Chair of Translation Theory and Practice

The specialization "Translation Studies" was established at the university in 1992, a year after the establishment of the Faculty of Romano-Germanic Philology (now the Faculty of European Languages and Communication). Already in 1999, there was a separate specialty "Translation Studies" in the faculty, which allowed the student to study the peculiarities of the translation field from the 1st year of studies.

Based on the high demand for translators in the Armenian labor market, the Chair of Translation Theory and Practice was established in 2009. Dr., Professor Sona Seferyan, founded the Chair. With her efforts, a Center of Shakespeare Studies was also opened in the faculty, where until today the professors of the Chair are carrying out activities (various studies dedicated to Shakespeare are published, translation competitions are held, and scientific seminars are organized).

Since its establishment, the Chair has been carrying out fruitful educational and scientific activities in the faculty, not only training skilled translators but also publishing textbooks, educational manuals, literary translations, monographs, and collections of articles. After acquiring in-depth linguistic knowledge at the Undergraduate level, the students of the faculty have the opportunity to choose a narrow specialization in the 4th semester of study: "Translation Studies", "Administrative translation" and "Tourism translation", gaining the opportunity to further develop professional knowledge in the field of translation in the Master's degree.

It should be noted that the Chair of Translation Theory and Practice was one of the first to undertake and implement 2 interdisciplinary educational Master's programs, which are distinguished by the diversity and professional depth of the subjects taught, as well as by the most comprehensive curricula, which include not only language and translation skills development professional subjects but also important historical, cultural and jurisprudential knowledge courses, such as the history of the Armenian Church, the tourism industry of the Republic of Armenia, international tourism, management of the tourism sector, cultural studies, legal protection of tourists, notarial and forensic translation, legal-economic, political translation, etc.

Since 2017, Ph.D. Ruzan Ghazaryan has been the head of the Chair.

The Chair implements "Translation Studies: English and Armenian" Undergraduate and "Administrative translation", and "Tourist translation (English-Armenian)" Master's degree educational programs.

The above-mentioned educational programs are unique in their:

• Interdisciplinary in nature

• Variety of taught subjects,

• Professional subjects that develop language and translation skills,

• Courses that develop translation skills in a combination of different foreign languages (English, French, Spanish and Russian),

• Professional practice conducted in various Armenian and international organizations.

The primary aims of the Chair are:

• To provide the student with deep language knowledge,

• To develop the student's practical skills in written and oral translation,

• To acquaint the student with the specifics of sectoral translation (legal, economic, medical, touristic, etc.),

• To act by the current requirements of the Armenian labor market.

It should be noted that in 2019 the Chair has taken steps to expand cooperation between Yerevan State University and foreign universities. As a result, the Eurasian Translation Congress was established, within the framework of which scientific conferences are organized jointly with foreign partner universities to provide an appropriate platform for the discussion of a number of current issues in the translation field, inviting outstanding specialists in translation and related disciplines.

In 2022, the Chair of Translation Theory and Practice of Yerevan State University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chair of Foreign Languages and Literature of the University of Verona, within the framework of which seminars, webinars, lectures, and a number of other educational programs and scientific events are held jointly.

The Chair also cooperates with various state agencies of the Republic of Armenia, as a result of which in 2020, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, and now the responsible process of checking the qualifications of translators participating in notary operations is entrusted to the Chair of Translation Theory and Practice of Yerevan State University.

Today, it can be safely said that the rich traditions of the Armenian translation school continue, and the Chair of Translation Theory and Practice of Yerevan State University preserves and develops them. Leading specialists of the Republic work in the Chair, who undergo regular training, and are involved in international and local grant programs. The professors of the Chair are the authors of educational manuals, textbooks, and scientific articles, which are published in local and international scientific periodicals.

In 2019, The Chair of Translation Theory and Practice founded the "Translation Studies: Theory and Practice" international scientific periodical, which is the only scientific journal dedicated to translation issues in Armenia. It is published twice a year, in May and December, and is included in the list of acceptable scientific periodicals for the publication of the main results and provisions of doctoral and candidate theses established by the Higher Qualification Committee of the Republic of Armenia. The periodical is also included in a number of prestigious international databases: Linguist list, eLibrary, IndexCopernicus, Cyberleninka, ERIHPLUS, etc. Research carried out in scientific and educational institutions of the Republic of Armenia and abroad is published in the journal, exclusively in English. The editorial board consists of world-renowned scientists in the field of linguistics and translation in particular. The magazine is available both in printed and online forms.