CBS closes down interpretation and translation programmes

Impossible to maintain the high quality of the programmes

Foreign languages, together with knowledge on market conditions and cultural differences, have for a long time been some of CBS’ core competences. Nevertheless, the decreasing number of applicants for some of the language programmes means that it is no longer possible to maintain the quality of the programmes.

CBS is therefore planning a radical innovation of foreign knowledge in new language programmes; however, many of the language programmes will continue in their current form.

At an extraordinary board meeting on Friday 18 January 2008, the board decided to close down the interpretation and translation programmes in all languages except for English. CBS only admitted a total of 28 students to the interpretation and translation programmes in 2007 - three to Spanish, five to Italian, two to Russian, eight to Spanish, and ten to German.

A national obligation

The decision means that, from 2008, it will no longer be possible to be admitted to a programme at CBS that provides authorisation as an interpreter and translator in Spanish, German, French, Russian, and Italian. At the moment, CBS is the only university in Denmark that offers interpretation and translation programmes in Russian and Italian.

“It should be a national obligation to secure the necessary authorised interpreters and translators for Danish businesses and for the Danish society. We have made the responsible Danish Ministry and Parliament aware of the conditions, but the demands for skills and competences of an authorised interpreter or translator are so high that the financial subsidies for the programmes are completely insufficient. For many years, we have maintained the necessary high quality level of the interpretation and translation programmes, but at the cost of large deficits. We are extremely sorry that we have had to make this decision, says Dean of Education at CBS, Jan Molin.

As of 2008, the Board also decided to close down the master's programme in Computational Linguistics and the Bachelor’s programmes in English and Language and Knowledge Technology, as well as Italian and Russian.

Students, who are already in one of these three Bachelor’s Programmes, will be able to finish their education, including a master’s programme. Yet, they will not be able to apply for the master’s programme in Interpretation and Translation or in Computational Linguistics.