Studying translation in Europe

The European Society for Translation Studies (EST) was founded in 1992, in Vienna, Austria. Its purpose was to establish a “network for research, a forum for exchange and a centre for research resources”. It operates through a system of active boards and committees.

This translators association is responsible for many activities, like the management of grants for events concerning translation studies, the purchase of academic books and the actual translation of research articles and books.

The EST is also in charge of awards for “young scholars to attend a summer schools in Translation Studies” and also for “researchers who have defended their PhD”.

Another of the missions of this translation association is to inform. For that purpose, its leading members have created a newsletter, but they also use Twitter, Facebook and email (for weekly summaries) in order to keep associates up-to-date in all that concerns translation studies activities.

This European association regularly publishes research tips and guidelines, as well as congress proceedings. There are book discounts available for members.

EST is open to “cooperation and agreements with other academic associations”. It organises discussions on important topics concerning translation studies, as well as congresses and symposia on those subjects.

One of EST’s important missions being the provision of research material and, perhaps more important, resources to aid researchers, the association has made available online a series of lists and links for fundamental documents or websites. Examples of what you might find are Journals, Research groups, Video interviews of scholars or the Translator-training observatory.

The observatory consists of a list of training programmes, maintained by the association’s Intercultural Studies Group. Although “out of date for many countries”, as the EST admits (adding that it would be appreciated if updates and corrections could be sent to them), it is a rather extensive list that may prove helpful.

The list of research groups available is also quite detailed. Moreover, new groups can be constantly and easily added to the list. In this directory, you may find groups like the Advanced Translation Research Group, from Saarbrücken, or the Spanish group Avances en Traducción y Interpretación, from Granada. The EST invites these groups to apply for its awards and grants.

Speaking of grants, there are several, given by EST. An example is the Book Purchase Grant, which is “awarded for the purchase of Translation Studies publications, in cases of justified need or related to a specific research project”. There is also a Summer School Scholarship, worth 1000 euro, which is awarded once every year to help a member of EST to attend a translation studies summer course.

Other than these, there are grants for translation studies events and for assistance in translating research papers or books. There is also the Young Scholar Prize, awarded every three years, “to encourage young scholars who have made a significant contribution to Translation Studies”.

If you’re a researcher – anywhere in the world – or a professional translator (either freelance or working for a company) you are welcome to become a member of this society. However, the EST stresses that it “does not in any way certify professional qualifications”.

As an individual member of EST, you are entitled to compete for the association’s awards and grants, attend the congresses and symposia, benefit from the discounts arranged with publishers and gain access to the research reports, membership lists and other exclusive material available online. You will also receive the society’s newsletter twice a year and the weekly e-bulletin of call for papers, job announcements and new publications.

Apart from individual membership, there is also available the option “supporting membership”, open to institutions and legal persons.

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