College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies
www.kent.edu/mcls

About This Program

The Translation M.A. program equips students with the skills needed to become a professional translator or interpreter in various fields. With a focus on hands-on training and immersive experiences, students gain practical experience and work with experienced faculty. Read more...

Contact Information

• Brian Baer, Ph.D. | bbaer@kent.edu
• Loubna Bilali, Ph.D. (online program) | lbilali@kent.edu

• Connect with an Admissions Counselor: U.S. Student | International Student

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • Fully online
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*

^{* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.}

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Goal statement (one to two pages)
• MP3/WAV file with a five-minute oral sample in English (conversational, not read from a script)
• Writing sample (10 pages) in English, which should be accompanied by a signed declaration that the sample is original work and that the applicant received no help in its preparation
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score
• Applicants to the Language concentration only:
  • CD or MP3/WAV file with a five-minute oral sample in the language in which the applicant intends to concentrate (conversational, not read from a script)
  • Writing sample(s) in in the language in which the applicant intends to concentrate, which should be accompanied by a signed declaration that the sample is original work and that the applicant received no help in its preparation

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: January 1

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students admitted to the Language concentration will complete 15 credit hours of electives. Students admitted to the Technology and Multilingual Communication concentration will complete 12 credit hours of electives.

²

Maximum 3 credit hours each of TRST 60092 and TRST 60098 may be applied toward the degree.

Language Concentration Requirements

Technology and Multilingual Communication Concentration Requirements

¹

Students will select a specialization with prior approval from the graduate coordinator or from an advisor. Courses listed under the specializations are recommended, not required. Students completing fewer than 12 credit hours for their specialization will complete additional electives to meet the required 37 credit hours for the degree.

Graduation Requirements

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Define and describe the roles and responsibilities of various language industry stakeholders and various forms of language service provision; and demonstrate an understanding of the basics of entrepreneurship and translation as a business.
2. Engage in effective research and information retrieval for a variety of language industry-relevant tasks.
3. Utilize a range of computer-assisted technologies, including machine translation, for language industry-relevant tasks; and demonstrate an understanding of the place, benefits and limitations of those technologies in a given project scenario.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical considerations in various project scenarios.
5. Successfully communicate and mediate communication across languages and cultures in multilingual, multicultural contexts.
6. Apply theory to inform and justify their decision making.
7. Critically reflect on their work and that of others.

Graduates of the Language concentration will be able to:

1. Translate authentic, industry-relevant content, both general and domain-specific, using appropriate tools and approaches.

Graduates of the Technology and Multilingual Communication concentration will be able to:

1. Emerging media specialization: Utilize emerging media and technology tools for localization purposes, including machine translation, artificial intelligence-driven localization and virtual reality simulations.
2. Global security specialization: Utilize translation techniques and security strategies to address real-world challenges in international contexts, effectively bridging language barriers and enhancing global security measures.
3. International business specialization: Apply localization techniques and international business principles to develop market-specific strategies for global expansion; consider linguistic, cultural and economic factors; and prepare to lead multinational teams and navigate complex global markets with confidence — leveraging localization expertise and international business acumen to drive organizational growth and success.
4. Multidisciplinary approaches specialization: Synthesize at least two of the other specialization outcomes toward their specific career goals.
5. Technology specialization: Acquire advanced technical skills in translation technology, including proficiency in computer-assisted translation tools, machine translation systems and localization software.
6. User experience specialization: Apply localization strategies and user experience design principles to create user-centric products and services tailored to diverse cultural and linguistic contexts.

Dual Degree with Master of Business Administration

Students have the opportunity to complete a dual degree program with the M.A. degree in Translation and the M.B.A. degree in Business Administration. A separate application must be submitted for each program. Students can view admission requirements for each program on their respective catalog page.

The Dual Degree with a M.B.A. degree in Business Administration and the M.A. degree in Translation is for students with a sufficient level of proficiency in a foreign language who wish to integrate a graduate business education with advanced translation training. This program is suitable for those whose career goals include assuming middle or executive management positions in international business or language industry enterprises or those interested in starting their own business in the language services industry.

Dual Degree Requirements

¹

Students may take another course or study abroad with approval. Students may complete this requirement with 3 credit hours if a culture or appropriate language course is used for one of the international electives below.

²

Minimum 3 credits must be taken from the School of Modern and Classical Language Studies.

Graduation Requirements

• Students in the M.A. Translation and M.B.A dual degree program must earn a total of 61-64 credit hours. There is a minimum requirement of 31-33 credit hours from the M.B.A. program and 30-33 credit hours from the M.A. in Translation.
• A minimum 3.000 GPA must be maintained.
• The M.B.A. program should be initiated before 12 credit hours in the M.A. Translation program have been completed. The M.A. in Translation is awarded upon completion of the requirements of that degree. The M.B.A. is awarded upon completion of the joint M.B.A./M.A. Translation degree program.
• Actual offerings and schedules vary from year to year, and the two colleges jointly provide a pre-approved recommended course of study. Students who wish to take a different course of study need to obtain separate approvals from the college graduate coordinators.

Full Description

The Master of Arts degree in Translation prepares students for careers in  translation, language project management, international business, government and any globalizing industry.

The Translation major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Language concentration provides students with an in-depth focus on one language.
• The Technology and Multilingual Communication concentration allows students to specialize in such areas as global security, emerging media, international business and user experience.