European Masters in Translation

The EMT sets the standard for translation across Europe

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The European Masters in Translation (EMT) is a quality label for postgraduate translation programmes offered by universities across Europe.

If you select a translation programme recognised by the EMT network, then you can be confident that your translation qualification will open doors with well-respected employers in the industry.


The aim of the European Masters in Translation

The EMT was set up by the EU’s Directorate General for Translation (DGT) as a way of improving translator training and encouraging qualified translators to work at the EU.

Because, as well as “pure translation”, the modern translation profession involves an increasing range of additional activities and skills – such as localisation, terminology management, project management etc.

For that reason, the DG has drawn up a translator competence profile outlining the 6 core competences it believes translators need to be successful in today’s market:


The translator competence profile

European Masters in TranslationEMT competences (Source: EU-DG Translation websites)
  1. Translation service provision (and customer relation management)
  2. Language competence in both source and target languages
  3. Intercultural competence (understanding cultural allusions)
  4. Information mining (critical use of sources)
  5. Technology (use of translation memories and terminology management)
  6. Domain-specific competence (knowledge in a specialist field)

This is what the EU does best – designing and implementing the building blocks needed to create a single market, in our case for translation services.

DG Translation encourages systematic cooperation between universities, the language industry and translation services in the EU, national language institutes and professional associations, promoting the profile of translation as a profession.

The EMT is not only a pan-European quality standard for translation, the EMT network effectively functions as an umbrella organisation for Europe’s national translation associations (e.g. the UK Chartered Institute of Linguists, Austria’s Universitas, etc.), and actively enhances the status of translation as a profession.





The benefits of a European Masters in Translation

  • A recognised and respected translation qualification accepted by the language industry across Europe, and especially for those looking to work as a translator for the EU
  • EMT students get priority for unpaid traineeships in DG Translation (a great way to get your foot in the door)
  • EMT students can apply for work placements available in the language industry

The European Masters in Translation network 2019 - 2024

The EMT network consists of those European universities whose translation programmes have been recognised by the EU’s DG Translation as meeting set standards in these 6 fields.

EMT network members relevant to our German-English combination include the following:


UK

Update: Following Brexit, several UK universities still offer translation qualifications which are recognised by the EU as being of a high quality, but they are no longer part of the EMT network for 2019-2024:

  • University of Bath: MA Interpreting and Translating (MAIT), MA Translation and Professional Language Skills (TPLS)
  • University of Birmingham: MA in Translating for Business and International Institutions
  • Durham University: MA in Translation Studies
  • University of Edinburgh: MSc in Translating
  • University of Surrey, Guildford: MA in Translation and Interpreting
  • University of Leeds: MA in Audiovisual Translation Studies (MAAVTS), MA Applied Translation Studies (MAATS)
  • Roehampton University, London: MA in Audiovisual Translation
  • University of Westminster, London: MA in Translation and Interpreting, MA in Specialised Translation
  • London Metropolitan University: MA in Translation
  • Newcastle University: MA in Professional Translation for European Languages
  • University of Portsmouth: MA in Translation Studies
  • University of Sheffield: – MA in Translation Studies
  • Swansea University – MA in Professional Translation (MAPT), MA in Translation and Interpreting (MATI)

For more details about the courses offered by these universities see German translation courses in the UK.


IRELAND

  • University College Cork: MA in Translation Studies
  • Dublin City University: MA in Translation Studies
  • Dublin City University: MSc in Translation Technology  


GERMANY

  • Fachhochschule Köln, Cologne: MA Fachübersetzen
  • Universität Leipzig: Master Translatologie


AUSTRIA

  • Universität Wien, Vienna: Masters in Translation

SWITZERLAND

  • ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften – Masterstudiengang Angewandte Linguistik mit Vertiefung in Fachübersetzen


For more details about the European Masters in Translation visit the DG Translation website.

Happy studying!


  Joanna

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German to English Translation

Joanna Scudamore-Trezek

I'm a German to English translator living and working in Vienna, Austria. I turn German texts into clear and accessible English, allowing clients to present their stories, ideas and information to a completely new audience. My business and marketing clients rely on me to get their message across clearly and effectively.  How can I help you today?

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