UF program helps fill demand for translators in multicultural climate

January 17, 2007

Since 2004, the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida has been offering a Translation Studies Certificate Program while providing a valuable service to meet a growing demand in the community.

“This is a very exciting area for anyone interested in language,” said Elizabeth Lowe, founder and director of the UF program. “The need for language services has mushroomed.”

Staffed by three faculty members, the program currently supports nine languages, the most common being Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.

The Translation Studies Certificate Program is open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students for an extra fee, as well as anyone outside the university who is interested in acquiring a recognized credential to become a freelance translator.

“We’re getting students from everywhere,” Lowe said, adding that many are completing the program to gain an edge in the job market after graduation.

The program is funded in part by revenues from tuition and also sustains itself by translation work through requests received from outside sources.

“Middle Eastern languages have become very popular for translation along with Mandarin Chinese and Japanese,” Lowe said.

To be accepted in the 15-credit-hour program, a student is evaluated for language proficiency and must meet certain requirements based on a scale developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable, an organization that coordinates and shares information on language-related activities at the federal level.

“Just because you know a language, doesn’t mean you can be a translator,” she said. “It is an academic discipline, and we teach our students how to use all the new software.”

Many enrolled students are native speakers of a language, but Lowe stresses that translation is more than just linguistic knowledge.

Since its creation, 250 students have enrolled in the program and 18 have received certificates. Students must complete two foundation courses, two electives and a practicum in the form of an internship or a freelance translation project to receive a certificate. Forty-five students are currently enrolled.

Janet E. Gomez, a graduate of the first class in 2005, is now a teaching assistant in the program. The 22-year-old said she chose to obtain a certificate to reinforce her degree in English and her minors in French and Italian.

“There are very few programs in the United States that offer any certification in translation,” Gomez said, adding that she hopes to pursue an advanced degree in comparative literature.

Bill Calvo, 60, a business consultant, is studying Spanish translation. A resident of Ocala, he commutes close to an hour every week to get to class but said it is worth the drive.

“You are learning something meaningful,” said Calvo, who describes himself as semiretired and plans to use his certification to do freelance translation.

Lowe said she hopes the program will be able to offer a minor in translation studies in the future.

“The students are amazing and have very high motivation,” she said. “I think this program is a real contribution for serving multilingual and multicultural demands.”