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

• Graduate Coordinator: Brian Baer, Ph.D. | bbaer@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
• A CD or MP3/wav file with a five-minute oral sample in the applicant's first and second languages (conversational, not read from a script)
• Writing sample(s) in applicant's second language,¹ 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 - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score
  • Minimum79 TOEFL IBT score
  • Minimum 77 MELAB score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 Duolingo English Test score

¹

International applicants should also submit a writing sample in English.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: January 1
    Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students may declare a second concentration or choose any graduate-level translation-related course in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies or other departments as appropriate and with prior approval from the graduate coordinator or from an advisor.

²

Students who select thesis for their culminating requirement must register for TRST 60199 for a total of 6 credit hours. Students who select either the capstone project or internship must take an additional major elective to meet the required 36 credit hours for the degree.

Arabic Concentration Requirements

French Concentration Requirements

German Concentration Requirements

Japanese Concentration Requirements

Russian Concentration Requirements

Spanish Concentration Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Translate authentic, industry-relevant content, both general and domain-specific, using appropriate tools and approaches.
2. 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.
3. Engage in effective research and information retrieval for a variety of language industry-relevant tasks.
4. 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.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical considerations in various project scenarios.
6. Successfully communicate and mediate communication across languages and cultures in multilingual, multicultural contexts.
7. Apply theory to inform and justify their decision making.
8. Critically reflect on their work and that of others.

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 and government.

The Translation major comprises the following concentrations:

• Arabic
• French
• German
• Japanese
• Russian
• Spanish