The mission of the German Language – Translation and Interpreting program is to equip students with knowledge in broad and specialized areas of the German language through contemporary teaching methods and professional practice. I will enable them to independently and critically analyze and interpret professional texts and literature so that they can work in a range of professional settings in the local and international labor market, thus contributing to filling the linguistic professional gap in Kosovo and beyond.
The BA Professional German Language – Translation and Interpreting program has the following
objectives:
During the last year’s studies, the student can experience those concepts through practice in the relevant industry.
Upon successful completion of the professional BA program in the German Language – Translation and Interpreting, the student will acquire the following knowledge, skills, and competencies:
Knowledge:
Skills:
Competencies:
At the end of the three-year studies, the student receives the title: Bachelor of Arts in German Language (BA)
The professional BA program in the German Language – Translation and Interpreting program lasts three years with a total of 6 semesters, while the total number of ECTS is 180. In the first and second years, students have ten subjects each, constituting 60 ECTS per year. This also means that students undergo five exams for the relevant subjects within one semester, and their workload is consistent throughout their study period. The third year of studies focuses on practical work and preparing the diploma. The calculation of ECTS is done considering that during one week, students have up to 40 hours of engagement in learning, independent study, and professional practice. Within the curriculum, students have subjects with between 5 and 8 credits per subject, while the practical work and the thesis contain 10 and 12 credits, respectively.
The course aims to provide the student with basic linguistic knowledge. Special importance will be given to the use of the German language both in speaking and in writing. This course aims to develop communication skills based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): writing, reading, speaking, and listening. These skills are exercised in combination with different reading and listening strategies (global, selective, and detailed). The productive skills (characteristics of different types of texts, speaking) and receptive skills are also exercised. Skills will be exercised through the treatment of various topics such as food, family, travel, health and illness, etc. In the topics that will be processed during this semester, the lexicon of the students is also enriched with new words of the language level, which consists of about 350 words. For the development of the lesson, texts from the basic book and authentic texts related to everyday life, the grammar of the German language for foreigners, CDs for practising listening skills, and digital formats, which are offered by the literature publisher such as internet platform for online exercises and applications for mobile phones, etc.
This course provides students with basic knowledge about German linguistics. Knowledge of grammatical terminology, parts of speech, functions, and use of parts of speech will be acquired. The course introduces students to the basic concepts of German grammar by applying a top-down approach, from the largest synthetic unit through the hierarchy of language units. The course combines theory with practice in order to enable students to interpret theory in practice.
The course “Introduction to Translatology” aims to introduce students to the field of study of translation and translatology and to give them basic knowledge about this discipline. This course aims to provide an introduction to the world of translation, address the main topics and concepts of Translatology, and introduce students to the course’s definition, history, and development.
The course “Albanian Language, Morphology and Orthography” aims to equip students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which will enable the achievement of competencies in mastering the standard spelling of Albanian, in identifying and classifying parts of the lecture according to their grammatical features, thus making them able to lead the teaching process.
The course “Academic Writing and Research Skills” focuses on the basic elements of academic writing and research. Therefore, it aims:
a) To introduce students to a variety of academic and non-academic writing styles
b) To provide students with the best methods of paraphrasing and summarizing
c) Raise awareness about plagiarism and its consequences
To prepare students for their future academic career.
The course aims to provide the student with advanced linguistic knowledge. Special importance will be given to the use of the German language and grammar both in speaking and writing. This course aims to develop the communication and language skills necessary for communication. Different reading and listening strategies will be practiced (global, selective, and detailed). Also, productive skills (characteristics of different types of texts, of speaking) and receptive skills are to be exercised. All four skills will be exercised through the treatment of different topics such as weekends, travel, food, sports activity, etc. In the topics that will be covered during this term, the lexicon of the students will be enriched with new words of the respective language level. Level A2 consists of over 800 active words. During the lecture/ lesson, basic book texts will be used containing authentic texts with everyday topics and grammar of the German language for foreigners, as CDs for practicing listening skills and digital formats, which are offered by the literature publisher, such as internet platform for online exercises and mobile phone applications, etc.
The course aims to acquaint students with the basics of the German language morphology. The course aims to initially deal with the basic definitions of morphology, focusing on the morphological characteristics of the German language and based on the characterization of the German typology to clarify the morphological difficulties of the German language. Students will become familiar with the orthographic, distributional, phonological, and semantic criteria of word definition, with the processes of word formation and their classification in today’s German language, as well as with the concept and problem of types of morphemes. The inflectional structures of the German language will be elaborated in detail along with its affix system. Parts of speech and different morphological types of words, together with their subcategorization, will be at the center of attention, with special emphasis on the noun and verb system. Always, include all categories of these structures and other important aspects for their theoretical and practical mastery.
The “Theory of Translation” course aims to provide students with a deep and general understanding of the main theories and concepts of translation. This course aims to provide a basis that allows them to understand the essence of the translation process and to analyze text changes from one language to another. Through this course, students acquire in-depth knowledge of the challenges and aspects related to translation and help them understand how to use theory to achieve the most successful translation.
In the German Literature course, all literary eras will be taught, starting from the Middle Ages until the 20th century.
The purpose of this subject is for students to gain general knowledge about literature from the Middle Ages to the literature of the 20th century. Students will have the opportunity to closely observe the development of the German language but also the changes of style in literature and the goals of writing in different times.
Through this subject, students get to know the different eras of the history of literature, to know the work techniques, such as text criticism and the basics of text analysis, literary genres, the interpretation of these texts.
More detailed information will also be obtained on literature in general and German literature in particular, such as: the eras of the development of the history of German literature, the most essential features of German literature and the most important works and authors of German literature.
The subject “Syntax of the Albanian language” aims to equip students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills, that will enable them to achieve and master the competencies for the identification and argumentation of syntactic functions, thus making them capable of leading the teaching process.
This course aims to develop the student’s language skills with an emphasis on reading, listening, speaking, and writing – at the pre-intermediate level. The language content has a number of strands: firstly, the main issues of grammar and the main functions appropriate for this level are covered: secondly, the important language elements of grammar are covered and thirdly, language skills are developed and presented as down.
Reading: the ability to read information is developed through the wide range of practical reading tasks, based on authentic texts in the specialization. The texts are sourced from genres such as the texts of books, newspapers, and well-known magazines. Internet news, screenshots, web pages, manuals, and advertisements.
Listening: The ability to listen for information is developed from a range of data, including interviews with students and professionals in various fields. In addition to listening for specific information, listening activities are intended to develop key points in a description, explanation, or argument.
Speaking: The course develops the student’s ability to participate in a simple exchange of information and opinion in the context of specialization. There is also a special emphasis on survival skills, such as coping strategies for not understanding and not being understood.
Writing: Students learn to write simple instructions, descriptions, and explanations about topics in grammar and the social sphere in English.
The aim of the subject is to provide students with enhanced communicative and linguistic skills in communication, listening, reading, and writing. All four skills will be exercised through the treatment of different topics such as: work, housing, various services, health, the virtual world, politics and history, etc. The lexicon is enriched through the topics, which at this level are over 1200 new words. For the development of the lesson, texts from the basic book and authentic texts related to everyday life, the grammar of the German language for foreigners, CDs for practicing listening skills, and digital formats, which are offered by the literature publisher such as internet platform for online exercises and applications for mobile phones, etc. During the exercises, the students will also present seminars with different topics that are in accordance with the course program.
The aim of the course is to initially provide basic knowledge about the syntax of the German language, the syntax of the parts of the sentence and that of the sentence, and to acquaint the students with the syntax of the German language based on different syntactic theories: traditional syntax, dependency grammar, generative grammar. Special attention is paid to the similarities and differences between the syntax of the German language and the Albanian language: the order of the parts in the sentence, the features of the parts, and the adaptation between the parts.
The subject “Introduction to written translation and simultaneous translation” aims to provide students with knowledge of the methodologies and strategies of written translation and simultaneous translation, as well as the difficulties that future translators may encounter in these two processes of translation. The purpose of this course is to provide basic knowledge and skills in the fields of translation and interpretation. The course aims to acquaint students with the theoretical and practical aspects of the language mediator profession and provide them with a solid foundation for later professional work as a translator or interpreter.
In this course, students will systematically go through the key stages of giving presentations, from planning and presentation to closing and handling questions.
Therefore, this course aims to:
– To develop students’ communication and language skills to plan and deliver an effective presentation
– To provide students with the tools, experience and ultimately the confidence they need to present their ideas clearly and effectively in real-life contexts for a variety of authentic purposes.
– Inform students about strategies for persuading an audience, overcoming public speaking anxiety and handling questions.
– Encourage students to use their critical thinking when giving presentations
Advanced English is a course that takes a balanced approach to different topics, language development and skills that will help students communicate with confidence. Speaking activities are prominent, along with the other essential skills of reading, writing and listening, which are systematically developed at all times.
Based on the communicative approach, the course combines the best in current methodology with innovative new features designed to make learning easier. Vocabulary and grammar are given equal importance and there is a strong focus on listening and speaking in social situations.
The course aims to provide students with enhanced communicative and linguistic skills in communication, listening, reading, and writing. All four skills will be exercised by dealing with different topics such as media, housing, cities, health, food, language and region, etc. The lexicon is enriched with new words through the topics. For the development of the lesson, texts from the basic book and authentic texts related to everyday life, grammar of the German language for foreigners, CDs for practicing listening skills, and digital formats, which are offered by the literature publisher such as internet platform for online exercises and applications for mobile phones will be used. During the exercises, the students will also present seminars with different topics that are in accordance with the course program.
The course “Integrated Skills” refers to the four essential skills in a language: writing, speaking, reading and listening. These skills are important because they help others to communicate clearly and avoid any possible misunderstanding regardless of the environment (verbal or non-verbal).
The course aims to provide students with the basics of translation theory and methodology, including different translation theories and approaches. The course aims to train students to become professional and competent translators who can work in various specialized fields, understand the cultural and linguistic challenges of translation, and adhere to ethical principles in their work. In addition, in this course, students will develop their skills in the languages they wish to translate. This includes excellent knowledge of grammar, syntax, semantics, and idioms in both source and target languages.
The course “Literary Translation” aims to help students develop skills in translating literary texts from German to Albanian and vice versa. The purpose of this course is to provide students with knowledge of translation as a process and its dimensions. It aims to offer practical professional experience in translating various literary texts from German to Albanian and vice versa. The course aims to enable students to translate texts from the field of literature, applying linguistic knowledge to specific areas. It combines theory and practice by focusing on the translation of epic forms by various authors, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries.
This course makes a distinction between and at the same time deals with language acquisition and learning. To elaborate further, that is, the course has two functions: (i) cognitive – students learn about language acquisition processes and (ii) metacognitive – to help students become aware of their language acquisition processes in order to make learning of English language (and languages in general) easier.
In this course, we will learn about German-speaking countries like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is necessary for anyone who wants to learn the German language to know the basic features of German culture, language, and literature. The cultural and social as well as political development of the German-speaking territories, from the Baroque era to the present day, will be treated with particular emphasis
The course aims to provide students with academic communicative and language skills in communication, listening, reading, and writing. All four skills will be exercised through the treatment of different topics such as intelligence and knowledge, tourism, modern life, etc. The lexicon is enriched with new words through the topics. The development of the lesson will be based on texts from the basic book and authentic texts related to the academic language of the German language, CDs for practicing listening skills and digital formats will be used, which are offered by the publisher of the literature such as: internet platform for online exercises and applications for mobile phones, etc. During the exercises, the students will also present seminars with different topics that are in accordance with the course program.
The course “Judicial Translation I” aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to perform professional translations of legal texts and documents in various legal fields. The purpose of this course is to prepare graduates for a specialized career as professional court interpreters and at the same time ensure that legal communication in the context of the Albanian and German languages is accurate, understandable, and fair
The course aims to provide students with knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively integrate modern technologies into the translation process. The goal of this course is to prepare students for various career paths, whether in the translation industry, in translation technology teams, as language technologists, or in research and development in machine translation.
The course “Translation Practice I” aims to provide students with practical experience and skills in the field of translation. Its goal is to offer students a hands-on translation experience through internships in a professional translation environment. Students will work in a translation office, company, or organization to gain knowledge and skills that cannot be learned through traditional lectures alone.
The course, which is a continuation of the German Language V (C1.1) course, aims to offer students communicative and academic language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. All four skills will be practiced through the treatment of various topics such as intelligence and knowledge, tourism, modern life, etc. Vocabulary enrichment with new words will be achieved through these topics. To facilitate learning, texts from the main textbook and authentic texts related to the academic German language will be used, along with CDs for listening exercises and digital formats provided by the publisher, such as an online platform for online exercises and mobile applications, etc. During exercises, students will also present seminars on various topics in accordance with the course program.
The course “Practical Translation II” is the continuation of the course “Practical Translation I” and aims to give students experience and practical skills in the field of translation and to offer students a realistic understanding of translation through hosting in professional environments of court translations. Students will work in public institutions, such as Courts, Prosecutor’s Offices, Ministries, and municipalities, to gain knowledge and skills only to be acquired in these institutions.
The objective of the thesis writing course is to cultivate students’ aptitude and competence in crafting their thesis through rigorous scientific investigation. This encompasses the following key facets:
• Conducting thorough literature searches from credible sources.
• Proficiency in devising a well-structured research strategy.
• Competence in gathering, structuring, and analyzing data.
• Crafting comprehensive reports and effectively presenting findings, while actively participating in the research process.