundamentals of Translation | 3 |
| TRANS 104 | Technology for Translation & Interpretation | 3 |
| TRANS 105 | Terminology Management & Research | 3 |
| TRANS 106 | Ethics & Business Practice of Translation & Interpretation | 3 |
| TRANS 201 | Advanced Translation Skills I | 3 |
| TRANS 203 | Advanced Translation Skills II | 3 |
| TRANS 205 | Advanced Translation Skills III | 3 |
| Total | 24 |
Professional or technical program offerings and course requirements listed in this website may be altered by the college to reflect the needs of industry, student interests and availability of resources.