Masters in Conference Interpreting (MIC)

Rev. 2012-01-20

Internationally renowned

The University of La Laguna (ULL) began the Masters in Conference Interpreting (MIC) in 1988 with the goal of training highly qualified professionals in both Consecutive and Simultaneous Conference Interpreting.

The teaching excellence of the MIC is endorsed by various international institutions that require staff with a high level of training. Dozens of our former students now work at the European Commission or the European Parliament.

The MIC (MCI in English) also receives training support from the European Commission (the Directorate General for Interpretation, formerly known as the Common Service of Conference Interpreting or SCIC) and the Directorate for Interpretation in the European Parliament. These organisations not only facilitate student mobility (the Directorate-General gives grants to students whose language combinations they are interested in) but they also periodically send expert staff interpreters to teach and assess the students during the course. The examining board responsible for the final exams in June is made up of well established professional interpreters, thus guaranteeing an objective assessment of the students and bringing international recognition to the course.

The Geneva based International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) includes the MCI at ULL amongst the most outstanding courses of its kind, in their orientation pamphlet for future interpreters.

Course structure

The MCI is an intensive and highly practical programme that focuses on perfecting the abilities and techniques required by conference interpretation. The workload equals 60 credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS); in other words, it is equal to a full-time academic year (from the end of September to the middle of June). Because of the heavy load, students are advised not to pursue other academic endeavours or to hold jobs during the course.

Students are trained in various interpretation techniques and other skills required by the profession, this includes receiving voice coaching, perfecting oratory skills, preparing meetings, learning professional terminology, using computer resources, understanding professional ethics and becoming familiar with conference and convention procedures. Furthermore, students are given the opportunity to get a close look at how professional conference interpreters work during a weeklong visit to the European institutions based in Brussels. Finally, students experience working conditions firsthand through practical training.

Because the goal of this course is to train professionals capable of providing fluid and efficient interpretations that are faithful to the original content and use correct terminology and register, 80% of class time will be spent doing practical work in both consecutive (including exercises focusing on analysis, memory, summary, sight translation and note taking) and simultaneous (booth techniques and group work) interpretation. At least two teachers (one native speaker presenting speeches and a Spanish booth interpreter to hear the versions of the students) are present in each class allowing for close supervision of the progress of each student. Each week the speeches given to the students focus on a specific area (such as Economy, Social Issues or Politics), although the registers and styles may vary.

Finally, additional classes on European Institutions and Economics complete the programme. The first is an introduction to European and other international institutions, while the second serves to familiarise students with fundamental economic concepts which conference interpreters deal with on a daily basis.

Graduates of the MCI have a good possibility of passing the entrance exams to the European Institutions interpretation corps, given that the level of expertise required to pass both examinations are similar. In preparation for the final exam in June, students are given practice exams in February (for Consecutive interpretation) and May (for Simultaneous) which include examination boards made up of professional interpreters brought in from outside the programme.

Requirements and candidate profile

In order to be eligible for admission to the programme candidates must:

Hold a recognized university degree or equivalent. (Degrees received from non-Spanish universities do not have to be validated; students need only provide a certificate that the degree is valid in the country where it was emitted to qualify for postgraduate studies.)
Have perfect command of their mother tongue in all of its registers and be able to speak in public confidently and eloquently. (Students whose mother tongue is a European language or Arabic, Chinese or Russian can enrol. However, keep in mind that the Masters will only offer interpretation into a language or booth other than Spanish if there are a sufficient number of students who share that mother tongue.)
Have excellent comprehension of Spanish and English. Furthermore, if their mother tongue is one of these languages, students will need to have excellent comprehension of at least one other language of their choice. (Remember, however, that it is possible that the Masters will not offer certain language combinations if there is little demand for them.)
Have good overall knowledge of international affairs and be well informed of the economic, social and cultural background of the countries in which their working languages are used.
Pass an aptitude test that can be taken in Madrid or La Laguna (Tenerife) in June.

In addition, candidates will be expected to have the following qualities:

Good powers of concentration, analysis and synthesis
Excellent communication skills
Be highly motivated
The ability to work under pressure
Be receptive to instruction and advice given by teachers and examiners.

Admission

Enrolment is limited; students are chosen based on their performance in an aptitude test that includes:

A brief personal interview with the candidate.
A general culture exam designed to test the candidate's knowledge of the economic and social reality of the countries in which their languages are used.
Memory exercises which test the candidate's comprehension and ability to synthesize in each of their working languages.

The aptitude test for the year 2012-2013 will take place on the 12th of June, 2012, in La Laguna (Tenerife), and between the 20th and the 22nd of June, 2012, in Madrid.

Enrolment

To take the aptitude test, candidates should send the following documentation to the MCI (Facultad de Filología, Campus de Guajara, 38071 Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife):

Application (PDF, 63 kb; Microsoft Word document, 111 kb; example of a completed application, PDF, 66 kb)
A brief CV (which can be written directly on the application form)
A photo

The deadline to apply to participate in the aptitude test is May 10th, 2012. If you mail your application close to the deadline, please also send it via email to masteric@ull.es.

Price of the course

The price of the course (2012-2013) is 7,500€. A first payment of 2,500€ must be made within ten days of passing the aptitude test, a second payment of 2,500€ must be transferred between the 1st and 21st of September, 2012, and the remaining 2,500€ between the 15th and 30th of November, 2012.

Grants

Normally, the deadline for applying for grants from the Directorate General for Interpretation is the middle of July. Students should apply for the grant even if they do not make the initial cut in the aptitude test as they can still be accepted into the programme at a later date if another student decides not to enrol. Because this may occur after the July deadline, it is better to apply for the grant regardless of the initial results of the aptitude test.