Graduate Programs at Institutions of Higher Education Serving Hispanic Americans
2012 Abstract
The need for English-Spanish translators and interpreters in the United States will increase by more than 26 percent in the next decade. There is a lack of graduate programs and degrees in the fields of Translation and Interpreting. There is a lack of properly credentialed academics to teach in the few graduate programs that do exist.
GOALS OF THE PROJECT: This project seeks to develop the inherited bilingual ability of many U.S. Hispanics as well as other students into a specialized professional graduate degree that can be obtained nationwide and worldwide through online delivery. The project also seeks to create a methodology and a respository of courses for the online delivery of Translation and Interpreting training that can be replicated by other institutions.
COURSE OFFERING: By the end of the project in the Fall of 2013 thirteen (13) courses out the 12 projected were developed and offered successfully on an online basis with a total of 32 sections over 28 months.
NEW DEGREE AND STUDENT ENROLLMENT: A Masters of Arts degree in Spanish Translation and Interpreting was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating board and the University of Texas System during the Fall of 2010. The number of students in the program exceeded 40 in the Fall of 2012. The program has the largest enrollment in the College of Liberal arts and, in size, ranks among the 5 largest graduate programs on campus. Since their implementation in the online format, the MA program and the Graduate Certificate have produced 28 graduates.
Over these 3 years 45% of the student body resided in UTB’s immediate service area. The Remaining 35% were located in 12 different states. The remainder students live abroad in Mexico, Poland, Spain, Uruguay and Puerto Rico.
Hispanics account for 72% of students or admitted candidates during this period. The student body consists of a mix of recent graduates from 4 year colleges and practicing professionals working as freelancers or for a number of sState, national and international organizations and agencies.
DISSEMINATION: UTB/TSC hosted the 2012 ATISA's (American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association) biennial national conference, where dissemination of this projects, its results and curricula took place and where online delivery was part of the conference theme (“Research, Methods and Modes of Delivery”). The conference took place on March 29-31 of 2012 near Brownsville, and brought together 50 expert scholars, instructors and future educators in the field, from more than 15 different US universities and from more than 13 different countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. A number of presentations and ensuing discussions on translation pedagogy and online delivery were entertained
A webpage for dissemination of materials was set up under the name of GUSTO Program (Graduate Unified Spanish Translation Online Program, www.utb.edu/GUSTO) with 300+ visits so far. Through this website, 5 different faculty and administrators from universities and colleges in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New York and Texas have been granted access to the materials developed under the grant, which they plan to use to various degrees. UTB’s Translation and Interpreting Office, within the Department of Modern Languages, will ensure the sustainability of this resource by providing guidance and support to institutions interested in using this resource for the establishment or improvement of courses or academic programs in the field.
AWARDS AND HONORS: In the Spring of 2011, the program was nominated for the awards of "Excelencia in Education" (www.edexcelencia.org), a national educational association focusing on academic success of Hispanic Americans.
José Dávila-Montes
Project Director
University of Texas Brownsville/Texas Southmost College Department of Modern Languages South Hall #287 80 Fort Brown Brownsville, TX 78520 Tel: 956-882-8215 Fax: 956-882-7215
E-mail: jose.davila@utb.edu
Dania López García
Project Co-Director
University of Texas at Brownsville & Texas Southmost College Department of Modern Languages College of Liberal Arts 80 Fort Brown, Cárdenas Hall South #286 Brownsville, TX 78520 Tel: 956-882-6503 or 956-882-8246 Fax: 956-882-7215
