Bachelor of Arts Honours in Translation and Professional Writing

Qualification Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to prepare the qualifying learner to practice as a translator as well as a professional and technical writer in a multilingual, multicultural South African context. The general purposes of the qualification are as follows:

1. Provide qualifiers with Honours level knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in one or more subfields of Communication Studies, Language and Literature.

2. Provide opportunities for continued personal intellectual growth, gainful economic activity, and rewarding contributions to society, thus facilitating entry onto a career path for lifelong learning.

3. Provide South Africa with a cadre of specialists in the field of research, facilitation, development, management, and service provision, contributing to a growing understanding of their chosen field.

4. Contribute to widening the local and international leadership base of innovative and knowledge-based scholarly activity in Communication Studies and Language - specifically within the field of Translation and Professional Writing.

The specific purposes of the qualification include:

1. Enable learners to acquire in-depth, comprehensive theoretical knowledge and understanding of various contexts in the field of Translation and Professional Writing.

2. Provide learners with practical skills, techniques, attitudes, and values for effective application in a multilingual and multicultural South African context.

3. Develop the ability to communicate effectively in a professional context, cooperate with others, and report research results clearly and responsibly utilizing appropriate technology.

4. Acquire independent analytical, critical review, and integration abilities to identify and solve complex problems within Translation Studies and Professional Writing.

Rationale

This qualification is unique in South Africa, combining translation and professional writing into a cohesive study program. Similar international qualifications are offered by Indiana and Purdue Universities in the USA, and the Université du Québec en Outaouais in Canada.

Translation and Professional Writing are highly complementary fields, especially in multilingual and multicultural contexts like South Africa and Canada. This qualification acknowledges the reality where professional writing needs translation into multiple languages or is based on translated documents.

Locally, institutions like RAU, UNISA, WITS, and the Technikon Pretoria offer postgraduate qualifications in translation studies, interpreting, and language editing. However, this qualification stands out as the only one integrating translation and professional writing with a focus on equipping learners for the workplace in the unique South African context.

There is a clear need for this qualification to cater to the multilingual, multicultural context of South Africa while aligning with global developments in Translation and Professional Writing.