The online Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting is designed for students with advanced proficiency in English and at least one spoken Language Other Than English (LOTE) who are interested in developing language mediation skills to meet the needs of an increasingly globalized world.
Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting
The Online Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting is designed for students with advanced proficiency in English and at least one spoken Language Other Than English (LOTE) who are interested in developing language mediation skills to meet the needs of a globalized world. The demand for translation and interpreting is high and takes place in many different settings, including business, diplomacy, government, legal, healthcare, public service, schools, and many more.
Our online certificate is 15 credits (5 courses or more) and may be completed in one year. However, students can take longer to complete the program or simply take individual courses without committing to the entire certificate in order to meet their needs for continuing education.
Enrollment Process:
To register for the courses, complete the following steps:
Step 1:
Fill out the New Student Form on our webpage by clicking on “apply.” The form will automatically be sent to the certificate director, Cristiano Mazzei. The information you provide in the form will help us identify if you meet the language proficiency requirements for the certificate, so please provide as many details as possible. You will receive an answer about your readiness to start the program after the director has reviewed your form.
Step 2—Register for courses:
Our online courses in Translation and Interpreting are offered through University Without Walls (UWW) and are listed under the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Visit our enrollment page and read instructions carefully. It takes about about 2 days to receive your student ID and access UMass Amherst’s course management system (SPIRE) after you fill out their forms. You also need to request a UWW enrollment appointment, which is explained on the same webpage.
Language Proficiency
Our courses and certificate do not teach language skills to students. At the time they start our courses, certificate students must display advanced proficiency in English and a LOTE. Make sure you fill out the New Student Form with detailed information about your linguistic knowledge and educational background information.
For evidence of language proficiency in English and LOTEs, please refer to the table below. The information comes from the candidates’ handbook issued by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (http://cchicertification.org/).
Evidence of English Proficiency
- High school diploma, or equivalent, from English speaking country
- Successful completion of extensive coursework at postsecondary level, resulting in a degree, with majority of classes conducted in English
- Time spent studying and/or working in an English speaking country where applicant was required to perform tasks at a professional level
- Successfully passing English language proficiency test (see footnote below). If you need to take a language proficiency exam, please contact the program director, Cristiano Mazzei (@email).
- Successful passage of an established interpreter/translator certification exam (that includes language-specific performance test)
Reputable testing organizations include those that can provide evidence of reliability and validity in test development and administration and are able to measure language proficiency against well-established scales such as ACTFL, ILR, or CEFR. For ACTFL exams, successfully passing means achieving a score of “Advanced High” or “Superior.”
Evidence of LOTE Proficiency
- High school diploma or equivalent, with classes taught in the LOTE
- Successful completion of extensive coursework at postsecondary level, with majority of classes conducted in the LOTE
- Time spent studying and/or working in a country where applicant was required to perform tasks at a professional level in the LOTE
- Successfully passing a language proficiency test in your LOTE from a reputable testing organization (see footnote below). If you need to take a language proficiency exam, please contact program director, Cristiano Mazzei (cmazzei@umass.edu).
- Successful passage of an established interpreter/translator certification exam (that includes language-specific performance test)
Reputable testing organizations include those that can provide evidence of reliability and validity in test development and administration and are able to measure language proficiency against well-established scales such as ACTFL, ILR, or CEFR. For ACTFL exams, successfully passing means achieving a score of “Advanced High” or “Superior.”
Since this is an undergraduate certificate, the U.S. educational prerequisite is a high school diploma (or GED). If you are an international student, please make sure you forward a copy of your high school diploma (or higher degree) to the Director of Translator and Interpreter Training, Cristiano Mazzei (cmazzei@umass.edu).
If you’re not sure about your language proficiency, either in English or LOTE, or if you don’t fit any of the categories above and need to take a language test, we recommend Language Testing International for ACTFL exams. Students should schedule and pay for the Writing Proficiency Test and the Oral Proficiency Interview and email the results to program director Cristiano Mazzei (cmazzei@umass.edu).
Other Information
Certificate Award:
In order to receive the Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting, students must have taken 15 or more credits from the list of courses indicated in the certificate and must pass with a grade of C or higher in all courses. After completing all courses (total 15 credits or more), students must fill out the Certificate Clearance Form and email it to the program director, who will review the document and forward it to the university’s registrar.
Tuition and Payment:
Each credit at UMass Amherst is $550 for 400-level classes and $656 for 500-level classes (as of summer 2024), plus fees. If you pursue the certificate, you'll take approximately 5 different classes of 3 credits each (some are 2 and 1 credit) to complete it, for an estimated total of $9,000 (information as of summer 2023). All questions regarding payment should be directed to UMass Amherst’s Office of the Bursar.
Financial Aid and Payment Plans:
Please check with the Office of the Bursar for payment options and plans. There is no financial aid available for short certificates at the university. However, UMass Amherst's Office of the Bursar offers a payment plan (UPay—monthly installments) for courses and short programs.
Scholarships:
UWW offers limited numbers of scholarships to help fund students’ education. Please review information on their webpage.
Credit Transfers:
Our online certificate and courses in Translation and Interpreting are offered as credit for degree and non-degree seeking students. If you are interested in transferring credits from UMass Amherst to another program of study, contact the institution where you wish to transfer credits to make sure they are aligned with the program of study you are pursuing there. The decision to accept the credits lies with the receiving institution and/or program.
Accepting Credits into our Certificate:
Up to one equivalent course (3–4 credits) taken previously by the student at an accredited higher education institution might be accepted into our Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting. If interested, students must discuss the possibility in advance with the program director and then follow the instructions set forth by our Registrar’s Office.
International Students:
International students taking our online courses from their countries of residence (whose official language is not English) need to provide evidence of English proficiency and at least a high school education, which can be included on the New Student Form (when you "apply"). Since courses are offered through University Without Walls (UWW), students register and enroll directly online.
Online Certificate in Translating and Interpreting Checklist
Make sure you have followed all the necessary steps.
- Review this document carefully (especially regarding language proficiency)
- Fill out New Student Form (under "apply")
- Complete registration process and enroll