Master of Arts in Translation

Course details

As an institution of higher education, the University of Sharjah seeks to provide continuous and specialized education aimed at training human resources that are both capable of contributing to the sustained development of the country and enhancing its links with an ever-changing world.

The Department of English, being keenly aware of these objectives, realizes that in a world undergoing an irreversible process of globalization, there is a growing need for people who are in full command of the language that this process requires. Such people will need to be fully abreast of the latest developments in the world arena, to transfer the knowledge the country needs in the various fields of human endeavor, and to convey an accurate picture of the progress the country is undergoing in its own attempt to be in the forefront of developing nations.

The M.A. in Translation Program in the Department of English Language and Literature has serving the needs of the community in the fields of education, communication, business and diplomacy as its overall mission. Graduates with a Master's Degree in translation are expected to competently fill key positions in these fields and to lead the ongoing process of modernization and development in the United Arab Emirates.

Program Objectives

To provide students with the basic theoretical principles of the major approaches to translation

To acquaint students with the characteristic discourse features of various Arabic and English text types (legal, business, journalistic, political, religious, scientific, etc.) and to give them intensive training in translating these texts

To promote students' awareness of the (a) relationship between culture and translation, (b) cross-cultural differences and similarities between English and Arabic and, (c) translation traditions and trends characteristic of the two languages

To promote the transfer of Arab and Islamic culture to English -speaking countries

To turn out graduates who are reasonably qualified to serve the needs of both the private and public sectors. To acquaint students with the principles of consecutive interpretation of political speeches and interviews from and into Arabic

To develop students' research skills in the areas of translation, machine translation, contrastive linguistics, and lexicography

To equip students with transferable skills, particularly critical thinking and problem solving

To prepare students interested in further research to pursue their Ph.D. studies in translation