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Sample Personal Statement for Interpretation & Translation
As a middle school teacher of English, I have experienced the joy
and the sense of achievement of imparting my knowledge to students.
However, with China’s intensified efforts at reform and opening up to
the international community, I have become increasingly aware of the
necessity of unlimited communication between China and the rest of the
world through translation and interpretation. Against such a backdrop
I have decided to discontinue my teaching career in favor of an
application for a Master’s degree in Interpretation and Translation at
the renowned XX University. Through this degree program, I expect to
develop myself into a well-trained specialist in this field who can
make important contributions to translation and interpretation, which
is also a meaningful form of cultural and interpersonal communication.
I always congratulate myself for the right decision I made five years
to specialize in English Education at the English Department of XX
Normal University. For me, learning English was not a mere process of
language acquisition. It has broadened my vision and helped me gain
insight into the variegated Anglo-American cultures, enabling me to
communicate, through both Chinese and English languages, with the two
thirds of the world population. Among all the courses I took,
Translation and General Introduction to Britain and the United States
fascinated me most. The former exposed me to a totally new world, with
different political, economic, and educational systems, social habits
and customs. As the carrier of all those information, the English
language aroused my serious interest in exploring the culture and its
related aspects represented by the English language.
On the other hand, the Translation course brought me new perspectives
concerning linguistic and cultural characteristics of the target
language and my vernacular. The conversion of those two independent
language systems not only involves semantic and stylistic renditions
but also underlying cultural penetration and transplantation. As a
result, in my translation practice, I consciously fostered a
pluralistic awareness of the cultural factors involved in actual
translation processes. I have been equally concerned with the
conveyance of literally comprehensible messages and
culturally-informed communications because I believe that translation
and interpretation is essentially an act of communication.
My 4-year undergraduate program has been a continued process of
gaining cultural cognition beyond the mere language learning.
Meanwhile, I endeavored to practice what I have learned by acting as
interpreter for a number of large-scale cultural exchange activities.
My interest in translation also led me to study the special features
of English vocabulary and expression on the Internet and how those
features differ from Chinese. My research findings became the
foundation for my thesis entitled Features of Internet English, which
was positively rated by my advisor for its in comparative study of an
important aspect of the two languages and how such a study can apply
to translation.
During my undergraduate program, I had a wide range of interests,
which ramified into fields other than English language—Law and
Computer Network. My pursuit of those interests turned out to be
double-edged. On one hand, it somehow diverted my concentration on my
specialty, negatively affecting my overall GPA. But on the other hand,
it points to those areas where I have accumulated relatively
sufficient knowledge for attempting at some applied translation in the
future. For a student of language who is bent on a career of
translation and interpretation, comprehensive knowledge of diverse
fields is sometimes more important than the knowledge of language
itself.
In my past experience of learning and teaching English, I realize that
one common deficiency of learning and practicing English is the lack
of a native language environment, which severely restricts the
improvement of English language application. As a major developing
country, China’s integration into the international community,
accelerated by its WTO accession, has led to rapidly growing social,
cultural, economic and diplomatic exchanges with western countries.
More and more important international conferences are held in China.
These and other factors have created the need for more and more
well-trained interpreters and translators. Under such circumstances, I
intend to seek advanced trainings in the theory and the practice of
Interpretation and Translation at your reputed university.
My belief is that through studying English in the very country of its
origination I may further deepen my knowledge of English. Moreover,
your specific program will also teach me useful techniques of
task-oriented interpretation and translation skills. By undertaking
this program, I will procure a meaning career that is closely
connected with communications at linguistic and cultural levels. It
will help me, together with my future audience, understand the world
in better perspectives. |
