Undergraduate Certificate in French Translation

Students receive an Undergraduate Certificate in French 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 undergraduates toward departmental majors or minors in the same language.

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.

Admission to the Program

Open to all students who have completed Advanced French II (FREN-323) or equivalent.  Equivalency is determined in consultation with 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 out their program of study.

Course Requirements

See AU Registrar Schedule for current offerings.

Core Courses:

• FREN-328  French Translation: Concepts and Practice
• FREN-329  French Translation Workshop 
• At least one of the following:
  FREN-327  Le Français commercial
  FREN-365  Les Registres du français
  FREN-430  Syntaxe et style du français

Elective Courses: The remaining two courses may be selected from the other courses on the core course list or from offerings in French at the level of FREN-326 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.

Contact Our Faculty Translation Advisor

Prof. Edward Dawley
202-885-1458
dawley@american.edu