About the Department

İzmir University of Economics Department of English Translation and Interpreting commenced teaching in the 2004-2005 Academic Year.

The objective of our department is, by using modern education techniques in line with scientific methodologies and approaches, to train translators and interpreters who are aware of language differences and are equipped with knowledge of the field and terminology on various subjects such as law, economics, literature, social and applied sciences, political sciences, international relations, and media and communication.

Our program has been designed in a way to train translators and interpreters equipped with theoretical information and practices necessary to meet market demands under the control of an academic staff having a high command on translation and intrepreting and various academic publications as well as projects.

First two years of our four-year program are based on reiteration of language skills, comparison of language structures of Turkish and English and the cultural differences and evaluation of the principles of translation practice. Last two years of our program focus more on the applied translation and interpreting studies; our students take field specific courses such as localization, subtitle translation, simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting, community interpreting, conference interpreting etc. Our students should complete a four-week internship at the end of the third year.

In addition to English and Turkish which are the language pairs of our program, our students will take intensive French or Italian courses which are designed specifically for our program and compulsory for 4 years. It is aimed that our students are going to be at a level that they can translate from their selected language into Turkish. Students are encouraged to take an international certificate exam in their selected language at the end of their 4th grade. In addition, within the scope of the third language courses (Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese) given by School of Foreign Languages, students of English Translation and Interpreting focus on grammar, writing, reading, listening and comprehension, and speaking competences.

Thanks to the interdisciplinary education given in accordance with the market expectations, graduates of Department of Translation and Interpretation may work in media organs, Turkish Radio and Television Association (TRT), Anadolu Agency, private televisions, newspapers and agencies, Ministry for EU Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Undersecretariat of the Prime Ministry for Foreign Trade, National Intelligence Organization (MIT), foreign affairs departments of banks, publishing houses as a translator or editor. The graduates of Department of Translation and Interpretation also work as editors in publishing houses, project managers and translators in localization projects, managers in translation agencies and instructors in second language teaching programs. Besides, some of our graduates continue their postgraduate education in translation studies and in related departments.

We are proud of our competitive and multilingual graduates starting their own business, working in our country and across the world in international markets, continuing their academic careers at prestigious universities, being sensitive to universal values, and respecting society and ethical values.

Head of English Translation and Interpreting Department

Prof. Dr. Nihal YETKİN KARAKOÇ