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MASTER DEGREE IN TRANSLATION AND MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATION
​
This course responds to the training needs of graduates in Applied Languages or other graduates interested in the language professions. All candidates must have proven advanced competence in Languages to develop theoretical and technical skills in specific areas such as translation, subtitling, tourism and community interpreting.
Master students will have two working foreign languages in addition to Portuguese, to be chosen from among German, Chinese, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Japanese or Russian.
In addition to a common core curriculum, the course offers two training profiles: Translation; Tourism and Culture.
The course includes a three-semester curricular part, with seminars, practical and laboratory classes, and project work. The fourth semester is dedicated to an internship or to a thesis.
Internships can be carried out in Portugal or in international organisations/companies with which UMinho has established a protocol.

Application stages: 

1st stage: 23 May to 02 June 2025 - International and National students
2nd stage: 04 to 15 de July 2025 - International and National students
3rd stage: 03 to 08 September 2025 - International and National students

1st Stage - Translation

​Nationals
 ​Internationals
3
 ​2

1st Stage - Tourism and Culture

​Nationals
 ​Internationals
3
 ​2

2nd Stage - National and international students: A total of 25 vacancies will be made available for both specialisation areas, in addition to the vacancies unfilled in the first stage.

3rd Stage - National and international students: unfilled vacancies in the 2nd stage.

N.B.In both quotas (international and national), any vacancies in one quota that are not filled will revert to the other quota.

Course
2025/2026

General

Academic degree:
  • Master's degree
ECTS:
120
Duration:
4 curricular semesters
Regime:
Mixed
Place:
Gualtar Campus, Braga (UM)
Main Scientific area:
  • Translation Studies

Contacts

    School of Arts and Humanities
    Campus de Gualtar
    4710 - 057 Braga
    Tel: +351253604173 Fax:
    E-Mail: pedagogico@elach.uminho.pt
    URL: http://www.elach.uminho.pt

Description

The main goals of this course are to provide students with theoretical knowledge and the fundamental technical and methodological skills for professional practice in the context of language professions involving translation and multilingual communication, namely:
- Work of LSP / TSP - Language Service Provider (as defined in the ISO 17100 standard)
- Provision of service as tourist guides / Interpreters
- Development of localization projects
- Terminology management / Terminologists
- Technical writing
- Audiovisual Translation in a multimedia and multimodal context
- Use of tools and resources for translation (CAT tools/Computer Aided Translation)
- Post-editing
- Quality control and evaluation
- Management of multilingual projects as enshrined in the EU benchmark for EMT (EMT Competence Framework),
- Translation in Public Services
- Use of video games (testing and QA)

Key learning outcomes

1. Understand the purpose of providing language services, involving translation and communication in multilingual and multicultural contexts;
2. Be aware of the translator's social role, marketing and client relations, objectives and purposes in accordance with the client's request / order / translation charge;
3. Promoting language and thematic skills in the various languages ??and target contexts, associated with the provision of language services, as enshrined in the EU framework for EMT (EMT Competence Framework), in transdisciplinary and multilingual contexts, involving technologies, resources and tools in multimedia environments and computer-assisted translation tools;
4. Apply the methodologies inherent to the process of translation and management of multilingual texts, complying with instructions, deadlines, commitments and observing the ethical and deontological rules of the profession;
5. Implement the main phases of a translation project, as well as the roles and functions performed in the field of providing language services, planning and managing time, stress, budget and continuous training;
6. Prepare and produce translations in different formats and for different technical supports, according to the required rhetorical and stylistic conventions, in accordance with the specifications provided by the client, developing linguistic and thematic skills in the various target languages;
7. Reflect on the assumptions, implicits, allusions, stereotypes and cultural specificities of a document in polysystemic contexts and develop strategies for documental and terminological research using specialized search engines and tools;
8. Know, use and apply technological resources and tools to support the translation process, strategies and techniques to support the realization of a translation, creating and managing databases and files and extracting and processing relevant information for the execution of a certain task (documentary, phraseological, terminological);
9. Know and apply technical procedures for translation, review and quality assessment to the project, developing and implementing rereading and review strategies and establishing and monitoring quality standards;
10. Prepare technical and specialized reports in general, of a reflective nature, as well as portfolios suited to the different stages of the development of the translation project in particular, and production of documentation elements/bibliographic references (general and specialized) in the context of Translation Studies .

Access to higher education

This course provides the technical-scientific capacity to access 3rd Cycle courses (PhD in areas such as Translation Studies, Linguistics, Terminology and Documentation).

Careers

Graduates of this course are qualified to work in translation companies (SLV – Single-Language Vendor and MLV – Multi-Language Vendor), in the industrial and business sector, in tourism, in the business area, in publishing and in the culture and audiovisual/technological branch.
It is also possible to assume different positions in their previous jobs, taking on responsibilities corresponding to their new skills.
In translation companies and publishing houses, they may occupy positions of translator, proofreader/editor, project manager; some can even work independently, on a freelance basis, with their own autonomous client portfolio.
In industry and tourism, they occupy linguistic interface positions in the context of globalization, through the creation of materials and content in several languages ??and ensuring business contacts for translation and multilingual communication.
In the field of internationalization, many provide production and editing of multimedia content to various companies and organizations, namely in terms of localization and adaptation of these contents to different markets and “locales”.
In Portugal, there is no official certification of translators, and therefore the figure of the sworn translator does not exist, although the TA/IA (Sworn Translation and Interpretation / Public Services) dossier is under discussion on the political agenda through the various associations and agents. involved in the sector. In this context, graduates will be able to provide language services in the field of Community Translation and Interpreting.

Access

35

Vacancies

15

Minimum

Access forms

The access to this Cycle of Study can be done at the Students Portal of the University of Minho 
https://alunos.uminho.pt/EN/candidates/MastersDegrees/Pages/default.aspx

This information does not replace consultation of the Academic Regulations of the University of Minho and other official documents.

Formal requirements

The following candidates shall be admitted to enrollment in the Course:
1) Holders of a bachelor's/undergraduate degree or legal equivalent;
2) Holders of a foreign higher academic degree conferred following a first cycle of studies organized in accordance with the principles of the Bologna Process by a State adhering to this Process;
3) Holders of a foreign higher academic degree that is recognized as meeting the objectives of the degree of "licenciado" by the statutory competent scientific body of UMinho;
4) Holders of a school, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognized as attesting the capacity to carry out this cycle of studies by the statutory competent scientific body of the University of Minho.
In addition to the Portuguese language, candidates must have an advanced level (C1-C2) of competencies in two languages.

Recommended requirements

Note: Applications involving Chinese and Japanese languages.   

Candidates must have the HSK5, or equivalent, as the minimum required level for the Chinese language. Candidates must have the JLPT (JLPT - Japanese Language Proficiency Test.) N2, or equivalent, as the minimum required level for the Japanese language.

Application deadlines

Information on Application Deadlines can be found at:
https://www.elach.uminho.pt/en/Study/Pages/Master/Application-Master.aspx

Registration deadlines

Information on Registration Deadlines can be found at:
https://www.elach.uminho.pt/en/Study/Pages/Master/Application-Master.aspx

Aditional Information

Quality Seal

The Master's in Translation and Multilingual Communication (MTMC), offered by ELACH, has just been admitted to the EMT network - European Master's in Translation, for a period of 5 years (2024-2029) - https://commission.europa.eu/education/skills-and-qualifications/develop-your-language-skills/european-masters-translation-emt/list-emt-members-2024-2029_en.
The European Master’s in Translation is a quality seal that certifies master’s programs in translation offered by European higher education institutions. It aims to align postgraduate training with market needs and demands within the language industry, in accordance with the EMT competence framework.
The EMT allows UMinho students to benefit from significant advantages in terms of internships and professional experiences with the main partners of the network, through contacts, partnerships, and the establishment of collaborative projects.
It also includes the promotion and development of synergies at the level of articulation between academia, European institutions, and the industry, improving the quality of work offered in line with the latest technological developments in the sector, enhancing the visibility and status of translation service professionals in the European Union. 

Study Plan

Assessment/Accreditation

A3ES Accreditation status:
Accredited
Resolution publication date:
23-09-2022
A3ES deliberation:
https://si.a3es.pt/sia3es/page?stage=ConsultaPublicaProcesso&processID=21620
Registry number at Ministry:
R/A-Ef 2557/2011/AL02
Registry Date:
14-11-2022
Accreditation validity:
31-07-2027