Who are we?

Our department today

We understand the term translation in the broadest possible sense as transcultural communication. This includes cross-linguistic communication in its oral (interpreting), written (translating) and multimedia (e.g. localisation) forms. A key area of our research and teaching is the critical examination of communicative requirements in today's globalized, multicultural and increasingly digitalised societies, which we explore through the cultural-historical, socio-political and technological dimensions of translation. The University's focus on Southeast Europe rings through our corridors, further underlining the cultural and social relevance of our department.

History of the department

Our department was initially founded in 1946 as the Institute for International Studies at the University of Graz. Translators and interpreters were trained to provide linguistic support to the many refugees shortly after the end of the war. Students in this programme studied for five semesters and graduated with the title of Academically certified translator. After a further two semesters, the Diploma examination for interpreters could be taken. In 1988, the first Chair of Translation Studies was filled by Prof. Dr. Erich Prunč. The department currently offers the opportunity to study for a Bachelor's degree in Transcultural Communication, as well as four Master's programmes in Translation, Translation and Dialogue Interpreting, Conference Interpreting, and a Joint Master's Degree in Translation with the University of Ljubljana. Students in these programmes can choose from the following languages: Arabic, Austrian Sign Language, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Turkish. There are currently around 100 teachers at the department.