Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Diploma in Interpretation

Multilingual
69 credits

Courses

Specialization
INT554Consecutive Interpretation A­B I
3 credits
This course introduces students to note taking techniques, in order to consecutively interpret texts from Arabic into French. The text lengths vary, starting with 2 minute texts and ending with texts up to 5 minutes, revolving around different themes: political, economic, and more general texts.
INT559Consecutive Interpretation A­B II
3 credits
At this stage, the students will have mastered note taking, and will concentrate on texts in Arabic to be translated into French. The text lengths vary between 5­6 minutes and they cover politics, economics and other current events.
INT610Consecutive Interpretation A­B/B­A II
3 credits
This course is given for the second year interpretation students. The students will have mastered note taking techniques and will be up to the task of consecutively translating all sorts of texts. They will be honing their already acquired skills.
INT616Consecutive Interpretation A­B/B­A IV
3 credits
This course introduces students to simultaneous interpretation. They will work in the Booth and will translate texts read to them at the same time. This skill follows 4 weeks of intensive training that encompasses memorization exercises. In the beginning, the texts will be general, followed by texts and speeches from the UN General Assembly and other different organizations. The students will learn to deal with UN terminology from the beginning of the semester.
INT550Consecutive Interpretation A-C I
3 credits
The aim of the course is to teach note taking for texts in Arabic to be translated into English. The basics of note taking are taught at the beginning followed by texts read to the students with lengths ranging from 2 minutes to 5 minutes at the end of the semester.
INT563Consecutive Interpretation A­C II
3 credits
The aim of this course is to teach interpreting students the techniques of consecutive interpretation. Students will be taught to listen to a 4 or 5 minute long speech in Arabic, to take note of what they heard, and then, based on the notes they have, translate the text into English. This course will teach students how to understand the logic of a given speech and be able to convey the same ideas and logic in English as accurately as possible and within a time frame not exceeding the duration of the original speech. Please note that the length and difficulty of the texts will increase as we progress through the semester and as students improve their oral expression skills and note taking techniques. The texts will be taken from a variety of sources, such as UN agencies and reports and Arab newspapers and magazines, and will cover different topics (economics, politics, international news, the environment, human rights, in addition to any other hot topics or current events as they arise). Material references: Annahar newspaper, Al Hayat newspaper, Al Biaa wal Tanmia magazine, Le Monde Diplomatique Arabe, etc.
INT555Consecutive Interpretation B­A I
3 credits
This course introduces students to note taking. The professor will explain the note taking techniques (symbols, signs, etc.) and give theoretical introductions to the course that starts with 1 or 2 minute long texts for around 4 weeks. The length of the texts will increase as we go into the semester and will reach 5­6 minutes in December. Texts are taken initially from L’Orient­Le Jour and then the professor will choose more difficult texts from international French newspapers and magazines such as (Le Monde diplomatique), as well as other UN reports in French.
INT560Consecutive Interpretation B­A II
3 credits
Students will be able to master consecutive interpretation of texts from French into Arabic. The degree of difficulty will be increasing the further they go into the semester and the students will tackle a variety of themes. As with all consecutive interpretation exercises, the students will have to master the connections within the texts and have to preserve the chronological order of the ideas.
INT556Consecutive Interpretation C­A I
3 credits
Similarly to all the consecutive translation courses, this course will cover texts taken from the Daily Star in the beginning and will evolve to encompass texts from ‘foreign affairs’, “The Economist” as well as different reports from many UN agencies. It will focus on note taking at the beginning of the course and move toward a more tangible aspect of translation.
INT561Consecutive Interpretation C­A II
3 credits
The second semester will allow the students to master translating consecutively texts from English into Arabic. The degree of difficulty will increase and with it the variety of the texts given to the students. The students will bear in mind the necessity of keeping the coordination between the various parts of the texts, as well as the chronological order.
INT611Consecutive Interpretation C­A III
3 credits
In the 3rd semester of interpretation the students will have mastered note taking. They will continue with texts ranging from 6 to 7 minutes in length, while the instructor focuses on the chronological order of the ideas and the links between them.
INT551Sight Translation A­B/B­A I
3 credits
The on sight translation course given to first year students has three main objectives: To enrich their vocabulary. To work on the flow of the texts, the intonation, the articulation etc. To work on reformulating ideas, because interpreting essentially means explaining. The texts given to students revolve around current themes as well as more technical ones such as labor, sustainable development, international conventions etc. They are taken from websites; UN and other International Organizations. Texts are chosen gradually in terms of the gaps that the students need to address, in order to have a comprehensive training. At the end of the semester, students have to appear before a jury, in order to evaluate the process of the first half of the year.
INT557Sight Translation A­B/B­A II
3 credits
This course teaches students to read a text and translate it at the same time; this exercise will serve as an introduction to simultaneous interpretation and will prepare students for different types of texts. General texts, at the beginning of the semester, lead to more specialized ones with a more complicated terminology.
INT553Sight Translation A­C/C­A I
3 credits
This course is given to reinforce the sense of translation among the students who will have to translate the text while reading it for the first time. This will teach them speed and precision and will prepare them for the simultaneous interpretation.
INT558Sight Translation A­C/C­A II
3 credits
This course aims at enabling students to read a text and translate it on sight. This exercise will introduce them to simultaneous interpretation and prepare them for different kinds of texts ranging from general themes to more detailed and specific texts with specific terminology.
INT612Simultaneous Interpretation A­B I
3 credits
This course introduces students to simultaneous interpretation. They will start with memorization techniques and try to divide their attention between listening and translating. The more they train, the more they will be able to follow the texts and concentrate on the nuances and the particularities of the different texts. This course will be based on translating texts from Arabic into French.
INT617Simultaneous Interpretation A­B II
3 credits
After having been introduced to simultaneous interpretation for a semester, the students will have acquired more skills for the second semester, in order to deal with all sorts of texts. At this stage, other factors come into play: speed and precision. The texts are general (United Nations) from Arabic into French. The students will also listen to recorded speeches from the UN and other bodies. The difficulty at this stage will be with accents. Now the students can take part in actual conferences that take place within the University, as training. This will help them reinforce their skills and their performances so that they will be ready for work.
INT600Simultaneous Interpretation A­C I
3 credits
This first attempt at simultaneous interpretation puts the students in direct touch with the Booth. The students will start with memorization exercises and will start dividing their thinking between listening to the text and translating it. After one month, the students will be able to simultaneously translate any type of text from Arabic into English. The degree of difficulty will increase with time. The types of texts are generally taken from the UN organizations (FAO, ILO, UNESCO).
INT620Simultaneous Interpretation A­C II
3 credits
After introducing the students to simultaneous interpretation for a semester, they will become more competent in the second semester to deal with any types of texts. The basic skills are taught and now other factors come into play, such as speed, accuracy and precision. Texts will vary from UN texts to more general texts. The students will also be listening to recordings in different languages and accents and will be translating videos and PowerPoints. The students, at this stage, will have the opportunity to participate in any conference that takes place at the University as silent Booth, in order to reinforce their skills and improve their performances so that they are ready for the labor market.
INT614Simultaneous Interpretation B­A I
3 credits
This course introduces students to simultaneous interpretation. They will start with memorization techniques and will divide their attention between listening and translating. The more they train, the more they will be able to follow the texts and concentrate on the nuances and the particularities of different texts. This course will essentially cover texts from French into Arabic.
INT618Simultaneous Interpretation B­A II
3 credits
After having been introduced to simultaneous interpretation for a semester, the students will have acquired more skills for the second semester, in order to deal with all sorts of texts. At this stage, other factors come into play: speed and precision. The texts are general (United Nations) from French into Arabic. The students will also listen to recorded speeches from the UN and other bodies. The difficulty at this stage will be with accents. Now the students can take part in actual conferences that take place within the University as training. This will help them reinforce their skills and their performances so that they will be ready for work.
INT615Simultaneous Interpretation C­A I
3 credits
This course introduces the students to simultaneous interpretation. They will be introduced to the Booth, texts will be read to them, and they will start translating the texts at the same time that they are being read to. This ability follows 4 weeks of practice, including memory exercises, to master it. Texts are of a general nature at the beginning. Then we progress to the UN General Assembly before moving to the different UN organizations. By the end of the semester the students will have covered all the UN terminology.
INT619Simultaneous Interpretation C­A II
3 credits
After introducing the students to simultaneous interpretation for a semester, they will become more competent in the second semester to deal with any types of texts. The skills are taught and now other factors come into play, such as speed, accuracy and precision. Texts vary from UN texts to more general texts. Also the students will be listening to recordings in different languages and accents and will be translating videos and PowerPoints. The students in this stage will have the opportunity to participate in any conference that takes place at the University as silent Booth, in order to reinforce their skills and improve their performance, for them to be ready for the labor market.

Mission

The Mission of the Interpretation Department is to train conference interpreters by offering them an intensive training in consecutive and simultaneous interpretation and providing them with the required skills and knowledge, in order to integrate them into the world of international organizations and other private and public institutions.

Program Educational Objectives

1. Graduates will be trained for consecutive interpretation in Arabic, French and English.
2. Graduates will be trained for simultaneous interpretation from and into Arabic, French and English.
3. Graduates will be able to teach languages (Arabic, French and English).

Program Outcomes

a. Students will understand a source text.
b. Identify the language difficulties for each text.
c. Interpret any text from Arabic, English or French.
d. Reorganize ideas in the target language.
e. Interpret the hidden meaning of any text.
f. Translate, on sight, any text from and into three languages.
g. Recognize the particularities of each language.
h. Master the logical transition from one idea to another.
i. Master note-taking in Arabic, French and English.
j. Come up with a perfectly comprehensible orally translated text.
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik
Tel.: (+961) 9 600 000
Fax : (+961) 9 600 100
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