International university, what does that mean? In the Thai context, this term is used to describe an institute of higher education where English is the language of instruction. In most cases, it would be more politically correct to talk about international colleges, faculties, or programs, which are parts of existing Thai universities. But the question is: "why English"? The answer is quite simple. It is because English is the lingua franca of the modern globalized world. It is a common language used in the publication of scientific research. It is also prevalently used in conducting international business. People who know and speak English well have great advantages compared to those who don't. In Thailand, English is a de facto second language. Even though the law does not recognize it as such, but it is indisputable that numerous Thai companies require their employees to speak English, let alone foreign companies and corporations. Even street vendors in Bangkok are able to speak English, however minimal, to communicate with their customers of various national backgrounds.
Given numerous opportunities that are the by-products of the ability to speak English, many students seek various means to improve their English skills. Thus emerged the strong demand for post-secondary education in English. In order to meet with this demand, top universities in Thailand began developing English programs, and later on they established themselves as international universities. This allows for a broader range of education as most books and countless forms of educational publication are available in English. Most of these international universities are located in Bangkok and its metropolitan peripheries. The following list is comprised of some well-known universities in Thailand where English is the language of instruction (in alphabetical order).
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University, or simply Chula amongst Thai speakers, is located in downtown Bangkok, right in the centre of commerce known to all Thais and foreigners as Siam. It is within a walking distance from the BTS SkyTrain, which enables easy accessibility to the campus. Many Thais believe in the prestige of this institute as it was established by one of the Chakri kings of the past. The university offers a variety of undergraduate programs in English. These programs are categorized according to the faculties to which they belong. It is notable that fees between Thai citizens and foreigners differ substantially. The university requires varying scores from one of these examinations IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, or CU-TEP. These are the courses offered by Chula at the undergraduate level:
Faculty of Commerce and Accounting
• Accounting
• International Business Management
Faculty of Economics
• Economics
Faculty of Science
• Applied Chemistry
Faculty of Engineering
• Nano Engineering
• Automotive Design and Manufacturing Engineering
• Information and Communication Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
Faculty of Architecture
• Architectural Design
• Communication Design
Faculty of Communication Arts
• Communication Management
Faculty of Arts
• Language and Culture
Faculty of Psychology
• Psychological Science
Mahidol University International College
Mahidol University International College or MUIC is a part of Mahidol University, a renowned institute of higher education named after Prince Mahidol, the father of King Rama IX. Its main campus is located in Salaya, but it is easily accessible via the Salaya Link, a shuttle bus system between Wongwian Yai BTS station and Salaya provided by the university. The International College is well known for its high English standard of admission. It has a reputation of being the first public university to offer an international degree program. The aim of MUIC is to provide its students with a liberal arts education to promote the culture of learning so that the students are well-rounded. It accepts tests scores from one of the following tests in addition to its own admission examination: IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT. Currently, MUIC offers the following undergraduate degree programs:
Bachelor of Arts
• Social Science
• Communication Design
• Entertainment Media Production
Bachelor Business Administration
• Business Economics
• Finance
• Information Systems
• International Business
• Marketing
• Tourism & Hospitality Management
Bachelor of Science
• Applied Mathematics
• Biological Science
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Environment
• Food Science and Technology
• Physics
Bachelor of Nursing Science
• Nursing Science
Thammasat University
Thammasat is known for its involvement in the politics of Thailand. Its international programs are organized on the two campuses: the Prachan campus downtown and the Rangsit campus in the outskirts of Bangkok. Even though Thammasat's international programs do not have the longest history in Thailand, it has a great reputation which it has upheld. Similar to other universities, Thammasat accepts IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT test scores as part of its admission criteria. These are the programs offered:
• The Combined Bachelor and Master of Political Science Program in Politics and International Relation
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• Bachelor of Economics
• Bachelor's Degree in British and American Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Business English Communication
• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Science and Technology
• Double Degree of Engineering - Twinning Engineering Programmme
• Bachelor Degree of Engineering - Thammasat English Programme of Engineering
• Bachelor's Degree in Journalism (Mass Media Studies)
• Bachelor's of Arts in Chinese Studies
By: John Cimble
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
What Are the Basic Interpretation Techniques?
As the name itself indicates, interpretation is done simultaneously. The speaker speaks in continuous flow, giving some pauses / breathers. Here the Interpreter should be very quick in interpreting & delivering. The speaker delivers his speech in source language. The interpreter sits in a sound-proof booth, speaks through microphone, while clearly seeing, hearing the source language speaker through ear-phones. The simultaneous Interpretation is rendered to the target language listeners through their ear-phones. Simultaneous Interpretation saves lot of time and is very economical. It is very much in use in conferences, International meetings. This type of interpretation is quite successful where there is a large number of participants.
Consecutive Interpretation technique
In consecutive Interpretation Technique, the interpreter speaks, after source language speaker has finished his speech / message, or the speaker has given some time-pause, for the purpose of interpreting his speech from source language to target language. In this type of Interpretation the Interpreter sits or stands next to the speaker, listening and taking notes as the speaker progresses. Consecutive interpretation can be further divided into two types:
1) Short consecutive interpretation wherein the interpreter relies on his memory, each message segment being short enough to memorize.
2) Long Consecutive interpretation, wherein the interpreter takes notes of the message to aid rendering long passages.
These things are established with the client beforehand, depending upon the subject, its complexity, and the purpose of interpretation. Earlier, the interpreter used to take 20 to 30 minutes, but today, 10 or 15 minutes is considered long for holding large audiences to hear a speech in a foreign language they cannot understand. Consecutive interpretation requires a proper understanding between speaker and interpreter before the actual speech is delivered. As per the understanding between speaker and interpreter, the speaker may give enough pauses for the interpreter to interpret after every sentence so that target audiences are in the flow of the speech. The second best option is to let the speaker finish his speech in source language. The Interpreter then interprets the entire text of speech in target language, as near to the source language as possible with out losing the essence and keeping originality to the core.
Whispered Interpretation Technique
In whispered interpreting, the interpreter sits or stands next to the small target-language audience whilst whispering a simultaneous interpretation of the matter to hand; this method requires no equipment, but may be done via a microphone and headphones if the participants prefer.
Relay Interpretation Technique
Relay interpreting is usually used when there are several target languages. A source-language interpreter interprets the text to a language common to every interpreter, who then renders the message to their respective target languages. For example, a Japanese source message is first rendered to English to a group of interpreters, who listen to the English and render the message into Arabic, French, and Russian, the other target languages. In heavily multilingual meetings, there may be more than one "intermediate" language, i.e. a Greek source language could be interpreted into English and then from English to other languages, and, at the same time, it may also be directly interpreted into French, and from French into yet more languages. This solution is most often used in the multilingual meetings of the EU institutions.
Liaison Interpretation Technique
This technique is usually relaying what is spoken to one person or group to another set of people from source language to target language. Here the interpretation can be done sentence after sentence or after the completion of the entire speech. Since the groups are very much limited in numbers, there is no need for any equipment. As the name itself indicates, this is mainly used for liaison purposes in small groups.
By: Ram Kesarwani
Consecutive Interpretation technique
In consecutive Interpretation Technique, the interpreter speaks, after source language speaker has finished his speech / message, or the speaker has given some time-pause, for the purpose of interpreting his speech from source language to target language. In this type of Interpretation the Interpreter sits or stands next to the speaker, listening and taking notes as the speaker progresses. Consecutive interpretation can be further divided into two types:
1) Short consecutive interpretation wherein the interpreter relies on his memory, each message segment being short enough to memorize.
2) Long Consecutive interpretation, wherein the interpreter takes notes of the message to aid rendering long passages.
These things are established with the client beforehand, depending upon the subject, its complexity, and the purpose of interpretation. Earlier, the interpreter used to take 20 to 30 minutes, but today, 10 or 15 minutes is considered long for holding large audiences to hear a speech in a foreign language they cannot understand. Consecutive interpretation requires a proper understanding between speaker and interpreter before the actual speech is delivered. As per the understanding between speaker and interpreter, the speaker may give enough pauses for the interpreter to interpret after every sentence so that target audiences are in the flow of the speech. The second best option is to let the speaker finish his speech in source language. The Interpreter then interprets the entire text of speech in target language, as near to the source language as possible with out losing the essence and keeping originality to the core.
Whispered Interpretation Technique
In whispered interpreting, the interpreter sits or stands next to the small target-language audience whilst whispering a simultaneous interpretation of the matter to hand; this method requires no equipment, but may be done via a microphone and headphones if the participants prefer.
Relay Interpretation Technique
Relay interpreting is usually used when there are several target languages. A source-language interpreter interprets the text to a language common to every interpreter, who then renders the message to their respective target languages. For example, a Japanese source message is first rendered to English to a group of interpreters, who listen to the English and render the message into Arabic, French, and Russian, the other target languages. In heavily multilingual meetings, there may be more than one "intermediate" language, i.e. a Greek source language could be interpreted into English and then from English to other languages, and, at the same time, it may also be directly interpreted into French, and from French into yet more languages. This solution is most often used in the multilingual meetings of the EU institutions.
Liaison Interpretation Technique
This technique is usually relaying what is spoken to one person or group to another set of people from source language to target language. Here the interpretation can be done sentence after sentence or after the completion of the entire speech. Since the groups are very much limited in numbers, there is no need for any equipment. As the name itself indicates, this is mainly used for liaison purposes in small groups.
By: Ram Kesarwani
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
How to build a career in language Interpretation and Translation
If numbers are anything to go by, then according to statistical data of U.S. interpreters and translators held about 50,900 jobs in 2008 which is projected at 62,200 in 2018, a rise of 11,300 amounting to a 22% increase. About 28% of these language interpreters and translators work in educational institutions, 13% work in hospitals, health care and social assistance and 9% work in federal, state and local courts, and 26% are self-employed.
Language interpretation and translation has become a sought after skill set owing to the increasing cross border trade activity. Some of the avenues open to interpreters and translators are as below:-
1. Judiciary interpreters and translators are required to interpret and translate legal proceedings. They assist in interrogations and remove language barriers between investigating authorities and the accused. They play key roles in preliminary hearings, court proceedings. They are required to be well versed with legal procedures and legal terminology and colloquial language.
2. Medical interpreters and translators provide services to health care patients who face language barriers, in communicating properly with doctors and nurses. Translators assist in converting patient materials and medical brochures in to desired language. Both the interpreters and translators should have good command over both the languages as well as medical and colloquial terminology along with cultural sensitivity to help patients receive the information.
3. Sign-language interpreters facilitate communication between people who are deaf and people who can hear. Some interpreters specialize in oral interpreting for people who are deaf and adept at lip-reading instead of sign language. There are some special interpreters who specialize in tactile signing, which is interpreting for people who are blind as well as deaf by making manual signs into their hands, using cued speech, and signing exact English.
4. Conference Interpreters work at conferences that have non-English-speaking attendees. They assist in conducting conferences in an efficient manner.
5. Guides or escort interpreters accompany the foreign visitors and ensure that they are able to properly communicate during their stay. They act as ambassadors of that country and help in building good image for the country. They specialize in interpretation in a variety of subjects. Frequent travel for days and weeks at a stretch, is common.
Literary translators translate written literature from one language to another. They translate documents, books, articles, short stories etc. Sometimes these translators work with authors for real translation of their literary works.
By: Ram Kesarwani
Language interpretation and translation has become a sought after skill set owing to the increasing cross border trade activity. Some of the avenues open to interpreters and translators are as below:-
1. Judiciary interpreters and translators are required to interpret and translate legal proceedings. They assist in interrogations and remove language barriers between investigating authorities and the accused. They play key roles in preliminary hearings, court proceedings. They are required to be well versed with legal procedures and legal terminology and colloquial language.
2. Medical interpreters and translators provide services to health care patients who face language barriers, in communicating properly with doctors and nurses. Translators assist in converting patient materials and medical brochures in to desired language. Both the interpreters and translators should have good command over both the languages as well as medical and colloquial terminology along with cultural sensitivity to help patients receive the information.
3. Sign-language interpreters facilitate communication between people who are deaf and people who can hear. Some interpreters specialize in oral interpreting for people who are deaf and adept at lip-reading instead of sign language. There are some special interpreters who specialize in tactile signing, which is interpreting for people who are blind as well as deaf by making manual signs into their hands, using cued speech, and signing exact English.
4. Conference Interpreters work at conferences that have non-English-speaking attendees. They assist in conducting conferences in an efficient manner.
5. Guides or escort interpreters accompany the foreign visitors and ensure that they are able to properly communicate during their stay. They act as ambassadors of that country and help in building good image for the country. They specialize in interpretation in a variety of subjects. Frequent travel for days and weeks at a stretch, is common.
Literary translators translate written literature from one language to another. They translate documents, books, articles, short stories etc. Sometimes these translators work with authors for real translation of their literary works.
By: Ram Kesarwani
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)