Department of Translation and Interpreting

General Information about the Program

The Master’s Program in German Translation and Interpreting brings together practice and theory of translation together in order to enable graduates to gain expertise in various types of translation and competence in Translation Studies.

The program inherently admits students from different educational backgrounds. In the Turkish higher education system, three different programs offer education in German language and culture at the undergraduate level: German language teaching, German language and literature, and German translation and interpreting. MA program is open to undergraduate students from the departments of German language teaching, and German language and culture with a good command of German language and knowledge of German culture. The Master’s Program in German Translation and Interpreting enables these graduates to develop their translation skills, and to meet the need for qualified translators in the market. Further, the graduates of Departments of Translation and Interpreting may study in this master’s program in order to enhance their knowledge in language and culture and improve their translation skills. By doing this, they will have a chance to be employed as competent translators or prefer pursuing an academic career. Students with an undergraduate degree from interdisciplinary programs such as economics, communication, law and so on, are expected to have expertise in a specific field and with an adequate command of a foreign language. In our program, these students add translation skills to their field-specific expertise and foreign language competence. Thus, they will respond to the need for competent specialized translators in the market.

Career Opportunities

The graduates of the program may find employment in various ministries, public institutions, private corporations and translation companies. The graduates that specialized especially in literary translation may be employed in publishing houses as translators or editors.

The program aims to train translators not only in Turkey but also in Germany. Turkish has been an indispensable language for many public and private institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany, where approximately 2.8 million Turkish immigrants live. However, in Germany, there are very limited translators who are working languages are German and Turkish. In the German higher education system, there is only one master’s program offering translation education in Turkish and German languages (opened in 2008). It is the same for other German-speaking countries, i.e. Austria and Switzerland. Therefore, the program is expected to respond to the German-Turkish translator need in these countries.

Why international students should choose your department to study?

International students that have an excellent command of Turkish and German languages can apply for the Master’s Program in German Translation and Interpreting. The program will help international students develop translation skills in these languages and gain further knowledge especially in the Turkish culture.

German-speaking countries need Turkish-speaking translators mainly because of the great number of Turkish immigrants living in these countries. In this program, international students from German-speaking countries can excel their knowledge of Turkish language and culture, develop translation skills, and find employment opportunities in their countries.