In our undergraduate translation programme, you will acquire the intercultural and linguistic competencies that will enable you to transmit content from one language into another.
Programme Prerequisites
To qualify for the programme, you need to provide higher education entrance qualification through a general school-leaving certificate, a specialized school-leaving certificate in a relevant subject, or a diploma which has been recognized as equivalent by legal provision.
Additionally, the following admission criteria must be met:
- A passing grade in the entrance exam for the BA Translation,
- Proof of language skills
Language Certificates
A certificate is required for the foreign language chosen for specialization (Schwerpunkt) and for the foreign language chosen for an elective (Wahlbereich or Wahlfach).
The following levels of proficiency must be proved for the respective language (based upon the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages):
- English: Level B2
- French: Level B1
- Spanish: Level B1
Language skills can be proved by means of a recognized language certificate or a school-leaving certificate:
- B2 = language instruction from grade 7 to 12/13
- B1 = language instruction from grade 9 to 12/13 or grade 5 to 10 or grade 7 to 10
The primary or A language in any language combination is German.
Right from the start of the bachelor programme, the foundations of translatology are laid out. You will be given a solid theoretical basis and, building on that, acquire a broad spectrum of job-relevant knowledge and skills. It is not that the bachelor’s programme is “practical” while the master’s programme is “more theoretical”, but rather that the instruction progresses from general to more specific topics. In order to avoid “practice shock” when entering the profession, however, you will already be confronted with examples of specific problems or subjects during your bachelor course. At IALT, this is possible through a wide range of flexible options available as electives or as “key qualifications” (Schlüsselqualifikationen), a system which is unique in Germany. Based on your interests and likings, you can familiarize yourself with subjects and ways of thinking that are not related to translation or philology.
At the end of the programme, you will be able to:
- Confidently use working languages,
- Use methodological and theoretical knowledge to solve typical translation problems in a goal-oriented way,
- Independently solve a theoretical or practical problem with a focus on knowledge or skills relevant to the discipline and/or professional practise
- Recognise cultural contexts and characteristics relevant for translation and interpreting,
- Use terminological and lexicographical tools and methods,
- Use up-to-date professional tools.
The BA Translation lays the theoretical and methodological foundations for a master’s programme, for professional work (translation or interpreting) as well as for employment in other fields relating to intercultural communication, such as :
- Computer linguistics
- Documentation/Media mining/Technical writing
- Editing, Lexicography
The majority of translators work in the field of technical translation. This requires additional qualifications, which can be obtained through IALT’s MA Translatology. The BA Translation is the ideal basis for our MA Conference Interpreting, too.
- Occupations for translators and interpreters
This brochure describes the classic professional fields of translation and interpreting as well as other potential occupations. - Translators and interpreters. An international survey on the professional practice of translators and interpreters.
This book presents the results of the first international survey of translators and interpreters having a translation-related degree from the best institutions. - Lost in Translation (German link)
This article gives you some insight into the professional world of a simultaneous interpreter in the field of politics. - Alumni reports (German link)
On this page, alumni describe the start into their career and their current occupation.