Introduction
Students come from all over the world to study at Brigham Young University. Nearly 150 years after its humble beginnings, this church-sponsored institution has become one of the largest private universities in the United States. Nestled at the foot of the towering Wasatch Mountains in Provo, Utah, BYU’s 738-acre campus is home to more than 35,000 students who come from 105 countries and every state in the United States.
Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU is primarily an undergraduate institution, offering 198 major programs and 113 minor programs. But it also provides excellent opportunities for graduate degrees, offering 96 master’s and 30 doctoral programs.
BYU students view the world as their campus and many take advantage of the 200+ international study abroad programs that are offered throughout 60 countries. More than 2,000 students participate in study abroad programs annually, making BYU one of the Top 20 study abroad programs in the country. BYU also boasts one of the top foreign language study programs in the country, with students speaking 121 languages. More than 60 percent speak a second language.
Amidst BYU’s growth, there has remained a constant thread. Dedicated faculty, staff and students embrace a vision of learning, in which academics and faith go hand in hand and the ultimate goal is to help students develop their full divine potential as children of God.
Center for Language Studies
The Center for Language Studies, housed within the BYU College of Humanities, strives to fulfill the university’s mission of “Enter to learn. Go forth to serve.” The Center strives to maintain the core competencies valued by the BYU College of Humanities, especially Cultural Literacy and Language Proficiency.
The Center for Language Studies helps learners acquire the advanced language and cultural skills they need for their personal enrichment and for global careers in any of the University’s academic disciplines.
The Center for Language Studies provides strategic planning and assessment services for the College of Humanities, oversees special-purpose language resource centers, supports 12 departmental major and minor language programs, and provides instruction in 40+ additional languages.
Translation and Localization
Our program focuses on translation, localization, and project management, key components of the language services industry and prepares students for various career opportunities within this field.
Translation requires strong linguistic skills, cultural awareness, and an understanding of the subject matter. Translators must be adept at conveying ideas and messages in a way that is natural and culturally appropriate for the target audience. In addition to linguistic skills, translators today also need to have a good understanding of how to use computer-assisted translation tools (SDL Trados Studio, Memsource, Wordfast Pro, etc.) and translation engines (Microsoft Translator, Google Translate, DeepL, etc.). This will allow them to produce high-quality translations that are both accurate and consistent.
Localization is the process of adapting content, products, or services to suit the cultural, linguistic, and regional preferences of a specific target audience. It goes beyond translation and involves modifying the content to resonate with the cultural norms, idiomatic expressions, currency formats, measurement units, and other local conventions of the target market. This requires additional technical skills such as the ability to manipulate various file formats and code files (localization of software products, websites, mobile apps, etc.). Localization of graphical elements, user interfaces, and multimedia content may also require skills in graphic design and desktop publishing.
Project management in the translation and localization process involves overseeing and coordinating all aspects of a project to ensure its successful and timely completion. It involves a wide range of tasks, such as defining the project scope, planning the project, managing the project, communicating with stakeholders, managing the budget, and ensuring quality. Project managers often utilize translation management systems (TMS) and other technology to streamline the process, improve consistency, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction.
BYU’s Translation and Localization is one of the only undergraduate programs of its kind in the United States, and we collaborate closely with language professionals and companies to continually refine our course offerings and help our students connect with jobs and internships.
Careers and employability
The language industry is a growing and diverse field with opportunities in a variety of sectors. Here are some of the most in-demand job opportunities in translation, localization, and project management:
Translation
- Translator: Translators are the backbone of the language industry. They convert written content from one language to another, maintaining accuracy, linguistic nuance, and cultural context.
- Specialized Translator: Some translators focus on specific fields like legal, medical, technical, financial, or literary translation requiring in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.
- Machine Translation Post-Editor: With the rise of machine translation, post-editors review and improve machine-generated translations to ensure accuracy and naturalness.
Localization
- Localization Specialist/Engineer: Localization specialists manage the adaptation of products, software, and content to specific regions, taking into account cultural, technical, and linguistic aspects.
- Quality Assurance (QA) Tester: QA testers check localized products for linguistic accuracy, functionality, and cultural appropriateness to ensure they meet client requirements and expectations.
- Audiovisual Localization Specialist: This role involves localizing audiovisual content like videos, animations, and multimedia presentations, including subtitling, voice-over, and dubbing.
Project Management
Language Resource Manager: These professionals manage language resources such as translation memories, glossaries, and term bases, ensuring consistent terminology usage across projects.
Localization/Translation Project Manager: Project managers oversee translation and localization projects, from initial planning to final delivery, ensuring deadlines, budgets, and quality targets are met.