Common international standards for translation

A group of academics charged with developing a European masters degree in translation will meet for the first time on 6 July.

Their task is to reach consensus on a curriculum for the degree, drafted by the European Commission, and decide on the best way to encourage its adoption by European universities teaching translation as a profession.

The Commission decided to take a position on translator training in 2004, following the first competition among Central and Eastern European states and Malta to recruit people able to translate mainly out of the EU’s procedural languages, English, French and German into the languages of the new states. "We couldn’t get enough translators for any of the languages, even Polish," recalls Angeliki Petrits, who co-ordinates university contacts at the Commission’s translation directorate-general (DG). "We hadn’t had that problem before, and thought that it could be down to training."

Plans to create a European masters in translation (EMT) emerged as the centre-piece of DG Translation’s effort to build stronger links with universities. "It’s not an MA in institutional translation. We want to avoid that," says Petrits. Instead it represents the minimum that the Commission thinks is required to produce high-quality translators capable of working in an international environment. "We think that it is what should be there in any translator training."

Students going into an EMT course would be expected to have excellent language skills already, along with an understanding of the countries using those languages. The masters programme would teach them how to carry out the work of translation, from its theory through to the use of information technology tools. A particular emphasis would be given to knowledge of specialist fields, such as economics, law and science, and the language they use, which is essential to deal with the technical aspects of EU documents.

The draft curriculum drawn up by the Commission was presented to universities last year. While the idea is not controversial, universities had questions about its scope and how it would fit with the demands of local markets for translators. These will be addressed by the EMT expert group, along with options for taking the project forward. One suggestion is that a network of universities offering the EMT could be established.

The Commission view is that any organisation should be inclusive. "Our desire is to leave it open for all universities who would like to participate," says Petrits. This contrasts with the European masters in conference-interpreting, which is awarded through an exclusive consortium of 18 institutions, not even one in every EU state.

One difficulty in developing the EMT is that the Commission has very little power when it comes to higher education. It cannot, for example, formally endorse masters programmes. "We can send a letter to say that a course complies, if it complies, but some universities have already applied for ‘accreditation’," says Petrits. The advisory committee will explore ways in which national authorities can be encouraged to recognise courses that adopt the curriculum.

Another issue for universities is funding, but again the Commission’s options are limited. Support in kind is the most likely approach. The Commission already offers universities the chance to host ‘visiting translators’ for a few weeks, and this might contribute to implementing the curriculum. Equally, students can be accepted for work experience placements within the Commission.

The EMT expert group will present its proposals in the spring of 2008. In the meantime, the New Bulgarian University in Sofia already offers a masters programme that lines up with the draft curriculum. Other universities say that only small changes are required to do so.

• Ian Mundell is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.

A group of academics charged with developing a European masters degree in translation will meet for the first time on 6 July.