The Graduate Certificate in Translation offers online-only professional training to students in French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and often other languages, who wish to pursue careers in the language-services industry broadly speaking, or in other fields requiring advanced professional use of a language other than English.
Being bilingual is not enough to be a successful translator. Professional translators must be experts in both source and target cultures, skilled readers of the source language and superb writers of the target language. In addition, they need expertise in an area of specialization and a solid grasp of the language-services industry.
Our Translation & Interpreting Studies programs are housed in an accredited, Tier 1 Research institution and offer professional translator and interpreter training in a dynamic environment. Students collaborate with faculty and classmates from around the world to develop the skills they need to succeed in a thriving international market. Learn how to translate and/or interpret, and how to be a language professional through using leading industry computer-assisted translation tools and completing internships that often lead to employment. Our program can prepare you to:
- be an in-house translator
- be a freelancer
- be a translation company owner
- specialize in your area of interest
- pursue doctoral studies
- develop your professional skills without pursuing a degree
Please visit this page to request more information.
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.
Eligibility and Admission
Applicants to the Certificate Program must hold a bachelor’s degree with an overall GPA of 2.75 or must provide substantial evidence of ability to succeed in graduate-level work.
A degree in the foreign language of concentration, or advanced study in that area, is desirable. In addition, admission to the program is based in part on a qualifying examination administered by the Program. The two-hour exam consists of a short translation from the source to the target language (between 200 and 250 words, depending on the source language) and one 300 to 500 word essay in English.
Application
- Students wishing to obtain this certificate must declare their intention by applying to the program office or director.
- All graduate certificate applicants—even those already enrolled in a UWM graduate program—must apply to the Graduate School.
- Graduate degree and previously admitted graduate non-degree students who decide to pursue a certificate program must submit the application before completing 6 credits in the certificate sequence.
- Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree and have a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate grade point average to be admitted into a certificate program.
Credits and Courses
Students must complete 15 credits of required courses; all credits must be at the graduate level, including the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| Language Concentration | ||
| Select 6 credits in one language concentration (see below) | 6 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 9 credits (see below) | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Language Concentration
Students must select a language concentration and complete the two courses (6 cr) listed below for that concentration.
French to English
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TRNSLTN 706 | Introduction to Translation: French to English | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 716 | Seminar in Advanced Translation: French to English | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
German to English
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TRNSLTN 708 | Introduction to Translation: German to English | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 718 | Seminar in Advanced German Translation | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Spanish to English
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TRNSLTN 707 | Introduction to Translation: Spanish to English | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 717 | Seminar in Advanced Translation: Spanish to English | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Russian to English
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TRNSLTN 719 | Introduction to Translation: Russian to English | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 729 | Seminar in Advanced Translation: Russian to English | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Electives
In consultation with the program coordinator, students must select 9 credits from among the following courses. Additional appropriate courses may be counted toward the certificate with the consent of the coordinator. All courses are online unless otherwise noted.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TRNSLTN 530G | Business and Professional Aspects of Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 700 | Introduction to Interpreting (all languages) | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 709 | Seminar in Literary and Cultural Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 710 | Comparative Systems for Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 711 | Ethics in Translation and Interpreting (all languages) | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 720 | Topics in Translation: | 1-3 |
| TRNSLTN 722 | Advanced Interpreting | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 726 | Computer-Assisted Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 727 | Project Management in Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 728 | Editing for Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 730 | Internship in Translation/Interpreting | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 750 | Community Interpreting and Translation | 3 |
| TRNSLTN 790 | Thesis | 1-6 |
| TRNSLTN 799 | Independent Study | 1-6 |
| TRNSLTN 820 | Translation Theory | 3 |
| MALLT 708 | Proseminar in Linguistics (on site only) | 3 |
| ENGLISH 708 | Advanced Professional Writing | 3 |
| ENGLISH 709 | Rhetoric, Writing, and Information Technology | 3 |
Additional Requirements
Transfer Credit
Certificate coursework at the graduate level may be applied toward an MA degree in TIS. Required courses completed as part of an undergraduate degree will not count toward the certificate requirements; in such cases, students, in consultation with the certificate program coordinator, will select additional appropriate elective courses to complete a minimum of 15 certificate program credits after the baccalaureate degree has been awarded.
Grade Point Average Requirement
Students must earn at least an average GPA of 3.0 in courses completed at the graduate level as well as a 3.0 GPA on all credits completed for the certificate. In addition, students must earn a B or better in all courses completed for the certificate.
Capstone Requirement
All certificate students will be required to pass a one-hour translation examination.
Articulation with Degree Programs
- Credits and courses required for a certificate may double count toward meeting UWM graduate degree requirements subject to the following restrictions:
- Degree programs must approve the courses from certificates that can double count toward the degree.
- All credits taken in completion of certificate requirements may count towards a UWM graduate degree as long as they do not contribute more than 90% of the total credits needed to obtain the degree. (Note: Students in PhD programs must still complete the minimum residency requirements)
- Certificate courses used toward meeting degree requirements must be completed within the time limit for transfer credit.
- Courses completed for a degree may be counted toward a subsequent certificate, subject to all certificate policy requirements.
- A course may count toward no more than one certificate and one degree.
- Students may not earn a certificate subsequent to a concentration in the same area.
Time Limit
Certificate program time limits shall be established as follows:
- 18 or fewer credits/Three years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
- 19 or more credits/Four years from initial enrollment in the certificate sequence.
For certificates that are designed as add-ons to degree programs and are awarded concurrent with the degree, the time limit shall be the same as that of the degree program.
Translation and Interpreting Studies Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from Graduate Certificate and Master’s degree programs in Translation & Interpreting Studies (TIS) will meet objectives in five core areas of professional practice.
Knowledge – Students graduating from TIS programs will:
- Produce accurate entry-level translations and/or interpretations between their source and target languages, demonstrating understanding of the linguistic specificities of their languages.
- Integrate significant cultural, ideological, and discursive elements into their translations or interpretations between source and target cultures.
- Articulate how various translation & interpreting theories influence work produced in a range of literary and critical contexts and in the student’s own translation and/or interpreting work.
Critical Thinking – Students graduating from TIS programs will:
- Apply translation & interpreting theory to assess translated texts and interpreting encounters.
- In Translation tracks: Analyze source texts, identify their most salient features, and discuss potential strategies for rendering those features in translation.
- In Interpreting tracks: Analyze cross-cultural communication in interpreted encounters.
Skills – Students graduating from TIS programs will:
- In Translation tracks: Produce literary, specialized, and technical translations that successfully negotiate linguistic, cultural, and technical challenges.
- In Interpreting tracks: Produce interpretations in a variety of cross-cultural communication contexts, successfully negotiating linguistic, cultural, technical, and environmental challenges.
- In the professional track: Apply industry-standard principles and best practices for language services with respect to quality assurance (ISO), entrepreneurship, and project management.
- In the research track: Conduct translation & interpreting studies research, which may include bibliographic research, comparative analyses, literature reviews, literary analyses, scoping reviews, and qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods studies.
- Learn and apply ethical standards of professional practice in translation & interpreting and in the student’s area of specialization.
- Demonstrate readiness to use technology most relevant to the student’s translation and/or interpreting practice and area of specialization.
Research – Students graduating from TIS programs will:
- Produce publishable academic research papers or articles contributing to knowledge or professional development in the language services industry.
Professional Development – Students graduating from TIS programs will:
- In the professional track: Produce a resume and at least two polished translation samples or model interpretations.
- In the professional track: Produce a C.V. and one polished writing sample.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the leading professional organizations/associations in the language services field and in their area of specialization.