The French translation and interpretation program equips students with the latest skill sets for exciting and rewarding careers.
We have a well-connected and influential alumni network that is eager to help you launch your career. Our graduates are sought after around the world by a range of international organizations, including the United Nations, European Union, African Union, World Intellectual Property Organization, and the World Health Organization. Others work at government entities like consulates and the U.S. Department of State, global companies such as Google and Cisco, language services companies, and NGOs like the microfinance provider Kiva. Many thrive as freelance translators and interpreters.
We also have students who have successfully prepared for the United Nations language competitive examinations using our network and content. Others have interned at the UN right after graduation, gaining precious insight that has helped them pass the languages competitive exams.
Current Employment: Community and conference interpreter and freelance translator (Washington, D.C.) with clients including the U.S. Department of State, Technicis, and Multicultural Community Service
Degree: Translation and Interpretation
Languages of Study: English, French
Institute Advantage: My professors cultivated an environment of intellectual rigor more rewarding than any I had encountered in my previous studies. I emerged from the Institute to find that my classmates and other alumni had become my community of curious, kind, dedicated, and talented colleagues. I do my best to apply the rigor of my Institute experience to my own practice.
Current Employment: Freelance translator and interpreter (France)
Degree: Translation and Interpretation
Languages of Study: English, French
Immersive Learning Opportunity: Practicum in Interpretation/Fall Forum, TEDxMonterey
Institute Advantage: The Middlebury Institute network is the biggest advantage. My first interpretation assignment after MIIS, thanks to Professor Christiane Abel, was the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program. I still work for this program every year. I find most of my clients through the Middlebury Institute network. It is an incredible resource, not just to get jobs but also to discuss best practices and get answers to any career-related questions I might have. I try to pay it forward and help others, too. The career management course was useful, as I had no idea how to manage my own business.
Current Employment: Freelance translator and interpreter (Chicago) with clients including the U.S. Department of State and UN Capital Development Fund; I have also translated two published books about video games
Degree: Translation and Interpretation
Languages of Study: English, French
Institute Advantage: The Institute gave me the opportunity to use my language skills in a new career. With my degree in translation and interpretation, I’m making more money, I have a better quality of life, and I’m much, much happier. What’s more, I have seen how Institute graduates come out of school immediately at the top of their fields.
Most students pursue internships during the summer break with organizations like Moravia (Monterey), Acolad (Paris), and Asiatis (Montreal).
We offer a wide range of scholarships to make this investment in yourself and your career more affordable. More than 95 percent of students who request scholarship consideration receive institutional support. U.S. and international students are eligible.
Thanks to our small class sizes, you will receive individual attention, immediate feedback, and intensive mentoring from your professors, greatly accelerating your development. This also means you will have more hours of practice in our interpretation booths, giving you a competitive edge once you graduate.
Courses integrate theory and skill building with content that covers different geographical regions, topics, and text types. Topics are representative of work in the field: legal, information technology, medical (with a focus on AIDS, malaria, and other issues affecting the developing world), engineering, and biotechnology (with a focus on agriculture, because of Francophone Africa).
Authentic practice opportunities are incorporated into course work. Translation assignments often simulate professional work performed by professors and sometimes consist of actual jobs for real clients. Interpretation classes include taking part in multilingual mock meetings as well as interpreting guest lectures and tours, such as at the local hospital and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The Practicum in Interpretation allows you to interpret in marketlike situations side-by-side with your classmates and your professors, who are then able to share best practices with you.
Our international students greatly benefit from the immersive English environment at the Middlebury Institute. Upon graduation, international students may be able to take advantage of Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work in the U.S.
Our faculty are active professionals who bring a broad range of experience and expertise to their teaching, having translated and interpreted for the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, as well as heads of state, private companies, and NGOs. They foster strong mentoring relationships with students, providing guidance on academic performance and career opportunities.
Associate Professor; Program Head, French Translation and Interpretation
Professor
| by Jem Walker and TI ’21
Alum Jem Walker shares how his experience in interpretation and technology led to a management role at FIFA, where he coordinates interpretation services for global football events.
| by Sierra Abukins
As an interpreter at the Olympics, alum and professor Stephanie Cooper got a front seat to the biggest moment in many athletes’ lives, allowing them to express themselves in their mother tongues.
| by Amy Fruchter CI ’18
Alum Amy Fruchter shares how her experiences at the Middlebury Institute and constructive feedback from her professors helped her become a translator at the United Nations.
