This curriculum sets out those elements agreed by the participating institutions as being essential to a programme in Conference Interpreting at advanced level.

Full text (PDF document).

The content of the programme will comprise the following:

• The theory of interpretation
• The practice of interpretation
• Consecutive interpretation
• Simultaneous interpretation
• The EU and international organisations

These need not be discrete modules.
In addition, a range of optional courses may also be offered.

Students will be made aware of the distinctions between translation and interpretation; theoretical aspects of interpretation; aspects of research findings in disciplines that have a bearing on interpretation, for example, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, communication and discourse studies.

The practice of interpretation

In order to prepare the students for their future professional careers, the programme will include elements such as communication skills eg. voice coaching, public speaking, etc.; conference preparation techniques such as terminology, information retrieval and other uses of information technology; professional ethics; conference procedures; working practices and conditions.

A weeks' study visit to the European Commission, the European Parliament and/or international organisations will be organised by the universities in order to familiarise students with the working environment of conference interpreters.

At the end of the programme students will be capable of giving a fluent and effective consecutive interpretation of a speech lasting at least 10 minutes into the target language, accurately reproducing the content of the original and using appropriate terminology and register.

Training in these skills will require a variety of exercises, such as content analysis and memory exercises, consecutive interpretation without notes, summarisation, sight translation and note-taking techniques. Speeches used will confront the students with a diversity of subject areas, styles and registers, and their length, information density and degree of technicality and specificity will increase as the programme progresses.

At the end of the programme students will be able to provide a fluent and effective simultaneous interpretation of speeches of at least 20 minutes into the target language, accurately reproducing the content of the original and using appropriate terminology and register.

While training in these skills will build on the same kind as those used to practise consecutive interpretation, additional exercises specifically designed to establish and consolidate the skills will be required. Furthermore, students will be trained in booth techniques and team interaction. Speeches used will confront the students with a diversity of subject areas, styles and registers, and their length, information density and degree of technicality and specificity will increase as the programme progresses. Once they have acquired simultaneous interpreting skills, students must also be taught how to interpret with the text in front of them.

In studying the EU and International organisations the focus must be placed on how these institutions operate in order to familiarise students with institutional processes and procedures.