Certificate in Translation (Spanish/English)
The Spanish Translation Certificate Program is not associated with a degree program and is offered at the undergraduate level to ASU students as well as to members of the community at large who are granted admission to ASU (see information on admission and registration procedures below) and meet the entrance requirements to the certificate program.
Prerequisites for Admission to the Certificate Program
Students must apply for admission to the Translation Certificate Program. In order to apply for admission, candidates need to submit the required application materials (listed below) and pass an entrance examination. Application materials:
- Copies of all college-level transcripts (official transcripts not necessary) highlighting any prerequisites for the certificate program course work, e.g., SPA 412, ENG 301, an introduction to linguistics course, or any courses in translation already taken.
- A list of the names, dates and location of educational institutions attended.
- The candidate's contact information: name, e-mail, postal address and phone number.
Entrance examination
Before taking the examination, students are expected to have completed:
SPA 412 and ENG 301
SPA 412 Advanced Conversation/Composition (offered every semester and summer)*
ENG 301 Writing for the Professions (offered every semester, summer and online)*
*SPA 412 and/or ENG 301 can be waived if the student can present proof of having taken an equivalent course at another institution, or having had substantial formal education in Spanish and/or English.
The entrance examination consists of two written essays (one in English and the other in Spanish). Candidates will have two hours to complete the examination with the aid of Spanish/English dictionaries, if desired. Examinations are usually given the last week of classes of the fall and spring semesters (December and May).
Examination registration
In order to register for the examination, you will need to mail or hand-deliver all application materials listed above along with an application fee of $20.00 (make check payable to Arizona State University) to:
María Teresa Martínez
Translation Certificate Program
School of International Letters and Cultures
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 870202
Tempe, AZ 85287-0202
You must be registered to take the examination. No walk-ins will be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Applications must be received by Nov. 15 or April 15 of each year in order to register for the December and May examinations, respectively.
After your registration has been processed, you will be notified via e-mail or phone of the examination dates and times available.
You will be notified in 7-10 days after taking the examination regarding your acceptance into the certificate program.
Program Course Requirements
You may consult ASU's online schedule of classes to find out when the courses below are offered in any given semester or summer session.
Prerequisites
After a student is admitted into the Translation Certificate Program they must take an introduction to linguistics course as a prerequisite for the certificate course work. In order to fulfill this requirement, you have the option of taking one of the following three courses at ASU:
SLC 400 Introduction to Linguistics (taught in English)
ASB 480 Introduction to Linguistics (taught in English)
SPA 400 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics (taught in Spanish)
This prerequisite cannot be waived unless the student can demonstrate that he/she has taken a similar course at the 400 level or above at another institution. In some cases, individual students may be allowed to take the Introduction to Linguistics course simultaneously with their first semester of certificate course work.
Required courses for the certificate
Once admitted to the program, you will need to take SLC 401 Translation Theory* (offered every spring) during the first year of the student's certificate program. In addition, students should complete three applied translation courses, to be chosen among the following options:
SLC 481 Technical and Scientific Translation*
SLC 482 Business and Financial Translation*
SLC 494 Medical Translation
SLC 494 Legal Translation
*Students may only register for these courses once they are approved to enter the program.
Usually only one of these applied courses is offered each semester, each one being taught only once in a two-year period.
Finally, SLC 484 Internship* (2 credits=30 hours) is required to complete the 14 credit hours necessary for the program. SLC 484 cannot be taken until all other courses in the program have been completed unless the student is granted permission to do so by the Director of the Spanish Translation Certificate Program. Students are normally required to find their own Internship venue. The site must have someone capable of and willing to supervise the student's translation work.
Graduate students may only take the aforementioned translation courses at the graduate level as SPA 590 Reading and Conference for each course with a professor willing to work with them. They would then take the translation internship under SLC 584.
For further information, contact:
María Teresa Martínez
Spanish Translation Certificate Program
School of International Letters and Cultures
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 870202
Tempe, AZ 85287-0202
Phone: 602-619-2573
E-mail: Maria.Teresa.Martinez@asu.edu
Information on admission and registration procedures for those not already admitted to ASU
In order to take courses in the ASU Spanish Translation Certificate program, you must first be admitted to the university. Nondegree-seeking students already possessing a bachelor's degree apply for admission to the Graduate College; nondegree-seeking students without a bachelor's should apply to Undergraduate Admissions.
If you are not already admitted to ASU, you must obtain the necessary admission forms. If you have taken ASU courses before, you need to be readmitted to the university. All necessary forms are available from the undergraduate or graduate admissions office. They are also available for downloading. You also have the option of applying entirely online. You then submit the admissions form to the proper office and wait to be admitted. No matter what form you submit, if you are not enrolled at ASU for a degree of any kind you must indicate on the form that you are a nondegree-seeking student.
After you are admitted you need to preregister (if time permits, in the middle of the fall or spring semester for the next semester) or register for the ASU courses you wish to take after the preregistration period is over. Information on registration for courses is available at the Registrar's office (480-965-7302), in the ASU schedule of classes and online.
Information on fees is available from the ASU schedule of classes and online. All new ASU students (degree or nondegree-seeking) must show proof of being vaccinated against measles/mumps/rubella (MMR).