Translation of Modern European Languages

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30FRENCH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION (one-subject specialization)

Who the specialization is intended for: The specialization is offered to graduates of all Bachelor’s degree programmes.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: written examination. The written examination will verify the knowledge of the French language at the C1 level according to the European Reference Framework, excellent knowledge of the Czech language, and the ability to translate between the two languages. The test takes place without the use of dictionaries.

Website Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. SPANISH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION (one-subject specialization)

Who the specialization is intended for: The specialization is intended primarily for graduates of the same or related Bachelor’s field/programme and also for applicants from other fields/programmes for which the knowledge of Spanish at the C1 level according to ERF (European Reference Framework) can be expected.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Written language examination - C1 level according to ERF and translation into Czech. The length of the written test is 60 min. The written test contains parts focused on: demonstrating knowledge of standard Czech; translations into Czech and Spanish; resumé writing in Spanish; work with Spanish texts (reading comprehension, ability to express concisely and accurately in Spanish, etc.).

Website Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. GERMAN-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION (one-subject specialization)

Who the specialization is intended for: The specialization is intended for graduates of the same or related Bachelor’s degree programme (the similarity of the fields will be assessed based on the application).

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Written test with translation from Czech into German. Question types: 1. Translate into German without using dictionaries. 2. Test of Czech word formation and German grammar. 3. Explain the underlined German terms in the following text. The length of the written test is 70 minutes.

Website Department of German, Scandinavian and Netherland Studies.DUTCH-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION (one-subject specialization)

Who the specialization is intended for: The specialization is intended for graduates of the same or related Bachelor’s degree programme (the similarity of the fields will be assessed based on the application).

Subject matter of the entrance examination: Written examination. The written examination will verify the knowledge of the Dutch language at the B2 level according to the European Reference Framework. Furthermore it verifies the ability to translate from Czech to Dutch using a printed dictionary. The applicant will also prepare a resume of a Dutch text in Dutch.

Waiver of the entrance examination: not possible.

Website Department of German, Scandinavian and Netherland Studies.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 51 points (out of 100). (Valid for all specializations).

The aim is to offer students with an interest in modern European languages a comprehensive translation programme that provides targeted and systematic training for translators of Germanic and Romance languages and Modern Greek. It thus covers the set of languages of Central, Western and Southern Europe. The master classes and specialized seminars offer a theoretical basis which is a starting point for the further development of translation and interpreting skills within practical training. Students reinforce their capacity of analytical thinking and problem solving as well as a critical approach of analyzed issues. Besides students refine their rhetoric and presentations skills that are particularly emphasized in contemporary society.

Besides making graduates capable of finding jobs in the translation industry, the study of the programme „Modern European languages Translation“ enables students to develop their general textual competence regardless of the language being used. Emphasis is placed both on exact interpretation of meaning and on a comprehensive insight into pragmatical aspects of communication, empowering graduates in their professional and private lives, making them sensitive to the perspectivism in language behaviour, i.e. also to overt or hidden interests underpinning the human communication.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• make use of his/her knowledge both in the Czech and foreign language (C2 level according to CEFR);
• proof his/her capacity to excerpt specialized data and terminology and he/she has a thorough overview of the main issues within translation studies disciplines;
• make use of necessary knowledge within the field of IT related to translations memories, corpora, etc.
• demonstrate his/her knowledge of culture and realia in particular in Romance and Germanic speaking countries;
• proof his/her intercultural communication skills;
• apply knowledge from the area of so-called translatological minima, ie basic theoretical and practical knowledge associated with the translator's profession and its everyday work;
• theoretically identify and classify the text in the professional language system and perform its analysis
• translate texts of all sorts and choose adequate language resources
• actively perform all common types of interpreting activities

The graduate of the program is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to apply as translator and interpreter, especially from foreign language to Czech, but also as staff of national and European institutions in translation project management or editorial practice. Other opportunities are offered in areas such as government and public administration, diplomatic services, the business sphere, the cultural and artistic scene.

Practical training is not an obligatory part of the study plan. Selected project-oriented facultative courses offer opportunities for the students to train in the practical usage of theoretical knowledge and develop further praxis-related skills.

The master's thesis is a systematic elaboration of a given topic based on an individual evaluation and assessment of relevant secondary literature and other sources. It is not required to have the character of original primary research, it may be based on published titles and utilise available methods in accordance with the assignment (specific requirements are to be formulated by the supervisor). Students demonstrate the ability to independently treat the given scholarly topic using appropriate resources and competently utilising established methods; furthermore, they demonstrates the language fluency and reliable handling of form and style standards of scholarly publications; more generally, they show the ability of critical evaluation of information, an independent argumentation and presentation of the gathered knowledge.

The minimum extent of the master's thesis is 120 000 characters (including footnotes and bibliography; the treatment of the annexes is decided individually by the supervisor).

After completion of the Master’s study programme, it is possible to continue further studies in the doctoral degree study programme in Philology offered by both workplaces. These programs include Germanic languages, Germanic literature, Romance languages, Romance literature.