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German Language & Translation – Australia

Undergraduate & postgraduate courses in German language & translation at universities in Australia

This section of my German language translation course directory looks at academic institutions in Australia offering programmes with German language and translation. I've listed them listed alphabetically by Australian state.

A term you’ll come across regularly when researching translation courses in Australia is NAATI, the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

It’s the only agency in Australia issuing accreditation for translators and therefore, as you’d expect, there is some liaison with university departments and official recognition for some translation and interpreting-related courses - I've marked these courses in the listings.

You can find out more about NAATI and its accreditions here.

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (ACT)

Australian National University (ANU)

Based in the country’s capital Canberra, ANU also ranks within the world’s top 20 universities.

Its College of Arts & Social Sciences, School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics offers the following German qualifications:

German – BA (full time and part time)
German – BA combined honours )
German language and culture – minor
German Studies – MA, PhD (research)
Applied Linguistics – Graduate diploma – 1 year, MA – 2 years, with German specialisation

ANU works closely with 6 partner universities in Germany and Austria – Berlin, Bielefeld, Bonn, Freiburg, Wuppertal and Vienna – giving students the chance to study abroad.

Specific German language translation courses:

Master of Translation: 2 years, with a specialisation in German language and culture
Master of Translation (Advanced) (VTRANS): 2 years, again a specialisation in German language and culture, but aimed at literary translation

The Centre for Continuing Education at ANU also offers German language evening classes at beginner and intermediate level.

“The courses offered by the School allow students to develop their understanding of a specific language or explore the nature of human language in a more general way. The study of language is a useful part of a general education and helps to develop useful skills in communication and an understanding of one’s own language.”

ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics website

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

NEW SOUTH WALES

Macquarie University

Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia, www.mq.edu.au

I'm not having much fun navigating their website, but as far as I can tell, in terms of German courses Macquarie offers:

German Studies – BA
German studies - major as part of BA in Global Business
German – diploma (equivalent to a major)

The translation programmes are only available at postgrad. level and are primarily designed to cover Asian languages, although the website says "other languages according to demand". So you'd need to contact them directly.

The University of New South Wales

Sydney, NSW, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, School of Humanities & Languages:

German studies – major

Sadly, the university seems to have downgraded its German offerings, with German no longer included as an option in their translation and interpreting Master programs.

The University of Sydney

Camperdown, NSW, www.sydney.edu.au, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

German language & translation courses cover:

Germanic Studies – major (offered by a wide range of BA degrees)
German - BA
Translation Studies – MTrans, GradDipTrans
Applied Linguistics – Graduate diploma, MA
Crosscultural Communication – MA

“Translator skills also give graduates a competitive edge in many other professions, such as law, commerce and journalism”.

University of Sydney website

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

The University of Western Sydney

Werrington, NSW, www.uws.edu.au

Interpreting and Translation – MA

The University of Western Sydney offers a whole range of translation and interpretation degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level, but unfortunately for us, with Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish as the second languages.

The MA in interpreting and translation only involves German in the “language specific, distance version”. I couldn’t find any more information about this German language translation course on their website – you’ll need to get in touch with the university directly.

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

QUEENSLAND

The University of Queensland

St Lucia, QLD, www.uq.edu.au Faculty of Arts, School of Language & Cultures

• German - BA

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The University of Adelaide

Adelaide, SA, www.adelaide.edu.au

German – BA

(The postgraduate translation degrees at Adelaide are aimed at Chinese speakers.)

"German is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the European Union and is one Australia’s community languages. Learning German language translation will provide students with a deeper insight into a region that plays a vital role in central Europe’s intellectual and economic life and its culture and history. Students with a proficiency in the German language are able to greatly increase their employability in many different professions."

RMIT University website

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VICTORIA

Monash University

Clayton, Victoria, www.monash.edu.au, Faculty of Arts, Languages, Cultures & Linguistics

German Studies – BA

Students are expected to spend at least one semester at a German university.

Interpreting and Translation Studies – MA
Translation Studies – Graduate Diploma

Both the MA and Graduate Diploma are recognised by NAATI and enable accreditation at Professional Interpreter and Professional Translator level. German is one of the available languages.

RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology)

Melbourne, Victoria, www.rmit.edu.au

German – beginner and intermediate courses
International Studies – BA (German is an option)
Translating – Advanced Diploma
Interpreting – Advanced Diploma

The Advanced Diploma programmes are approved by NAATI. Students who complete either of these programmes with a sufficiently high pass mark will be recommended to NAATI for accreditation at the Professional Translator and Professional Interpreter level.

The course is designed for candidates with an advanced level of bilingual proficiency.

"Australia has a large and active German community which provides students with opportunities to practice their German within a social context. To further enrich their learning experiences students may also have the opportunity to spend time in a German speaking country for study tours or 6-12 months on cultural exchanges."

RMIT University website

Search this page by state: ACT NSW QU SA VI WA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Central Institute of Technology

Perth, www.central.wa.edu.au

Applied Language (German) – certificate, diploma
Bilingual Work (German and English) – certificate

Their website states that a "Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Interpreting, and Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Translating are available for those seeking employment in these areas", but I couldn’t find any further information about these courses on the website. You’ll need to contact Central directly.

"After the Diploma of Applied language you should acquire the level of linguistic competence required to work as a language aide and to apply for further study into bilingual work or interpreter courses. With the increase in globalisation and multiculturalism, skilled employees in this area are increasingly in demand."

Central Institute of Technology

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