THE PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY MASTER OF ARTS IN TRANSLATION (PMAT)

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

Programme Duration

Two years, i.e. 24 months (or four semesters).

Programme Objectives

The Pan African University Master of Arts in Translation is a two-year course, which aims to achieve the following objectives: 

  • Train professional translators for the African market and beyond;
  • Promote mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence and regional integration in the face of Africa’s linguistic and cultural diversity; 
  • Promote research and innovation in written language translation 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 translating content for Africa and beyond;
  • Translate content in the relevant languages for better communication among African people throughout the continent;
  • Research and innovate in written language translation for communication throughout the African continent. 

Admission Requirements

In order to be eligible for admission into 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), preferably African Union working languages;
  • offer at least one of the following language combinations1: A-B or A-B-C;
  • have a good overall knowledge of international affairs and be well-informed of the economic, social and cultural backgrounds of countries in which their working languages are used.
  • have a state-of-the-art multimedia computer tool with good optical character recognition devices and reliable internet connection.

In addition, candidates shall be expected to have

  • good powers of concentration, analysis and synthesis;
  • good written communication skills;
  • a high degree of motivation;
  • a good interpersonal relationship skill;
  • the ability to work under pressure; and
  • a readiness to accept feedback during training.  

Admission into the programme is subject to success in a written aptitude test which is designed to assess suitability for training in translation. The test shall include

  • Translation from B to A;
  • Translation from A to B;
  • Translation from C to A for candidates with a C language;

Additionally, the test may include

  • Use of Languages A, B and C (i.e. a language proficiency test);
  • Essay on a current-affairs topic.

1. In analogy to widely accepted requirements, 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 another 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.