The syllabus of the three years spent in the department progresses through three levels from introduction through consolidation to specialization, with regard to both content and skills acquisition. Thus, for example, in their final year, students specialize in international affairs and international economy, translation studies, and conference interpreting, the last of which is taught by a professional interpreter. Formal Training and Professional Relevance Activities related to oral practice include aural comprehension, structured spoken classes, notetaking, glossary compiling, and conference and liaison interpreting. The types of written exercise taught and assessed are text analysis, summarizing, abstracting, essay writing, on-sight and written translating from and into a foreign language, revising, editing, and proofreading. This wide-ranging practical input involves acquisition of skills that are mutually transferable from oral to written skills.
Some skills are clearly of direct relevance to the professions of interpreting and translating.
Departmental Provision for Interpreting and Translating Equipment in the department that is available to and in constant use by students is also of relevance to both professions. The department has an extensive tape and disk library, two conventional language learning laboratories, closed circuit television, a nd satellite broadcasting. Computers are available both in the department and in the faculty, which has a suite of networked computer laboratories. When they join the department, many students have already had experience in the use of computers. This is developed in the first year w hen they are introduced to techniques of word processing, arguably the most useful asset for the modern translator.