Department of Applied English Translation

Translation and Interpreting Laboratory

Our Simultaneous Interpretation Lab. has recently been equipped with Symposium Language Lab. System, which enables the use of teaching materials in both digital and analogue formats for 20 students at the same time. This system offers comprehensive desktop tools for launching student learning activities and supporting students while they work individually, in pairs, or in groups in all kinds of interpretation courses. Moreover, the laboratory provides individual interpretation drills which expose students gradually to real working situations, using flexible modern digital media (CD-ROMs, DVDs, the Internet) and traditional analog media (audio cassette tapes, VCR tapes).

Our Translation and Interpreting Laboratory was founded in 2006 at the university and has been commonly used by Faculty of Arts and Sciences - Department of English Translation and Interpreting and Vocational School - Department of Applied English Translation. This laboratory has provided a real working environment to our students for their interpreting practices through Robotel Symposium System. In 2010, Optical Character Recognition technologies, Translation Memory Systems, Voice Recognition and Text-to-Speech Technologies were included in our laboratory which enabled students to become competent in the document translation. Trados translation memory system, which is commonly used within European Union, is one of the programmes in our translation laboratory with its latest version (2019). Trados is also included and studied in this laboratory. In addition, students are introduced to open source software such as OmegaT and they are given assistance for their professional development during elective courses taking place in laboratory.

In January 2014 the laboratory system has been updated Robotel SmartClass+ Language Lab systems and the license has been renewed in September, 2022 with the latest version. (http://www.robotel.com/en/smartclass_language.php) and became the first institution in Turkey to use this system. With this efficient system that allows a large variety of oral translation exercises such as written text interpreting, consecutive interpreting, simultaneous interpreting. Our experienced academic staff give our students the opportunity to be prepared in the best way possible for the professional life. Different laboratory systems are used in Turkey. This system is available only in our laboratory.

Our students get acquainted with an atmosphere similar to an authentic working place. They have the opportunity to be one step ahead, thanks to learning translation technologies and become familiar with interpreting equipment and setting through authentic audio-visual materials and simulation practices. The graduates work as translators and interpreters in private companies, governmental institutions, banks, trade chambers, municipalities, educational institutions.

The lectures given in the Translation and Interpreting Laboratory: