MASTER OF ARTS IN CONFERENCE INTERPRETING (PMCI)
Programme Duration
Two years, i.e. 24 months (or four semesters).
Programme Objectives
The Pan African University Master of Arts in Conference Interpreting is a two-year course, which aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Train professional interpreters for the African market and beyond;
- Promote mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence and regional integration in the face of Africa’s crosslinguistic and cultural diversity;
- Promote research and innovation in spoken language translation and conference interpreting within the African context and beyond.
Programme Outcomes
At the end of the degree programmes, graduates shall be able to:
- Serve as high-level, innovative and enterprising professionals in interpreting content for Africa and beyond;
- Interpret content in the relevant languages for better spoken language communication among African people throughout the continent;
- Research and innovate in spoken language translation and conference interpreting for communication throughout the African continent.
Admission Requirements
In order to be eligible for admission to the programme candidates must
- hold a recognised university degree or equivalent (in any subject);
- have an excellent command of their mother tongue (A language) over a wide range of topics and registers;
- have an in-depth knowledge of their working languages (B and C);
- offer at least one of the following language combinations2: A-B or A-B-C;
- have a good overall knowledge of international affairs and be well-informed of the economic, social and cultural background of the countries in which their working languages are used.
- have a good voice-recording tool, a state-of-the-art multimedia computer with good voice and video recording/recognition devices and reliable internet connection.
In addition, candidates shall be expected to have
- good powers of concentration, analysis and synthesis;
- good communication skills;
- a high degree of motivation;
- the ability to work under pressure; and
- a readiness to accept feedback during training both from peers and lecturers.
Admission into the programme is subject to success in an aptitude test which is designed to assess suitability for training in conference interpreting. The test panel shall
- include a majority of professional interpreters and interpreter trainers;
- represent all the languages for which a candidate is to be tested and include at least one assessor with the candidate's A-language; and
- decide by consensus.
One member of the panel shall normally be present throughout to ensure consistency in decision-making. The complete admission test shall include:
- a general knowledge test;
- the oral reproduction (summary or paraphrase) of a short and structured oralised speeches (2-3 minutes) from C and B languages into A and A into B; and
- an interview with the candidate.
Additionally the test may include
- sight translation;
- a brief oral presentation by the candidate on a subject chosen by the panel; and
- a written language test for academic-level proficiency.
2. In analogy to widely accepted standards, professional working languages in translator training are languages of which the trainee has requisite mastery prior to training. In this respect:
Language A is the translator trainee's native language (or any other language strictly equivalent to a native language), into which the translator works from all her or his other languages.
Language B is a language other than the translator trainee’s native language, of which s/he has a very good command and into which s/he works from one or more of her or his other languages.
Language C is a language of which the translator trainee has a complete understanding and from which she or he works.
MASTER OF ARTS IN CONFERENCE INTERPRETING CORE COURSES
PMCI 601 | Consecutive Interpreting I (without note-taking) (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 602 | Consecutive Interpreting II (inc. with note-taking) (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 603 | Theory and History of Interpreting |
PMCI 604 | Simultaneous Interpreting I: An Introduction (A-B/B-A) |
PMCI 605 | Sight Translation I (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 606 | Sight Translation II (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 607 | Advanced Spoken Communication Skills and (A&B) Language Enhancement I |
PMCI 608 | Advanced Spoken Communication Skills and (A&B) Language Enhancement II |
PMCI 609 | Professional Advanced Interpreting Practice and Entrepreneurship |
PMCI 610 | Practicum |
PMCI 611 | Introduction to Translation I (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 612 | Introduction to Translation II (B-A/A-B) |
PMCI 613 | The African Union and International Organisations I |
PMCI 614 | The African Union and International Organisations II |
PMCI 616 | Interpreting Research Methods |
PMCI 651 | Simultaneous Interpreting II (B-A) with Text |
PMCI 652 | Simultaneous Interpreting III (B-A) |
PMCI 653 | Simultaneous Interpreting II (A-B) with Text |
PMCI 654 | Simultaneous Interpreting III (A-B) |
PMCI 655 | Consecutive Interpreting III (B-A) |
PMCI 656 | Consecutive Interpreting IV(B-A) |
PMCI 657 | Consecutive Interpreting III (A-B) |
PMCI 658 | Consecutive Interpreting IV(A-B) |
PMCI 659 | Advanced Spoken Communication Skills and (A&B) Language Enhancement III |
PMCI 661 | The African Union and International Organisations III |
PMCI 663 | Research Seminars |
PMCI 667 | Discovering Alternative Activities in Interpreting Practice |
PMCI 675 | Sight Translation III |
PMCI 692 | Final Examination |
PMCI 698 | Dissertation |
PURC 101 | Human Rights and Gender |
PURC 103 | History of Africa |
MASTER OF ARTS IN CONFERENCE INTERPRETING ELECTIVES
PMCI 621 | Community Interpreting and Translation I |
PMCI 622 | Community Interpreting and Translation II |
PMCI 629 | Interpretation C - A/A - C I |
PMCI 630 | Interpreting from C - A/A - C II |
PMCI 669 | Community Interpreting and Translation III |
PMCI 670 | Community Interpreting and Translation IV |
PMCI 673 | Interpretation C - A/A - C III |
PMCI 674 | Interpreting from C - A/A - C IV |
PHD IN INTERPRETING (PTRA)
Programme Duration
Three years, or 36 months.
Programme Objectives
The PhD in Interpreting Studies is a three-year course (one-year course work and two years research work) which aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Enhance research on language interpreting with particular focus on evidence from African local settings;
- Stimulate greater interest and build capacity in language interpreting teaching and pedagogy in Africa;
- Enhance expertise and decision-making in matters of spoken language communication in multilingual and multicultural settings, with specific focus on Africa.
Programme Outcomes
At the end of the programme, graduates should be able to:
- lead research projects in spoken language translation and interpreting studies in Africa and other parts of the world;
- contribute significantly to the improvement of the teaching staff situation in the training of interpreters as well as spoken and sign language communication in multilingual and multicultural Africa.
- carry out innovative research for the improvement of practice and the development of social communication through language interpreting in Africa and beyond;
- write an original thesis in any the relevant areas.
PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY PHD IN INTERPRETING STUDIES CORE COURSES
PINT 701 | History and Theory of Interpreting |
PINT 702 | The Pedagogy of Interpreting |
PINT 703 | Cross-Cultural Pragmatics in Interpreting Studies |
PINT 704 | Psychological and Sociological Aspects of Interpreting |
PINT 705 | Research Methods in Interpreting Studies |
PINT 706 | Corpus Interpreting Studies |
PINT 707 | Seminars in Interpreting Studies I |
PINT 708 | Seminars in Interpreting Studies II |
PINT 710 | Comprehensive Examination |
PINT 798 | Thesis |
PURC 103 | The History of Africa |
PURC 104 | Human Rights and Gender |
PHD IN INTERPRETING STUDIES ELECTIVES
PINT 709 | Sign Language Interpreting Research I |
PINT 710 | Sign Language Interpreting Research II |
PINT 711 | Spoken Language Interpreting Research I |
PINT 712 | Spoken Language Interpreting Research II |
PINT 713 | Studies on Interpreting from/into African Languages I |
PINT 714 | Studies on Interpreting from/into African Languages II |
PINT 715 | Interpreting and Technology |
PINT 715 | Interpreting and Technology |