Ukrainian diplomat: comprehensive language competence and translation professionalism

A perfect knowledge of several foreign languages and their professional use has always distinguished students and graduates of the Institute of International Relations educational programs. Foreign language is one of the core subjects, which accounts for about 25% of the total academic load of students, allowing them to obtain an additional professional qualification of a translator along with the specialized qualification of a lawyer, economist or international political scientist. Highly qualified staff of the Department of Foreign Languages have been actively involved in the educational process in all educational programs for more than 80 years. And now, finally, the list of educational programs for admission in 2025 has been supplemented by a new unique interdisciplinary program of the second (master's) level "Interpretation and Translation in International Relations"!

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, with the support of the European Commission's Directorate-General, has identified training of translation specialists in accordance with EU standards as a key priority in the context of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Currently, the number of translators working in EU institutions reaches 4000. In the process of implementing Ukraine's European integration course, the need for interpretation and translation, legal translation of EU law into Ukrainian and Ukrainian legislation into EU languages, editing and other linguistic services are extremely relevant. The program "Interpretation and Translation in International Relations" launched by the Institute of International Relations will be the first in Ukraine to train professional translators in accordance with the requirements of the European Master's in Translation (EMT) competency framework.

The program is unique in that its graduates, in addition to their educational qualification, will have the opportunity to obtain a professional qualification as a legal translator, which, among other things, in accordance with the requirements of the European Classification of Occupations ESCO, provides for such professional skills and competencies as: analyzing legal evidence; using automated translation software; translating texts; drafting legal documents; improving translated texts.

The effectiveness of the program is ensured by high-quality human and logistical support. The program is implemented on the basis of collaboration of experienced teachers of the Department of Foreign Language, the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy, the Department of Comparative and European Law, the Department of International Information and the Department of International Law. In addition, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Directorate for Servicing Foreign Missions, practicing translators, employees of international organizations, and professors from leading foreign educational institutions are invited to deliver lectures, seminars, workshops, and master classes. In addition, the training of interpreters involves the use of state-of-the-art simultaneous interpretation equipment and unique proprietary software.

Target employers determine the elitism of graduates of this program. The applied nature of the program, which primarily focuses on mastering practical skills that can be acquired and improved during training at the following practice sites: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Directorate General for Servicing Foreign Missions, state and local governments, international organizations, private companies, and domestic communication platforms. As a result, graduates of the program have the opportunity to master unique professional competencies that are in demand in the modern labor market and are recognized as a priority by a number of reputable international organizations, namely translation skills in the context of Ukraine's commitments to join the European Union and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

What should we expect? It will be interesting, intense, varied, though difficult. However, the result is worth it! Be the first to be chosen!