Universiteit Leiden

nl en

Vertalen Engels-Nederlands

A language degree does not prepare you for a job as a translator, a fact unknown to graduates and their clients. Perhaps just as well, because many language graduates do become translators. The minor Vertalen Engels-Nederlands (Translation English-Dutch) offers you the opportunity to become acquainted with translation, in many respects an exciting and challenging discipline.

The first translation concoctions are the result of blood, sweat and tears, but after a few years of experience most translators produce pretty decent translations and they may even enjoy their work. A good translator needs thorough knowledge of at least two languages, with all their lexical and grammatical nuances. In addition, the translator has an intimate knowledge of the cultures that are inextricably connected to the source and target languages. In other words, translators are mediators between cultures. Finally, professional translators have been taught to reflect on what it means to do translation and to work as a translator. This means that they have a knowledge of translation strategies and procedures, that they have thought about what it means to do a "literal" or "free" translation, and that they are aware of ethical and practical issues. All of these aspects of translation are addressed in the English-to-Dutch-to-English translation minor.

Read more about this minor and the courses you can choose.