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

About This Program

Turn your language skills into a powerful career advantage with the Translation and Multilingual Communication minor. You will gain hands-on experience with translation technology, cross-cultural communication and real-world applications that connect language, media and global industries. Whether you are just starting a new language or already multilingual, this minor helps you stand out in an increasingly interconnected world. Read more...

Contact Information

• mcls@kent.edu | 330-672-2150
• Speak with an Advisor

Program Delivery

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

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Program Requirements

Minor Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Define and describe concepts of language, culture, linguistics, semantics, theories of language, bilingualism, biculturalism and cultural adaptation.
2. Define, describe and practice cross-language mediation, cultural localization, audiovisual translation, accessible media translation, editing, revision and project management.
3. Define, describe and practice language industry quality and quality assessment standards.
4. Define, describe and fulfill the roles and responsibilities of various language industry stakeholders and various forms of language service provision.
5. Acquire technical skills with translation technology, including familiarity with computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools, machine translation (MT) systems and localization software.
6. Network with translation professionals, software developers and industry stakeholders to understand emerging, real-world opportunities for bridging technology and language services, fostering interdisciplinary innovation and developing language industry best practices.

Full Description

The Translation and Multilingual Communication minor prepares students for careers in any global industry — such as business, communication, cybersecurity, diplomacy, education, hospitality, health professions, marketing, media production, politics and many more — in which a strong foundation in translation studies, translation technology and multilingual communication is advantageous and often necessary.

The minor is a good option for students at any level of proficiency with a second language (or additional language/s), including beginning language students who are interested in the mediation of ideas and information between different languages and cultures and developing global literacy and intercultural communication competencies.