Court Interpreting and Business Communication in International Organisations
In russian
Level of education Master
Type of instruction Full-time
Duration 2 years
Programme description
- The programme is suitable for experts in both linguistics and law who would like to: practice a system of scholarly knowledge of linguistics, history, translation studies, law, intercultural communication, and the legal culture of the country of the accused; and provide high-quality interpreting (consecutive interpreting, simultaneous interpreting) in the administrative legal field with a focus on judicial practice
- A focus on state-of-the-art learning technologies will enable students to acquire a versatile and in-depth knowledge of both legal English and law in general. This increases the competitive advantages of programme graduates in the labour market
- Graduates of the programme will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in the following academic, applied and business fields: simultaneous and consecutive legal interpreting in court hearings; drafting and translation of various business and legal documents; interpreting during hearings before international courts; ethical judicial interpreting; legal support for international transactions and negotiations; and legal and managerial work in departments of state and commercial institutions, law firms and international organisations
- The training process is based on international language services industry standards in line with the professional Code of interpreters and translators
- Case studies from legal translation practice are used in the teaching materials. They also include the administrative and legal documents of the institutions involved. The main academic courses in legal foreign language and legal translation are developed in cooperation with prospective employers
- Not only do professors who teach in the programme specialise in linguistics and have academic degrees and extensive experience in the language services industry, but they also specialise in law. Courses on the fundamentals of law and international activities and the fundamentals of judicial practice are taught by legal experts and professors from the Faculty of Law of St Petersburg University
Main academic courses
- French English
- Foreign (third) language depending on the student’s choice
- Interpreting for Professional Communication International Protocol and Fundamentals of Organising Protocol Events
- Translation
- Fundamentals of Notarial Translation
- Fundamentals of Court Interpreting
- Computer-Aided Translation Tools
- Current Issues in International Law
- Introduction to Intercultural Communication Studies
- Translation of Legal Documents in International Law
- International Arbitration and Main International Courts
- Fundamentals of Simultaneous Interpreting
- Key Issues in Translating Legal Terminology
- Mediation: Fundamental Techniques
- Legal Rhetoric
- Conference Interpreting
- Translation of Contract Documents, etc
Our advantages
- Since, unlike in many countries, Russia’s specificity is that there is no single state service for court interpreting/translation services and the market for language services is decentralised, most organisations providing a wide range of language services are small and medium-sized companies. Thus, the programme "Court Interpreting and Business Communication in International Organisations" is an attempt to bring the training of experts in this sphere back to a state institution
- The teaching and learning process focuses on: linguistics; law; different types of interpreting and translation; intercultural communication; and legal rhetoric. This is because a court interpreter is an active participant in court proceedings, a mediator between cultures and legal systems. That makes this programme unique in its fundamental, comprehensive and holistic approach to students’ training
- Students will study the activities of international organisations and the main international courts most often approached by Russian citizens with claims. They will also learn the legal terminology, principles and methods of consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in the courtroom
- The graduates will acquire the two main UN languages (English and French) that will be their working languages. They will also master: different types of interpreting (from whisper interpreting ("chuchotage") to simultaneous interpreting in specially equipped booths); and fundamental legal and linguistic subjects. Of no less importance is the fact that they will be well-versed in a variety of state-of-the-art technical equipment Court interpreting can be classified as a ‘new profession’ that does not yet have a clearly defined professional trajectory
- Court interpreters therefore act as representatives of ‘hybrid’ professions, which many analysts consider to be the future