Commission wants more universities to offer courses for translators

Published: 12 October 2010 y., Tuesday

Rašymas
The European Commission has launched a new drive to encourage more European universities to offer high-quality courses for students who want to work as translators. As part of this, the Commission is expanding its 'European Master's in Translation' (EMT) university network, which was set up last year in response to a growing shortage of properly qualified translators in the job market. As well as being a network, the EMT is a recognised quality label. To date, 34 European universities have successfully applied to join the network (see link below for list). Universities wishing to use the EMT label have their courses assessed by translation experts, who are mostly members of the existing network. The EMT network meets for its annual conference in Brussels from 11 -13 October.

'In many countries, anyone can claim to be a translator without any guarantee of professional competence. The long-term aim of the EMT project is to raise the standard of translator training; a course carrying the EMT label is recognised as being one of the best in the field,' explained Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.

The EMT project was conceived by the Commission in response to two main concerns: a rapidly growing demand for high-level language services worldwide and a doubling in the number of official EU languages from 11 to 23 between 2004 and 2007.

Demand for translation services across the world is soaring. According to a 2009 study on the European Union language industry1, its current turnover is set to increase by at least 10% annually over the next few years and it is estimated that the industry will be worth up to € 20 billion by 2015.

The language industry covers translation, interpretation, subtitling, dubbing and 'localisation' (adapting translation to specific local needs). The skills that a translator needs in the modern job market increasingly go beyond pure linguistic abilities. The EMT project recognises that they are also required to have skills in entrepreneurship, project management and negotiation. Many universities, for instance, are now teaching translator students how to run a business as well as how to translate.

Nearly 250 universities and other higher education institutions in the European Union currently offer courses for would-be translators.

The Commission's Directorate General for Translation provides administrative support to the EMT network and acts as a hub for the exchange of information and best practices. The Commission has allocated around € 300 000 to cover the cost of its administrative support and the network's annual conference in 2010. It does not provide direct financial support to the training courses or students.

 

Šaltinis: europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

Nokia offers augmented reality job search

Mobile phone giant Nokia is enlisting Britain’s young entrepreneurs to build new businesses using its career services app, JobLens. Launched in June, JobLens is a Windows Phone 8 app that helps users search for jobs in their local area. more »

Antarctic ice-flow map reveals clues to climate change

A new map of Antarctica illustrates for the first time how ice moves across the continent. more »

Experimental plane reaches 13,000 mph

The US Department of Defense's innovations arm, known as DARPA, has released test-flight video of its experimental hypersonic aircraft travelling at a speed of Mach 20, about 13,000 miles per hour. more »

Scientists develop new weapon against bird-strike at airports

New Zealand scientists have developed a designed to reduce the number of bird strikes at airports. more »

Taiwanese researchers introduce first erasable electronic paper

Taiwanese researchers are taking recycling to a new level with "i2r e-Paper", a rewritable electronic paper that can be re-used up to 260 times. The developers say their e-paper will soon replace the conventional paper used for signs and posters. more »

Wireless car technology promises charge-free future for motorists

Wireless car technology promises charge-free future for motorists While electric-powered cars are rapidly gaining momentum as a viable alternative to conventional petrol-driven vehicles, there are now moves afoot to produce cars that can be charged wirelessly. The technology behind wireless electric cars could herald an idyllic future for motorists in which they can drive as far as they like without ever worrying about recharging. more »

Transplant patient takes heart from pioneering surgery

A British man is preparing to leave hospital after pioneering surgery to install an artificial heart implant. The implant is powered by a portable driver worn in a shoulder bag and is designed to keep Matthew Green alive while he waits for a heart transplant. more »

20 million year-old fossil found

A twenty million year-old fossil, thought to be from a distant cousin of modern apes, is discovered in Uganda. more »

Virtual reality helps ready surgeons for the operating

Forget scrubbing up, a new virtual surgery simulator uses the latest computer technology to train surgeons for laproscopic surgery, dramatically decreasing the need for practice on human patients. more »

Scientists warn of Planet of the Apes science

A group of British scientists have expressed concerns that experiments on primates could give rise to a 'Planet of the Apes' type scenario. more »