Interpreting and Translation

Program Description

The Interpreting & Translation concentration forms part of the Bachelor's Degree with Student-Designed Pathways, allowing students to combine specialized study in interpreting and translation with advanced proficiency in two or three foreign languages selected from a portfolio of ten.

This integrated model reflects the increasingly multilingual nature of international organizations, institutions, businesses, media, and professional communication, where the ability to transfer meaning accurately across languages must be accompanied by a sophisticated understanding of culture, context, and audience.

The concentration examines how meaning is interpreted, transferred, and adapted across languages and cultures through an interdisciplinary curriculum combining translation studies, interpreting theory and practice, applied linguistics, discourse analysis, intercultural communication, and specialized translation. Students develop the linguistic, analytical, and communicative skills required to analyze complex texts and discourse, manage linguistic and cultural nuance, and communicate accurately across professional, institutional, and international environments.

The curriculum also explores emerging developments including audiovisual translation, localization, artificial intelligence, computer-assisted translation and interpreting technologies, multilingual digital communication, and the ethical challenges associated with linguistic mediation in an increasingly technology-driven profession.

By combining specialized expertise in interpreting and translation with advanced multilingual proficiency, students graduate with a distinctive academic profile suited to an increasingly interconnected world. Whether preparing for careers in translation, conference and institutional interpreting, localization, language services, international organizations, media, multinational companies, or postgraduate study, graduates develop the ability to interpret, translate, and mediate across languages, cultures, and professional environments — an increasingly essential competency in global communication.

“Translation and interpreting teach us that language is never simply a matter of words; it carries culture, history, identity, and ways of seeing the world. Italy offers international students the rare opportunity to experience this complexity every day—to move between languages, contexts, and communities, and to understand communication not only as a skill, but as a form of cultural mediation.” - Prof. Federica Anna Oliveri, EdD c., Professor of Translation and Interpreting

Learning Model & Experience

All courses within the Interpreting & Translation program at Unicollege are structured according to the patented 3A (Acquire, Apply, Amplify) 70–20–10 academic model, which organizes learning into three progressive phases: instruction (70%), applied capstone work (20%), and field study (10%). This model is designed to ensure that theoretical knowledge, linguistic competence, and professional practice are systematically integrated throughout the academic pathway.

A representative example of this structure is the course Interpreting and Translation Practice, which explores the core techniques, strategies, and professional standards required for effective multilingual communication. During the Acquire phase, students are introduced to key concepts in translation and interpreting studies, including equivalence, register, discourse analysis, and interpreting modes (such as consecutive and simultaneous), through guided instruction and structured practice. The Apply phase consists of a mandatory capstone project in which students translate written texts and interpret spoken discourse across their working languages, engaging with authentic materials and addressing challenges related to context, audience, and accuracy. The course concludes with the Amplify phase, a field study conducted in collaboration with professional environments such as conference settings, language service providers, and media contexts, allowing students to observe and engage with real-world interpreting and translation practices.