Bilkent University School of English Language

buselets_top

About ETS

MISSION STATEMENT

Established in 1993, ETS’s mission is:

1. To provide the market with high quality professional translators and interpreters who

i . work between Turkish and English
ii. have comprehensive knowledge of and competence in translation
iii. are able to transfer this knowledge and competence to a wide-range of specialized areas in
the practice of translation
iv. adapt efficiently to the changing demands of the market

2. To construct an environment conducive to the professional development of the ETS staff

3. To contribute to the practice and theory of translation

DEPARTMENT GOALS

The goals of ETS are:

1. To help students develop text design skills by both
    comparing and contrasting textual norms and constraints
    in source and target language cultures, and by
    reformulating translated texts in the target language
2. To provide students with strategies and tactics for
    interpreting
3. To familiarise students with theoretical aspects of
    translation
4. To equip students with problem-solving strategies in translation
5. To assist students in gaining as broad a knowledge of the world as possible with a view to
    accelerating the translation process
6. To guide students in building up knowledge in specific areas so as to facilitate area translation
7. To contribute to the further development of the students' reading, writing, speaking and
    listening skills in English and Turkish
8. To encourage research, independent learning, and creativity
9. To foster analytical and critical thinking
10. To support the development of students into self-confident and competent professionals

Academic Staff

NİLÜFER YEŞİL (chair)	E-mail: nyesil@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C116 Telephone: 290 5084 CV


TALİP ESMER
	E-mail: talip@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C112 Telephone: 290 5181 CV


EMİNE GEÇGİL
	E-mail: egecgil@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C117 Telephone: 290 5081 CV

SERAP KATLAN
	E-mail: katlan@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C112 Telephone: 290 5182 CV


SEMRA KUNT–AKBAŞ
	E-mail: kunt@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C117 Telephone: 290 5081 CV

FAQ

1. Is ETS a difficult department?
2. Why does ETS admit students through their verbal score on the Student Selection
Exam (ÖSS)?
3. Can students continue their education after graduating from ETS?
4. Which departments can they choose to apply to?
5. Can students continue their studies in English Language Teaching departments?
6. Can graduates find a job after graduation?
7. Do students have to complete any practical training?
8. Is there any scholarship available for ETS students?
9. Can ETS students transfer to other departments in Bilkent University?

1. Is ETS a difficult department?
ETS sets high standards for its students and those who fulfill the course requirements will find these standards achievable. Our students complete the program in an average of four semesters, i.e. two years.

2. Why does ETS admit students through their verbal score on the Student Selection Exam (ÖSS)?
We would like to share the experience of becoming a translator not only with those students who have a background in English, but also with those who have not had the chance to study English before. The preparatory program at BUSEL ensures that students have a fine command of English before they pursue their studies in translation. Unlike other two-year departments, ETS admits its students to the program only after they meet the language requirement set for four-year departments.

3. Can students continue their education after graduating from ETS?
ETS graduates can take the Selection Examination for Vertical Transfer (DGS) held by ÖSYM and continue their studies in a relevant field. A high percent of ETS graduates (80-90%) have been placed in 4-year departments in different universities in Turkey so far.

4. Which departments can they choose to apply to?
a. Translation and Interpreting
b. English Language and Literature
c. American Culture and Literature
d. English Linguistics

OSYM’s handbook for DGS 2009 shows that ETS students can apply to 50 different four-year programs with their scores in social sciences. To see a chart click here.

5. Can students continue their studies in English Language Teaching departments?
This is not allowed by the regulations set by the Council of Higher Education YÖK.

6. Can graduates find a job after graduation?
ETS has been training translators for the market since 1993 and currently has 206 graduates. Our graduates either start to work immediately or take the DGS exam in order to continue their studies in a four-year department. Below is a pie chart showing the current situation:

7. Do students have to complete any practical training?
Students who successfully complete the first year are entitled to take practical training. The duration of this training is 20 workdays. Students may complete the practical training in various kinds of institutions such as translation companies, export-import firms, state organizations, news agencies, etc. For further information regarding practical training please read the relevant section under “News and Announcements”.

8. Is there any scholarship available for ETS students?
Starting with the academic year 2009-2010, 20 ETS students are entitled to a half scholarship. The success scholarship is also available for those students who have a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.5/4.0 and above for two successive semesters with the normal course load.

9. Can ETS students transfer to other departments in Bilkent University?
ETS students can transfer to other two-year departments on condition that they meet the requirements of the department they intend to transfer to.

Contact Us

Department Secretary: Güler Güneri
	E-mail: guneri@bilkent.edu.tr Office: BUSEL N-C114 Telephone: 0 (312) 290 5178
Address: Bilkent University Department of English and Translation Studies BUSEL N Building, East Campus, 06533 Bilkent/ANKARA Fax: 0 (312) 266 4320 E-mail: ets@bilkent.edu.tr

Course Descriptions

ETS 105 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS I
This course aims to analyze texts in English with discourse tools such as cohesion, coherence, etc. In this way, students improve the analytical skills necessary for comprehension and develop an understanding of how linguistic devices may be used in translation. Throughout the course, students apply the above-mentioned skills in textual analyses for translation purposes.

ETS 107 COMPARATIVE GRAMMAR I
The aim of the course is to raise awareness about the usage of different structures in both English and Turkish by comparing and contrasting them, and thus to help students use both languages accurately and consciously. The structural analysis and translation is done at sentence level with emphasis given to the context, as well. Students receive a great amount of input on grammar and they are expected to practise the translation of grammatical structures.

ETS 108 COMPARATIVE GRAMMAR II

As a sequel to ETS 107 Comparative Grammar I, the course aims to help students further refine their understanding of both English and Turkish usage through text analysis and translation. The course offers the students a chance to practise how to take context into account when rendering grammatical structures in their translations. Students are expected to acknowledge that the context has an influence on the choice of grammatical structures in the translation process.

ETS 115 READING FOR TRANSLATION PURPOSES
The objective of this course is to assist students in reading texts in English so that they can inquire into the variety of resources and strategies the translator uses in comprehending the text. In either written or verbal form, the students transfer into Turkish their understanding of English texts. To this end, students summarize the texts for different recipients or give short presentations.

ETS 121 WRITTEN TRANSLATION I
This is an introductory translation course aimed to familiarize students with the basic terms and concepts of translation studies. Students will analyze, discuss and translate informative, expressive and vocative texts from English into Turkish. At the end of this course, they are expected to have learnt norms and constraints pertinent to the translation of various types of texts from English into Turkish, be able to produce target texts that fulfill the criteria set out in the translation brief of each translation task, and be able to explain their and others’ translation processes and products using translation studies terminology.

ETS 122 WRITTEN TRANSLATION II
As a follow-up to ETS 121 Written Translation I, this course aims to focus on the translation of informative, expressive and vocative texts from Turkish into English. Students will analyze, discuss and translate informative, expressive and vocative texts from Turkish into English. At the end of this course, they are expected to have learnt norms and constraints pertinent to the translation of various types of texts from Turkish into English, be able to produce target texts that fulfill the criteria set out in the translation brief of each translation task, and be able to explain their and others’ translation processes and products using translation studies terminology.

ETS 124 TRANSLATION FOR WRITTEN MEDIA
This course helps students compare/contrast and learn the use of the norms which operate in the Turkish media and those of English-speaking countries. The students’ vocabulary is expanded in the areas likely to be the subject of news. Students keep abreast of current affairs and get plenty of practice in written media translation from and into Turkish and English.

ETS 136 BUSINESS TRANSLATION I
This course is designed to help students to acquire the skills required for translating English business texts and documents into Turkish. Students analyze and compare the norms which operate in English and Turkish in the context of business. For this purpose, students work on the translation of texts like contracts, business letters and tender invitations.

ETS 145 COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The objective of this course is to introduce the aspects of active listening and different kinds of speeches that interpreters have to deal with and to raise an awareness of the properties of such speeches. Identifying the type of speech, students learn how to analyze its structure, discerning the main ideas and the links between them. Students are also familiarized with the barriers to communication such as implied meaning, metaphor, understatement, hyperbole, irony, etc . Through the preparation and presentation of speeches, students consolidate what they have learnt and overcome their anxiety when speaking before a group. Students will be able to benefit from these skills in their interpreting courses.

ETS 184 SOCIETIES AND CULTURES
The primary intent of this course is to closely study the concepts of society and culture with a view to analyzing the relationship between the individual and society. Students are expected to read texts critically and discuss topics related to social institutions such as politics, religion, education, economy, and family. Through questioning and critical thinking, students shall have the opportunity to gain insight into themselves, their close environment as well as the society and culture they belong to.

ETS 205 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS II
In this course, students further develop the discourse analytical skills attained in “Discourse Analysis I”. Students analyze the discourse properties in encyclopedic entries, articles, black humor texts as well as excerpts from short stories and novels in English and translate these texts into Turkish under the light of their analyses.

ETS 208 TRANSLATION FOR BUSINESS II
The course aims at improving students’ competence in the translation of a variety of business documents and texts in Turkish and English and helping them analyze and compare the norms which operate in the business world of the source and target systems. Together with these analyses, students produce translations in contexts such as law (court verdicts, judicial records etc.) or international organizations like the European Union and the World Bank (presidency conclusions, educational sector study reports, etc.).

ETS 213 TRANSLATION FOR DUBBING AND SUBTITLING I
This course is designed to be practical and to mimic the professional working environment. The norms and technical aspects of subtitle translation are taught through readings, lectures and demonstrations. Students who gain practice in adjusting film dialogues into subtitle units and translating them into Turkish, also read about and discuss issues such as the role of audiovisual (AV) translation in transmission of cultural values and the concepts of adequacy and acceptability in AV translation.

ETS 214 TRANSLATION FOR DUBBING AND SUBTITLING II
As a sequel to “Translation for Dubbing and Subtitling I”, the main objective of this course is to familiarize the students with the mechanics of revoicing, with a particular emphasis on lip-sync dubbing of feature films. Students are exposed to sample dubbing texts in Turkish, which are compared to and contrasted with original dialogue scripts in English. They also gain practice in translating film dialogues into Turkish and synchronising the translated dialogues with the lip movements of the actors.

ETS 215 INTERPRETING I
This course is intended to introduce the types of interpreting and raise an awareness of the skills and strategies used in consecutive interpreting and sight translation. Students improve consecutive interpreting and sight translation skills in the interpreting laboratory of the department. Throughout the semester students interpret and translate authentic conference texts on a variety of topics from English into Turkish.

ETS 216 INTERPRETING II
This course aims to help students learn and practice the basics of simultaneous interpreting. After some simultaneous-specific preparation exercises, students simultaneously interpret authentic conference texts from English into Turkish in the department’s interpreting laboratory and get acquainted with the tools and strategies of the simultaneous interpreter.

ETS 221 TRANSLATION THEORIES
The main objective of this course is to assist students in discovering how theory relates to practice in the field of translation. Given an introduction to the history of translation theory, students develop a critical outlook on theories of translation and translation criticisms. By means of this method, the student is expected to acquire a deeper insight into the process and product of translation.

ETS 222 TRANSLATION PROJECT
This course aims to ensure that students make use of their knowledge of translation theory in the areas of translation practice and criticism. Students are expected to prepare and present three projects. The first project involves a description of the student’s practical training. For the second project, students write a critical comparison of at least two translations of one source text. The third project comprises a translation of a short story (or an informative text) along with a description of the decision-making process of the translation.

ETS 224 LITERARY TRANSLATION
This course aims to familiarize students with the norms in literary translation with reference to textual traditions in Turkish and English literatures. To this end, students translate excerpts from plays and short stories as well as samples of poetry. Based on their decision-making processes in translation assignments, students acknowledge the polysemous nature of literary texts that may be conveyed by means of various translation solutions.

ETS 237 TRANSLATION FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES
This course aims at helping students expand their vocabulary and develop an awareness of particular norms operating in Turkish and English texts in fields such as politics, art, tourism, archeology, psychology, sociology, anthropology and philosophy. After reading the texts, students are encouraged to find parallel texts in the target language and to analyse them in terms of lexis and textual norms. Students not only enhance their vocabulary and comprehension skills, but also improve their translation skills by translating excerpts from these texts.

ETS 281 TRANSLATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY I
The aim of this course is to help students acquire and use the skills required in the translation of texts from various areas of science and technology. Through readings in Turkish, students attain background knowledge and learn the terminology in related areas such as innovations, architecture, engineering, etc. This activity helps students discover those norms that regulate the translation of texts of this kind and enables them to do their translations bearing such norms in mind.

ETS 282 TRANSLATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY II
This course is designed to familiarize students with the translation of medical texts. To this end, students read a variety of Turkish texts in different fields of medicine and discover the terminology used. Students explore the norms that operate in Turkish medical texts and make use of this knowledge in the decision-making processes of their translations.

Descriptions for Elective Courses

ETS 27 TRANSLATION FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES I
Open to several departments, this elective course is designed to improve the translation skills that may be required from students after their graduation. Based on area translation into Turkish and/or preparation for English proficiency exams, students are familiarized with the norms of various text types, along with the constraints that surface in their translations. The selection of topics is made in accordance with the departments of those students that register for the course.

ETS 28 TRANSLATION FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES II
As a sequel to “Translation for Specific Purposes I”, this elective course aims at further improving the translation skills of prospective graduates. A wide variety of topics or sub-topics are selected for course material in accordance with the students’ needs for area translation into English and / or preparation for English proficiency exams. Focusing on how various translational constraints can be approached, students attain a higher awareness of their decision-making processes in translation, which is essential to their success in exams based on translation.

ETS 29 TRANSLATION FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES III
Based on the framework for the structural analysis of English provided in the courses Translation for Specific Purposes I and II, this course aims to prepare graduate students for English proficiency exams. Students learn to use their translation skills as they work on mock proficiency exam questions. By guiding students on how to answer questions testing reading comprehension or skills in vocabulary, grammar and translation, students will be able to attain higher scores in English proficiency exams.

ETS 153 ENGLISH LEXIS
This is an elective course intended to help students expand their vocabulary in English. In the first part of the course, students learn some common English words derived from Greek and Latin prefixes, roots and suffixes. The second part of the course focuses on the contextual usage of words in thematically organized texts on such topics such as work, money, health etc.

Activities

“Confessions of a Sinful Translator” – 3.3.2008

On March 3, 2008 the Department of English and Translation Studies hosted a distinguished speaker: Bilkent University’s Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Letters Talât Sait Halman. How can loyalty and unloyalty, greed, creativity, formidable forms, theorizing and untheorizing, musicality and pride seduce the translator? ETS students listened to the seven sins of an eminent translator in his talk “Günahkâr Bir Çevirmenin İtirafları” (Confessions of a Sinful Translator) and had the chance to ask Halman their questions. We would like to thank Talât Sait Halman for confiding his confessions to ETS and wish to bring together translation enthusiasts in another activity to be organized with the kind support of BUSEL.

News and Announcements

Honor and High Honor Students

FALL 2010-2011

Congratulations to our students who have successfully completed the 2010-2011 Fall Semester as Honor or High Honor Students! If you are an undergraduate student, please apply to the department secretary Güler Güneri at 290 5178 or guneri@bilkent.edu.tr to receive your certificates. The certificates of our graduates will be sent to their address.

High Honor Students
Merve Sultan Darçın
Begüm Erden
Ceren Eteke
Sümeyra Koçer
Özlemcan Üstüncan
Cem Tanrıkulu

Honor Students
Burçin Bayer
Nazlı Demir
Havva Fettahoğlu
Sedat Can Kara
Pınar Salmanlı
Gülistan Gizem Ünal
Gökçe Yanç

List

DGS Results

Following the 2009-2010 academic year, 10 out of 17 ETS graduates took the Selection Examination for Vertical Transfer (DGS) on July 4, 2010. ETS would like to congratulate our 8 graduates who with this exam were placed in four-year departments in various universities. We take pride in our graduates’ success as seen in the results given in the table below:

5 graduates	Atılım University	Department of Translation and Interpretation
1 graduate	Celal Bayar University	Department of Translation and Interpretation
1 graduate	Ege University	Department of English language and Literature
1 graduate	Kadir Has University	Department of American Culture and Literature

Past DGS Exam Results

Practical Training

I. ELIGIBILITY: Students must have completed the first year courses successfully and must be entitled to start the second year courses.

II. SUPERVISOR: The academic advisors are responsible for their students’ practical training. Students can consult their advisors about practical training issues during office hours. Bilkent University insures practical training students against workplace accidents and illnesses. Students are required to provide their advisors with workplace details in due time for the insurance procedures. After completing their training, students have the relevant form in their training files completed by their supervisor at the workplace and have it confidentially sent to ETS. Students hand in their files to their academic advisors at the beginning of the academic year.

III. DURATION AND TIME: Practical training takes place in the summer of each year. The time (which is usually June, July or August) is decided after the host institution is contacted. Practical training is 20 workdays.

IV. WEIGHTING IN ASSESSMENT: In the course ETS 222 (Translation Project) offered in the spring semester of year two, students are required to write and present a report on the translations they do during their practical training. The weighting of the report is around 20-25% of the total grade. Students shall prepare their report and presentation using the texts they have worked on throughout their training. Therefore, it is important that these texts are kept by students with due care for this purpose.

V. PLACE: Practical training can be done in Ankara or in any other city in Turkey. Students are to choose from one of the following types of institutions:

a. Translation Offices
b. Banks
c. News Agencies
d. Newspaper Offices
e. State Institutions

Applications to such institutions are submitted to the department’s approval. The department considers all applications based on the information provided in the Form for Practical Training. After the form is filled out by the institution, the student shall hand in the form to his/her advisor. The deadline for students to submit these forms to advisors is April 25, 2011.

PRACTICAL TRAINING INFORMATION FORM

Exams

Links

Four-Year Translation Departments in Turkey
Translator Groups on the Internet
International Institutions for Translation and Interpreting
Associations for Translation in Turkey
Translation Journals
Online Dictionaries

Four-Year Translation Departments in Turkey

Translators and Translator Resources ProZ.com
GoTranslators.com

International Institutions for Translation and Interpreting

International Federation of Translators (FIT-IFT)
International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC)
Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI)
European Society for Translation Studies (EST)
International Permanent Conference of University Institutes of Translators and Interpreters (CIUTI)
The European Association for Machine Translation (EAMT)
International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS)

Associations for Translation in Turkey

Translation Association
ÇEVBİR Literary Translators Society
The Conference Interpreters Association of Turkey (TKTD)
The Translators’ Associaton of Turkey (TÜÇED)
Association of Translation Companies (ÇİD)
Turkish Association of Translation Companies (TÇİD)

Translation Journals

Ceviribilim.com
Ç.N.
BABEL International Journal of Translation
FORUM International Journal of Interpretation and Translation
The Journal of Specialised Translation
Journal of Translation
META Translators’ Journal
inTRAlinea Online Translation Journal
MultiLingual
SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpretation
TARGET International Journal on Translation Studies
Translation Journal
Translation Review
Translation Today
The Translator
The Translatum Journal
TTR Translation Terminology Writing
Two Lines
Palimpsestes

Online Dictionaries

AllWords.com English Dictionary
BusinessDictionary.com
Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Dictionary.com
English-Word Information
EUdict European Dictionary
Glossary for the European Union Basic Terms (English-Turkish)
InvestorWords.com
Merriam-Webster Online
Seslisozluk.com
The Turkish Republic Prime Ministry State Planning Organization
Turkish Dictionary of EU Terms
The Free Dictionary
Thesaurus.com
TIPterimleri.com
Tureng Turkish-English Dictionary
Wordthrill.com
Zargan English-Turkish Dictionary

Alumni

List
Testimonials
Alumni Information Form