Translation course grads 'open-minded, innovative'
Young working adults or mid-career professionals looking to improve their translation and interpretation skills can now look forward to new minors in the Singapore University of Social Sciences's (SUSS) decade-old Bachelor in Translation and Interpretation (BATI) programme.
The part-time programme, which focuses on translation and interpretation in English and Chinese, spans three years and students have up to eight years to complete the degree.
BATI graduates are sought after by employers from industries including media, public service, teaching, banking and finance, and the legal sector, said Associate Professor Susan Xu Yun, head of programme for Translation and Interpretation (T&I).
The new minors, which include film studies, political science, infocomm technology and business, were announced in February.
Highlighting the usefulness of translation, Dr Xu said: "Domestically, T&I is required by public service agencies to communicate their policies to citizens of all races and companies.
"Internationally, T&I facilitates business transaction, diplomatic relation, humanitarian aids and cross-boundary collaboration."
Dr Xu said the new minors were selected based on the relevance and compatibility between major and minor courses.
Employees equipped with translation skills through formal tertiary education can produce higher quality translation to facilitate business dealings.Associate Professor Susan Xu Yun
For example, subtitling and audio-visual translation have gained popularity due to growing interest in foreign movies and TV programmes.
The combination of T&I with film studies would enable students to gain a deeper insight into how a film is produced and distributed, produces meaning, provokes responses, and is reinterpreted over time so graduates will be able to deliver quality subtitling services to meet the needs of the general audience.
Dr Xu added that graduates of the T&I programmes tend to be open-minded and innovative, given their broadened exposure to and extensive knowledge of different cultures and societies.
OVERSEAS MARKETS
This makes them a good match for overseas companies setting up operations in South-east Asia and Singaporean companies venturing into overseas markets.
"(Many of such companies) have difficulty finding suitable employees who are not only proficient in two languages but also have an in-depth understanding of the socio-cultural differences between countries," said Dr Xu.
"Employees equipped with translation skills through formal tertiary education can produce higher quality translation to facilitate business dealings."
Applications close on March 31 for the July 2017 intake.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
