Graduate Certificate in Russian Translation

Students receive a Graduate Certificate in Russian Translation by completing 15 hours of course work according to the sequence set forth by LFS.  All courses taken in the Department of Language and Foreign Studies toward the certificate may be used by graduate students toward the departmental MA degree in Russian Studies. 

This certificate program provides students with an academic grounding in translation theory and practice. The emphasis of this program is on translation into English. Students interested in obtaining further translation credentials are encouraged to discuss their options with a faculty translation advisor.

For core courses to count toward the certificate, students must receive a grade of B or better; for elective courses, a grade of C or better is required.  Students must have an overall 3.0 grade point average in certificate courses in order to be awarded the certificate.

Admission to the Program

Open to all students who have a bachelor’s degree.  If the BA degree held is not in Russian, students must have completed Russian Conversation and Composition II (RUSS-343) or equivalent.  Equivalency is determined in consultation with a faculty advisor.  Students whose native language is not English must meet university requirements for English competency (minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the paper based, 250 on the computer based, or 100 on the Internet based version).  Before commencing the program, students should consult a faculty translation advisor in the Department of Language and Foreign Studies to plan their program of study.

Course Requirements

Please see AU Registrar Schedule for current offerings.

Core Courses:

• RUSS-641  Russian Media and Political Translation
• RUSS-643  Russian Business Translation  
• At least one of the following:
  RUSS-546  Russian Advanced Grammar and Composition I
  RUSS-547  Russian Advanced Grammar and Composition II

Elective Courses: The remaining two courses may include the other course on the core course list and/or be selected from offerings in Russian at the 500 level or above.  For non-core courses, students complete an additional translation project beyond the normal course requirements and must receive a satisfactory evaluation for their project.  Students will only be permitted to do these translation projects after having completed at least one of the first two core courses listed above.

For More Information

Please contact the faculty translation advisor:

Dr. Alina Israeli
202-885-2387
aisrael@american.edu