School of English - AUTh

The Department of Translation and Intercultural Studies was established quite recently (2002) in order to increase the range of courses offered by the School of English and to open a further channel of communication between the School of English and the marketplace and society at large. It was also established in response to the growing demand of students who were interested in pursuing Studies in Translation but who, until now, were obliged to seek relevant Programmes of Study abroad.

The Department’s courses have been designed in order to cover the field of translation in all its aspects, both as a discipline and as a vocation. Consequently, theoretical subjects such as Translation History, Theory and Methodology are accompanied by a number of practical Workshops (General Translation, Interpreting, Special Topics of the European Union, Science and Technology, Audio-Visual Translation). In addition, a series of courses from the field of Cultural Studies enhance the Department’s Programme by placing Translation within a wider cultural context and enabling students to become functional in the framework of cultural and (new) media discourses.

The Department has as its main aim to assist in the training of scholars and professionals (Translatologists, Translator Trainers, Translators, Interpreters, Cultural Experts) by helping students to develop critical and analytical skills in the comparison of culturally specific texts in order to acquire the tools necessary to conduct research and become efficient translators. In this way, they will contribute to language learning and understanding, to the dissemination of information and to the intercultural communication that is currently an aspiring model of development fostered by the European Union. The Department is also committed to encouraging the further development of its academic staff through advanced research and publications, enabling them to maintain a high level of expertise in the field.

In addition, the Department engages in a number of related academic practices and initiatives such as:

• Organising conventions, conferences and seminars to which prominent scholars and experts in the field are invited
• Partnerships with other Departments and Institutions also involved in Translation Studies (at both undergraduate and postgraduate level)
• Participation in European Exchange Programs both for students and Staff members
• Fostering the use of new technologies in Translation Practices and in Information retrieval
• Operating and participating in Translation Programmes in order to enrich Greek and Foreign Bibliography and Terminology

Among the future aims of the Department is the setting-up a Post-Graduate Master’s Programme in Translation Studies whenever infra-structure conditions make this possible. At present, it offers the possibility for research leading to a PhD degree within the second cycle of Post-Graduate Studies in the School of English.