Summer Translation Program
The Summer Translation Program, hosted by the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Western Michigan University, offers a unique opportunity for language learners and professionals to improve their translation skills while working on their language proficiency.
In order to translate accurately and efficiently, it is necessary to develop special skills above and beyond the skills you have already developed in your language studies. Come join us at WMU in Kalamazoo for a four-week intensive summer program that will teach you about the practice and business of translation.
2017 Program: Chinese-English
Information forthcoming on the 2017 program, which will focus on Chinese-English translation.
About the Program
Most language programs focus on developing students’ ability to interact with native speakers smoothly and fluently in the target language. The emphasis on producing automatic, natural responses means that most language programs tend to engage students in activities that happen solely in the target language, and thus translation is kept to a minimum.
While such techniques are crucial in developing automaticity and fluency, it is also helpful for students interested in translation to think about the correspondences (and sometimes, the lack of correspondences) between English and their other language. Translation involves going smoothly back and forth between languages—a skill that is rarely emphasized in the language classroom. The Summer Translation Program offers students an unusual opportunity to begin developing these skills with published professors specializing in the field of translation.
The Summer Translation Program:
- Emphasizes the practical skills and basic knowledge necessary to the career of translation.
- Helps prepare a future generation of translators specializing in practical and literary translation.
- Provides participants with intensive training on translating to and from the particular language of their specialty.
- Raises awareness of the theoretical and practical problems of translation, especially in regards to linguistic and cultural issues.