Institutions in Dutch higher education are increasingly active internationally and make frequent use of the services of our translators.

 

Our translation work to introduce in higher education includes the following five areas:

 

• the translation of administrative texts, such as regulations, letters in relation to, for instance, binding study recommendations, rulings of Examinations Appeals Boards et cetera;
• the translation of marketing texts (brochures, websites, prospectuses);
• the translation of course readers, overhead sheets for lecturers, examination papers, questionnaires in relation to quality assurance, notices to students, software (courseware), degree certificates, degree supplements et cetera;
• the translation of documents relating to contract activities and internationalisation, such as cooperation agreements, correspondence, offers, documents in relation to public tenders, overhead sheets, course materials;
• the translation of academic articles, presentations, conference papers, inaugural lectures et cetera.

 

In translating course materials, our added value is the high degree of consistency which we strive to achieve between texts which are used at various moments in the education process. We ensure that the terminology used in, for instance, the description of a course on an institution's website corresponds with the description in the study guide and other documents. The terminology used in a course reader must be the same as that used by the lecturer in the examination paper and in the sheets which he or she uses during the course. Such consistency in the translated texts ensures that students and lecturers are not confronted with unexpected changes in writing style and terminology. at such inconsistencies can be confusing and must be avoided.

 

Our translators also take an active role in giving feedback on the texts they translate. We are aware that often, as translators, we read the text more closely than anyone else (possibly even students!). If we encounter inconsistencies or formulations in the source texts which are not entirely clear, we include marginal notes for the author. Of course, as the expert, the lecturer assesses the value of the translator's feedback.