Mission

The mission of the MA in Translation program is to (i) upgrade students' knowledge, skills and competitiveness in the field, (ii) contribute to the country's scientific and technological progress, (iii) promote cultural understanding, and (iv) ensure graduates are versatile professionals.

Goals

1. Enhance students' linguistic accuracy and communicative fluency in English and Arabic.
2. Aid students to capitalise on their knowledge of translation theories and their insights into the source and target language cultures, obtained through research, to make sound decisions in doing translation.
3. Refine students' skills to translate sample texts pertaining to specialisms in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Hard Sciences.
4. Aid students to make judicious uses of translation software programmes, parallel corpora, and specialised corpora in doing translation.
5. Engage students in practising different modes of interpretation with the aim of building their confidence.
6. Equip students with the needed skills to critically evaluate and comment on translation procedures and products.
7. Develop students' ability to take part in or manage translation projects.
8. Prepare students for a translation career and (or) an academic career.

Graduate Attributes

The MA Program in Translation aspires to endow graduates with the following attributes:

1. Polyglot: communicates in the written and spoken modes in Standard English; understands a variety of common accents of English; communicates in the written and spoken modes in Modern Standard Arabic; understands Classical Arabic; understands different varieties and accents of Arabic; and displays these competences in practising translation and interpreting.
2. Multifaceted: understands and appreciates various English speaking communities' cultures while being rooted in the Arab-Islamic culture; utilises these multicultural capacities in doing translation and interpreting.
3. Self-Directed: works autonomously and undertakes creative problem-solving strategies in doing translation and interpreting.
4. Agent of Change: contributes to the scientific and technological progress of the local and regional communities through well-thought of selections of English texts; puts into use the most adequate and uptodate theories and the best practices in Translation Studies to conduct research and to teach translation.
5. Mediator Between Cultures: works as tourist guide; promotes through translation, teaching, and research inter-cultural dialogue and appreciation; works effectively and cooperatively in multi-cultural settings.

Program Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

K1: Demonstrate a balanced knowledge of English and Modern Standard Arabic in communication and in doing translation.

K2: Justify translation procedures and strategies with reference to relevant theories in and approaches to translation.

K3: Demonstrate an adequate knowledge of the socio-cultural, historical, and (or) scientific backgrounds of source texts.

K4: Demonstrate an adequate understanding of ethical and technical issues in conducting and evaluating translation.

K5: Explain the major steps in conducting research work in translation.

K6: Demonstrate a deep understanding of the challenges language and translation policies pose to the translator from and to Arabic.

Skills

S1: Produce translations that read well in Modern Standard Arabic and in English.

S2: Critically apply translation procedures and strategies with reference to theories and approaches to translation.

S3: Critically appraise and compare source and target texts with reference to the linguistic, socio-cultural, historical, or scientific backgrounds of their authors, translators and audiences.

S4: Negotiate options and alternatives skillfully and constructively when engaged in an on-going translation activity.

S5: Use appropriate methods and advanced technology in doing or conducting research in translation.

Values

V1: Convey faithfulness in their translations as much as the source texts and target contexts allow.

V2: Show respect for their culture and others' cultures.

V3: Show self-reliance, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.

Admission Terms/Conditions/Requirements

In addition to meeting the requirements stated in the Unified Regulations for Postgraduate Studies in Saudi Universities, the applicant has to:

1. Have a B. A. in English/Arabic;
2. Achieve the required score in any one of the following standardized tests:
   • TOEFL IBT (60-78);  
   • STEP (97); 
   • IELTS (6). 

The Department Council and College Council have the right to add any condition as necessary.

---

Last reviewed: 2/5/2023