Program Overview

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.

Contact Information

• Brian Baer, Ph.D. |
• Loubna Bilali, Ph.D. (online program) |

Program Delivery

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

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries

• Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary: 5.7% faster than the average, 30,600 number of jobs, $69,920 potential earnings
• Interpreters and translators: 20.0% much faster than the average, 77,400 number of jobs, $52,330 potential earnings

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:
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester: Priority deadline: January 1

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • TRST 60009 | INTRODUCTION TO TRANSLATION TECHNOLOGY | 3
  • TRST 60010 | THEORY OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING | 2
  • TRST 60011 | TERMINOLOGY AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN TRANSLATION | 3
  • TRST 60100 | PRACTICE OF TRANSLATION | 2
  • TRST 60630 | CAREER PATHS IN THE LANGUAGE INDUSTRY | 3
  • Major Electives, choose from the following: 1 | 12-15
    • MCLS 50510 | INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING |
    • Any Translation Studies (TRST) Graduate course (50000 level or higher) 2
  • Concentrations
    • Choose from the following: | 9-12
      • Language
      • Technology and Multilingual Communication
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 37

Language Concentration Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • Concentration Requirements
    • TRST 60040 | LITERARY AND CULTURAL TRANSLATION | 3
  • Language Electives, choose two courses in the same language from the following: | 6
    • Arabic Language
      • ARAB 67091 | SEMINAR IN ARABIC TRANSLATION |
      • ARAB 67250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • ARAB 67251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • French Language
      • FR 63091 | SEMINAR IN FRENCH TRANSLATION |
      • FR 63250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • FR 63251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • German Language
      • GER 61091 | SEMINAR IN GERMAN TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • Japanese Language
      • JAPN 65250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • JAPN 65251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • Russian Language
      • RUSS 62091 | SEMINAR IN RUSSIAN TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • Spanish Language
      • SPAN 68091 | SEMINAR IN SPANISH TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 9

Technology and Multilingual Communication Concentration Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • Concentration Requirements
    • Concentration Electives, choose from the following: 1 | 12
      • Emerging Media Specialization
        • EMAT 51000 | RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN |
        • EMAT 52210 | WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT |
        • EMAT 60010 | FOUNDATIONS OF EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY |
        • EMAT 60310 | CREATIVE CODING FUNDAMENTALS |
        • EMAT 62110 | INTERACTIVE DATA |
        • EMAT 60999 | PROJECTS IN EMERGING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY |
      • Global Security Specialization
        • CRIM 56800 | INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY |
        • CRIM 56801 | HOMELAND SECURITY |
        • CRIM 56802 | TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM |
        • CRIM 56803 | INFORMATION AND CYBER SECURITY |
      • International Business Specialization
        • CIS 64042 | GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY |
        • MGMT 64184 | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS |
        • MGMT 64275 | GLOBAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT |
        • MKTG 65054 | INTERNATIONAL MARKETING |
      • Multidisciplinary Approaches Specialization
        • Any Translation Studies (TRST) Graduate course (60000 level)
        • Courses from any of the specializations
      • Technology Specialization
        • BA 64060 | FUNDAMENTALS OF MACHINE LEARNING |
        • CS 61002 | ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING I |
        • CS 61003 | ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING II |
        • MCLS 50510 | INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING |
      • User Experience Specialization
        • UX 60501 | INTRODUCTION TO USER EXPERIENCE |
        • UX 60502 | USER EXPERIENCE PROCESSES AND PRACTICE |
        • UX 60503 | FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERACTION DESIGN |
        • UX 60511 | INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE FUNDAMENTALS |
        • UX 60521 | DATA-DRIVEN INTERACTION FUNDAMENTALS |
        • UX 60541 | USER EXPERIENCE EVALUATION FUNDAMENTALS |
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 12

Graduation Requirements

• Graduation Requirements Summary Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA
  • • | 3.000

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.

Dual Degree Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • Major Requirements
    • ACCT 63037 | FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING FOR DECISION MAKING | 2
    • ACCT 63038 | MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING FOR DECISION MAKING | 2
    • BA 64005 | ANALYTICS FOR DECISION MAKING | 2
    • BA 64026 | SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | 2
    • ECON 62021 | MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS | 2
    • ECON 62022 | MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS | 2
    • FIN 66050 | LAW AND ETHICS | 2
    • FIN 66060 | MANAGERIAL FINANCE | 2
    • MGMT 64158 | LEADERSHIP | 2
    • MGMT 68051 | BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I | 1
    • MKTG 65051 | MARKETING MANAGEMENT | 2
    • TRST 60001 | GRADUATE RESEARCH AND WRITING IN TRANSLATION STUDIES | 3
    • TRST 60010 | THEORY OF TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING | 2
    • TRST 60011 | TERMINOLOGY AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN TRANSLATION | 3
    • TRST 60012 | SOFTWARE AND WEBSITE LOCALIZATION | 3
  • Second Language or Culture Elective 1 | 3-6
  • International Electives
    • Translation Elective, choose from the following: | 2
      • FR 63010 | THE PRACTICE OF FRENCH TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61010 | THE PRACTICE OF GERMAN TRANSLATION |
      • JAPN 65010 | THE PRACTICE OF JAPANESE TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62010 | THE PRACTICE OF RUSSIAN TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68010 | THE PRACTICE OF SPANISH TRANSLATION |
    • Commercial, Legal and Diplomatic Translation Elective, choose from the following: | 3
      • FR 63250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • JAPN 65250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68250 | COMMERCIAL, LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC TRANSLATION |
    • Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation Elective, choose from the following: | 3
      • FR 63251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
      • JAPN 65251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68251 | SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL TRANSLATION |
    • Case Study in Translation Elective, choose from the following: | 3
      • FR 63979 | CASE STUDY IN TRANSLATION |
      • GER 61979 | CASE STUDY IN TRANSLATION |
      • JAPN 65979 | CASE STUDY IN TRANSLATION |
      • RUSS 62979 | CASE STUDY IN TRANSLATION |
      • SPAN 68979 | CASE STUDY IN TRANSLATION |
  • Additional Business or Translation Electives, choose from the following: | 12
    • CIS 64042 | GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY |
    • HRM 64271 | HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT |
    • Business Courses
    • MCLS Courses 2
    • International Courses (either unit)
  • Culminating Requirement
    • MGMT 64399 | BUSINESS STRATEGY | 3
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 61

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.

Why Kent State University

• Where in the World is KSU: Kent State University includes eight campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally.
• You Call It: Find Your Calling at Kent State University!
• Graduate Awards and Fellowships: The Division of Graduate Studies at Kent State University administers a number of fellowships and awards for new and continuing students.