Legal Translation аnd Interpreting

Profession

Currently, there is a growing need for professionals qualified to provide high-quality translation and interpreting services in the administrative and legal spheres. One of the priorities in protecting human rights involves productive interaction with representatives of different countries in a multilingual environment, to meet their public and corporate needs in accordance with the requirements of judicial and law enforcement agencies and other structures within the system of state power and administration. This area of work requires specific interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. The role of a legal translator and interpreter in this context is hard to overestimate. Graduates of the programme are awarded Master's degree in Linguistics with a specialisation in legal translation and interpreting which meets the requirements of the international labour market.

Educational Process

The programme is delivered in English. Possible working language pairs include English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. Eastern languages – Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean – are also available for study and are taught by native speakers. The programme focuses on the development of applied professional skills, but also provides systematic theoretical training.  Students gain knowledge of language theory, study the peculiarities of language use in various institutional contexts, develop translation and interpreting skills in the administrative and legal sphere, and study the nuances of intercultural ethics and behaviour patterns in the specified field. Furthermore, they master digital technologies and resources for AI-assisted legal translation and practice simultaneous interpreting using professional equipment in interpreting booths. 
The curriculum includes specialised courses in legal translation and interpreting, considering the specifics of different areas of law, the peculiarities of court interpreting, and intercultural communication in law enforcement agencies. Due to the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, particular emphasis is placed on developing skills for using AI in translation work: prompt engineering in information retrieval, creating specialised reference resources, and editing initial translation and interpreting outputs. Taking into account the demands of the modern translation industry, a special course is offered on the organisation and implementation of translation projects at clients’ request. There is also a course on simultaneous interpreting using professional equipment in interpreting booths.
The educational process is based on the Russian Federal professional standard for specialists in the field of interpreting and translation (04.015), international standards for translation (ISO 20771:2020) and interpreting (ISO 20228) in the legal field, and recommendations for court interpreting (ISO/AWI TS 25368).
The training toolkits for disciplines are based on real translation and interpreting projects and include administrative and legal documents used in relevant institutions. Core subjects’ syllabi have been developed in collaboration with potential employers, including representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, corporate legal departments, etc. The faculty combine teaching practice at RUDN with experience in the translation and interpreting industry, hold academic degrees, and work as practicing translators and interpreters in international and national organisations. The programme includes seminars with practicing translators, as well as opportunities for internships and language schools in the countries of the target languages. 
The programme has been reviewed and received positive feedback from the international specialists in the field.

Practice

Students have the opportunity to take part in volunteer translation projects, as well as to complete pre-graduation translation internship as part of the curriculum at government agencies, scientific and educational organisations in Moscow, and directly at RUDN University in line with the programme's specialisation.

Career

Most students find employment before completing their studies. Graduates of the programme possess the interdisciplinary skills required to coordinate and resolve issues of legal translation and interpreting, and to provide high-quality language support for legal and administrative activities in multilingual departments of government and commercial institutions, law firms, and international companies. Currently, graduates of the programme work in organisations in the Russian Federation and abroad.