Training of translators and interpreters in Latvia

Abstract

The article provides a brief insight into the field of training translators and interpreters in Latvia, a European Union member state since 2004. The demand for an increasing number of professionals, being able to cope not only with translation of fiction, but capable to translate and interpret information vital for any independent country, became especially urgent toward the end of the 1980's due to the rapid political and economic changes accompanied by the growth of international contacts. The first training programme of translators and interpreters was started in 1995 and in the next few years was followed by several others. At present translators and interpreters in Latvia are trained in 16 study programmes at 10 higher education institutions (3 universities and 3 university colleges funded by the government, as well as 4 private higher education institutions) - in 7 professional, 5 professional undergraduate and 4 professional master programmes. Doctoral dissertations in translatology at present are written and defended in two of the 3 doctoral programmes in Applied, Comparative and Contrastive Linguistics. After the general survey of the situation in training translators and interpreters in Latvia, the author provides a more detailed overview of the undergraduate, master and Ph.D.  programmes of the Ventspils University College.