Des Moines Area Community College.

Interpretation and Translation Skills Guide

Recommended High School Level Background Courses

  • *Composition
  • Speech
  • Foreign Language
  • Computer Literacy
  • Keyboarding
  • *Psychology
  • *Sociology
  • *Algebra I
  • *Chemistry
  • *Health Science (Anatomy)

* Courses available in the Academic Achievement Center or High School Completion Center

Basic Skills in the Program and on the Job

Reading

Students entering this program need reading skills strong enough to handle entry-level college work in English and in their other languages. Throughout their coursework, they continue to broaden their general and technical vocabularies in both languages, creating personalized glossaries for use in the field. Assignments from textbooks, which are written for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses, are guided with discussion questions and supplemented with lectures.

In addition to studying textbooks and researching Internet sources, students practice reading and translating the materials they will encounter on the job: court, medical, human services, business, education, and state agency documents.

View more information on reading skills in the Interpretation and Translation program.

Language

Demonstrated college-level grammar and writing proficiencyin both English and another language are entrance requirements for this program. To earn an Associate in Science degree, students take either Fundamentals of Oral Communication (SPC101) or Interpersonal and Small Group Communication (SPC126). In their program coursework, they use tape recorders to practice and evaluate personal translating. They also make class presentations on their portfolios, participate in small group discussions, and report on those discussions to the rest of the class. On the job, interpreters must be able to interact with a wide range of people--e.g., doctors and patients, judges and defendants--and to transfer accurately all levels of spoken language, from formal to informal.

Composition I (ENG105) and either Composition II (ENG106) or Composition II: Technical Writing (ENG108) are required courses for the AS degree. Students planning to transfer to a four-year institution are encouraged to choose ENG106. Interpretation and Translation courses typically use essay exams; students also write reflections, participate in on-line discussions, and compile learning portfolios, in which they comment on the significance of each item included. Their work on the job will include translating documents, corresponding with clients, and completing time and compensation forms.

View more information on language skills in the Interpretation and Translation program.

Math

To meet the AS degree requirement, students must take one college-level math course. The typical choice for non-science majors is Finite Mathematics (MAT141), which has as a prerequisite one year of high-school algebra or Elementary Algebra (MAT063). Students who take a chemistry course as part of the Healthcare Interpreting/Translation emphasis also apply algebra as they use formulas to solve problems. Most interpreters and translators work as self-employed freelancers; therefore, they must be able to compute charges, fill out claim forms, and prepare income tax statements.

View more information on math skills in the Interpretation and Translation program.

Learning

In addition to strong study skills, students in this program use a variety of critical thinking skills. When conducting research, they must evaluate the reliability of information, including glossaries, located on the Internet. They must categorize the new vocabulary terms that they add to their personal glossaries. They must consider the consequences of complying with ethical guidelines associated with translation. And they must problem-solve to decide how to translate expressions that have no direct word-for-word equivalents. All of these skills are used on the job as well.

View more information on learning skills in the Interpretation and Translation program.

Computer

As part of their coursework in the Interpretation and Translation program, students usually take at least four on-line courses. They also type attach Word documents, conduct Internet research, download documents, and create glossaries using spreadsheets. Therefore, they need basic computer skills to succeed in this program: keyboarding, Windows file management, Word, Excel, Internet, and email. If they need to build these skills, they are encouraged to complete either Intro to Computers (CSC110) or Intro to Computer Business Applications (BCA212).

View more information on computer skills in the Interpreation and Translation program.

In general, students who succeed in the Interpretation and Translation program have strong oral and written language skills in English and another language, broad liberal arts knowledge, and well developed critical thinking skills.