MKWAWA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Title

Department

BATI is a 3-year language-based degree programme developed to prepare graduates with practical skills and expertise in the Translation and Interpretation discipline. It aspires to equip young Tanzanian graduates with the ability to utilise their language potential to render professional services in Translation and Interpretation enterprises. 

STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME

The programme is crafted tobe taught within a scope of four (4) working languages: Kiswahili, English, French and Chinese. It consists of 38 courses, of which 20 are core courses tailored for theory and practical skills in Translation and Interpretation, 16 elective courses to consolidate the students’ specialised language skills, and 2 courses for Development studies. It also includes FN 250, which is ungraded but a compulsory course for a student to graduate. It also has practical training (PT) to be conducted at the end of the second semester of the second year. Specific compulsory courses on translation and interpretation are project-based and will be taught in the third year of study. It has a total of 456 credits.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

The programme is designed to: 

1. prepare the qualified translators and interpreters to provide services in a broader range of language use and discourses, including public rallies;
2. contribute expertise in translation and interpretation disciplines for scholarship, legal, technical, and professional purposes; and
3.  cultivate positive attitudes among youth towards self-employment in translation and interpretation. 

PROGRAMME ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS

A candidate shall be eligible for admission if he/she has two passes in Kiswahili,Fasihiya Kiswahili, English Language, Literature in English, French, Chinese, Academic Communicationsubjects with not less than 5 points at Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE) based on the conversion scale of A = 5; B = 4; C= 3; D = 2; E = 1; S = 0.OR 

The candidate will be considered for admission if he/she has an appropriate equivalent Diploma with a GPA of not less than 3.5 for Ordinary Diplomas or a B+ average for Teacher Education specialising in the respective languages.

PROGRAMME RATIONALE 

1. There is an increasing movement of people worldwide for different purposes, such as tourism and business, with a need to communicate without a common language.

2. Tanzania has linguistic wealth and cultural aesthetics for linguists. Foreigners/Linguists frequently come to local communities for research and aesthetics, but without a common language to use to achieve communication.

3. UDSM 2061 Vision that aspires to produce graduates with entrepreneurial attitudes, creative thinking, and the ability to communicate both orally and in writing

4. MUCE Rolling Strategic Plan (RSP), 2020/2021–2024/2025 emphasises diversifying degree programmes beyond the scope of teacher education.

5. Regular international conferences, court proceedings, and well-established audio-visual production houses/industries are present in the country. 

6. Practical language skills are inadequate in higher education in the country. Most language curricula offered by universities in the country focus on language description, equipping undergraduates with knowledge about language relationships, history, typologies, and genetics,but little on the envisioned translation and interpretation skills.

7. There is a need to cultivate a positive attitude toward self-employment among Tanzanian graduates by training them in practical and self-employment skills.

PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT PLAN 

1. For theoretical courses, coursework will be 40% and final examination 60% marks, while for  Project-based courses, coursework will be 50% and final examination 50% marks.

2. In field practical training, courses will have three assessment components: the field attachment report (50%), the college supervisor’s observation (30%), and the host institution (20%). 

3. Fieldwork, project activities, written examinations, case studies, simulations, portfolios, presentations, peer and self-assessments, reflective journals, and written assignments shall be used.

STAFF CAPACITY

The host Department has 15 PhDs and 10 Master’s degrees with competencies in English, Kiswahili, French, and Chinese languages. Among the 25 teaching staff, ten (10) have practical knowledge and expertise in translation and interpretation.