Frequently Asked Questions

Students graduate with proficiency in two distinct foreign languages, in addition to English.

Students are required to select an additional foreign language from among Russian, German, and Spanish alternatives, in addition to English. Throughout six semesters, they take intensive language courses in their chosen language. When they reach the fourth year, students take translation courses in the selected language, one per semester. Furthermore, we provide our students with the unique opportunity to select a third foreign language from the diverse range of courses offered by Yeditepe University School of Foreign Languages.

Our department is affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies is a four-year undergraduate degree program.

Preparatory education is offered for students at our department. For detailed information about the English Preparatory Programme, please visit this link. 

Graduates can work as translators and interpreters in private and public institutions. They can work in various government agencies, ministries, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, non-governmental organisations, national and international professional organisations, as well as in more specialised fields such as law offices, tourism, textile, advertising, finance, press and broadcasting, insurance, public relations and performing arts. At the same time, they can work in positions such as subtitling, dubbing, localisation and conference interpreting, where they can find opportunities to develop themselves during their university education, either in companies or as self-employed. One area that has been on the rise in recent years is localisation, which deals with the translation of applications and mobile games into different languages.Students who wish to become a teacher can continue their higher education by obtaining pedagogical formation, or they can take a step into academia with master's and doctoral programmes. Click here for more information about the careers of our graduates.

Yes, graduates can become English teachers in schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education by completing the required pedagogical formation certificate program. In addition, they can also pursue careers as English teachers in various private educational institutions without the necessity of obtaining a pedagogical formation certificate.

For aspiring students seeking to pursue a career as a translator, the ideal department to study is Translation Studies, also referred to as the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies. This particular field of study delves into the fundamental principles, methodologies, theories, and practical aspects essential to this profession.

A sworn translator is a person authorised by a notary public to officially translate legal documents and to certify all translated texts as a sworn translator. Translations made by a sworn translator are considered to have official status.

In order to become a sworn translator, individuals must have a bachelor's degree in a foreign language or certify that they are proficient in the language they wish to become a sworn translator. After obtaining notarial approval, the person takes an oath at a notary public and can use the professional title. Sworn translators usually translate documents such as residence certificates, contracts, court decisions, commercial documents, academic documents and birth certificates. Sworn translators can work as freelancers as well as working for companies.

The history of translation and interpreting goes back much further. The first written translations in history can be traced back to Mesopotamia, while interpreting was used in ancient Egypt to resolve trade and military issues. The professionalisation of translation dates back to the 1940s in the world and the 1960s in Turkey. It was only in the 1970s that the discipline of translation studies was recognised as a discipline independent of philology and linguistics.

The term “mütercim” in Turkish, derived from Arabic, denotes "çevirmen” (translator) in our language, and it is currently used interchangeably with the latter word. The word “mütercim” refers to translation, while “tercüman” is rather used to refer to interpreters.

Both departments offer academic programs designed to train proficient translators. While these two departments may appear similar in nature, the primary difference lies in their respective approaches. The Department of Translation Studies delves into translation as a scientific discipline, emphasizing courses such as translation theory, translation criticism, and research techniques in translation. On the other hand, the Department of Translation and Interpreting concentrates on practical aspects of translation and interpretation.

Both departments equip their students with substantial practical and theoretical knowledge, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to embark on their translation careers without any significant disparity.

Translation education includes two fields: translation and interpreting. It is not enough for a student to have a very good command of a foreign language. For this reason, courses such as competent use of the mother tongue, mastering the culture of the foreign language, writing and presentation skills alongside introductory courses in psychology, economy and terminology knowledge are emphasised in the foundations of translation education. Once these competences have been achieved on a larger scale, students take courses on translation in different fields such as law, medicine, economics, and so on, where they can practice translation. In this way, they learn different translation strategies and methods. At the same time, they can also explore unique fields of translation through elective courses in line with their interests and curiosity. In the following semesters, students continue to develop their translation practices through theoretical courses such as translation theories and translation criticism, while taking courses on the basics of interpreting. In this sense, they have the opportunity to develop their interpreting skills through courses such as oral translation of a written text, consecutive interpreting by taking notes, simultaneous interpreting and two-way interpreting.

The process of delivering written or spoken expressions from one language to another in an oral form is called interpreting.

Interpreting includes every module in which communication is provided between two people who do not speak the same language. The two most common types of interpreting are consecutive interpreting and simultaneous interpreting. In consecutive interpreting, while the speaker is speaking, the interpreter takes notes in a special note-taking language and immediately after the speaker has finished speaking, the interpreter delivers the same speech in another language. In simultaneous interpreting, translators working in booths translate what the speaker says into another language at the same time. At Yeditepe University, students who wish to pursue this profession acquire these skills through the courses given in the Simultaneous Interpreting Laboratory and through the most realistic mockup scenarios.

The word 'simultaneous' has entered Turkish from the English word 'simultaneous', which means "at the same time". Individuals who perform simultaneous interpreting usually work as conference interpreters. Simultaneous interpreters deliver a speech into the target language as it takes place in real time. For this reason, simultaneous interpreting requires a high level of competence and cultural knowledge in both languages, as well as listening and concentration, memory, mental flexibility, quick thinking, a broad general culture, analytical skills, good diction, composure, the ability to speak with grace in public and continuous self-improvement.

Conference interpreters interpret simultaneously in small rooms called interpreting booths. The reason for this is that the sound coming from outside is isolated and kept at a level that the interpreters can understand. Cables, translation console and technical equipment are also located in these booths. The standards for booths and technical equipment are regularly reviewed and updated by ISO in the light of technological developments in working groups including AIIC, the International Association of Conference Interpreters, the relevant directorates general of the EU and national associations such as TKTD. The Simultaneous Interpreting Laboratory of the Department of Translation Studies at Yeditepe University operates in accordance with these standards.

As a general rule, a conference interpreter may work alone for a maximum of one hour, but only in exceptional circumstances. For meetings exceeding one hour, a team of at least two interpreters is assigned for each language. The interpreters take turns, changing approximately every 20-30 minutes. This is due to the fact that the translator's brain works very intensively while doing several tasks at the same time and needs to take more breaks due to intense concentration.

Students can gain competence in conference interpreting by taking courses in conference interpreting if they are successful in the screening exam at the end of their third year. These courses are held in the Simultaneous Interpreting Laboratory, which offers students a real conference environment with cabins in accordance with ISO standards and has a capacity of eight interpreters, four booths and forty listeners.

In the first three years of their education, our students take a total of four interpreting courses, three of which are compulsory and one of which is a departmental elective. Students with a grade point average of 3.0 (BB) and above in these four courses are eligible to take the screening exam. In the exam, students' simultaneous interpreting skills in two languages are measured. Successful students take courses in the fourth year, which are mainly orientated towards conference interpreting. The aim of these courses is to provide students with a variety of information on current topics such as simultaneous interpreting practice, simultaneous interpreting strategies, special topics in simultaneous interpreting and preparing glossaries for simultaneous interpreting projects. At the same time, Yeditepe University Department of Translation Studies trains its students to be well-equipped conference interpreters by providing them with opportunities to meet interpreters working in the sector and to observe interpreters at conferences.

Yeditepe University Translation and Interpreting Studies students are required to complete a 20-work-day translation internship at an institution approved by the department at the end of their third year. Students present their translations and the experiences they have gained during the internship at the beginning of the fourth year and receive feedback. The internship, like many other practices in our undergraduate programme, is an instructive experience for our students before they start their professional life. Successful completion of TRA 310 Internship course is among the graduation requirements. Click here for more detailed information about the internship course.

Conference interpreters are competent in both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. In this sense, they interpret in the following types:

• Simultaneous interpreting requires a soundproof booth for the interpreter, a microphone for the speakers and a headset system for the audience. In simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter speaks at almost the same time as the speaker and instantly translates what he/she hears through the headphones. Whispering interpreting is a type of simultaneous interpreting that is carried out for a shorter period of time in smaller venues by one or two people without the use of equipment.
• In consecutive interpreting, after the speaker has finished a sentence or paragraph, the interpreter translates what has been said with the help of notes taken during the speech. Consecutive interpreting does not require any special equipment other than a microphone. Bilateral interpreting is a type of consecutive interpreting for smaller groups. Accompanying foreign visitors and providing communication outside the meeting also fall under this definition.

The Department of Translation Studies has a bilateral double major protocol with the departments of English Language and Literature, English Language Teaching, English Political Science and International Relations, International Trade and Business, Radio-Television and Cinema, Philosophy, Tourism and Hotel Management, Journalism, Advertising Design and Communication, Turkish Language and Literature, History, Psychology and Sociology. If we do not have a protocol with a department the student wishes to have a double major in at the time of application, a new protocol can be prepared. At the time of application for the double major programme, the student must have a GPA of at least 2.75 in the major programme and be in the top 20% of the success ranking in the relevant class of the major programme. In order to study the double major programme with a scholarship, an average of 3.25 out of 4 is required. Students can apply for the double major programme at the beginning of the third semester at the earliest and the fifth semester at the latest. Students who complete the double major programme are awarded a second diploma.

The current Erasmus agreements of our department include Alexandru Ioan Cuza Iasi University in Romania, Leuven University in Belgium, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain and University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poland.

The Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies successfully completed the FEDEK evaluation process in 2019 and was awarded FEDEK Accreditation for the second time for five years, valid for 2019-2024. In our updated curriculum, Russian, German and Spanish as second translation languages have been added to the English-Turkish translation programme.

Our students can do their compulsory internship in any organisation where they can do translation or interpreting. Generally, our students prefer companies such as localisation, software, import-export companies, but there are also students who do their internships in similar positions in hospitals and hotels.

The curriculum of our department enables students to be competent in both translation and interpreting. In addition to theoretical courses, students gain practical experience through specialised translation courses such as translation of social sciences texts, health sciences translation, media and communication translation, translation of economics and business texts, literary translation and legal translation. In the field of interpreting, all students are required to take ıntroduction to ınterpreting, bilateral ınterpreting and consecutive ınterpreting courses. In this way, students who learn the basics of interpreting graduate with the competence to interpret even if they do not choose to become conference interpreters.

In addition to the courses they have to take for translation and interpreting, our students have to take some of the elective courses offered according to their interests. These include translation-oriented courses such as political translation, science translation, translation of art history texts, subtitle and dubbing translation, game localisation, EU texts and legislation translation workshop, British civilisation, Turkish sign language, special topics in translation and translation project, and interpreting-oriented courses such as legal interpreting, introduction to simultaneous interpreting and community interpreting. Students can also take courses that are open to everyone at the university in the free elective category.

The curriculum of the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Yeditepe University consists of both theoretical and practical courses and is updated at regular intervals by means of advisory boards that bring together academics and industry representatives. Thus, our students are always prepared for current conditions. In addition to second and third foreign language learning opportunities, students have the opportunity to learn new languages without credit. Students have the opportunity to broaden their horizons and get to know new cultures through Erasmus exchange programmes and double major and minor agreements with many departments. They can be part of a university that is taking important steps towards internationalisation. They can receive training and lectures not only from academics but also from industry representatives and get to know the translation industry extremely well. In addition, they can specialise in this field thanks to the interpreting courses they take in the Simultaneous Interpreting Laboratory in accordance with ISO standards, which are offered in very few places, and the conference interpreting module.

With the contributions of neural machine translation and artificial intelligence to machine translation, it is an indisputable fact that mechanisation has come to the forefront in the field of translation as in every field. However, contrary to popular belief, this situation is not a disadvantage but an advantage for translation graduates. This is because the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Yeditepe University provides its students with courses on machine-assisted translation, how to use artificial intelligence in translation, and how to localise with technological means. Therefore, our department trains translators equipped with excellent language, cultural and technological skills in the new market conditions.