Which Schools Offer Online Translation Degrees or Certificates?

Learn how to get the online education and certification you need to become a professional translator and interpreter.

Are you interested in studying to become a translator or interpreter?

This broad field includes many different types of interpreters and translators, from those who focus primarily on simultaneously translating oral speech to a listening audience to those who translate literary works.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for interpreters and translators is growing much faster than many other occupations, with a projected 20% increase between 2021 and 2031.

You'll need to become fluent in at least one language other than your native language, which generally includes some formal education in the second language even if your family spoke it at home.

Interpreters and translators typically need a bachelor's degree in fields that include translation and interpreting, foreign languages, business, and communications.

If you have a particular type of translation career in mind, such as being a medical interpreter or legal interpreter, gaining knowledge in the areas in which you will translate will be important for your career.

Non-Profit Professional Organizations and Certifying Exams

If you have a degree and the language skills but do not have specific training in translation and/or interpretation, we advise that you take a certificate course in the field to strengthen your credentials.

Translation certifications are significant because they validate your competencies.

Look for programs that prepare you for exams for:

the American Translators Association (ATA) Certification (in each of the UN's official languages)
the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE) in English and Spanish
the United Nations Translation Accreditation
the Certified Translation Professional (CTP) designation
the Core Certification Health Care Interpreter (CoreCHI) designation
the Certified Health Care Interpreter (CHI) credential
the Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI) credential from the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI)

Other professional organizations you may want to research and perhaps join include the:

American Foundation for Translation and Interpretation (AFTI)
American Literary Translators Association (ALTA)
American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association (ATISA)
Globalization and Localization Association
International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS)
International Federation of Translators/Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT)
International Medical Interpreters Association
Translators without Borders (TWB)/Traducteurs sans Frontières (TSF)

Top Online Translation Degree or Certificate Programs

While this list is not exhaustive, it represents a range of types of degree and certificate programs, from specialized bachelor's and master's programs to short certificate programs. Programs are in alphabetical order.

Americans Against Language Barriers

The Americans Against Language Barriers (AALB), a non-profit organization, offers a 60-hour, nine-week online Medical Interpreter Training that culminates in a certificate.

Designed for people who are bilingual—that is, fluent in English and at least one other language—the program's cost is less than $1,000. Prospective students may take a language screening for fluency prior to enrolling.

‍Americans Against Language Barriers is the recipient of the Distinction in Education Award from the International Medical Interpreters Association.

New York University

New York University (NYU) is distinguished as the first university to offer a fully online degree in this discipline starting in 2012 as well as giving students the ability to translate from their choice of any language into English.

NYU's SPS Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts offers a 36-credit Master of Science (MS) in translation and interpreting that is fully online.

This program allows you to study translation from the language of your choice into English, including both written translation and oral interpreting.

Core courses for the MS program include:

Principles of Interpreting
Editing and Revision
Translation Theory and Practice
Terminology Management
Translation Technology

What sets this program apart is the range of distinctive, cutting-edge elective courses, such as:

Legal Translation
Website Localization
Machine Translation
Transcreation
Financial Translation

NYU's Global Liberal Studies and Department of Comparative Literature partner to offer an undergraduate minor in translation studies that introduces students to translation history, theory, and practice.

Translation Studies is a four-course (16-credit) minor. Students who declare the minor may also take courses in the MS in translation and interpreting program (see above).

New York University's School of Professional Studies (Continuing Education) is home to online continuing ed courses in translation studies.

Available coursework includes:

Community-Based Translation and Interpreting: Access and Advocacy
Fundamentals of Translation Tools and Technology
Introduction to Professional Translation
Legal and Government Documents
In Other Wor(l)ds: A Generative Translation Workshop
Publishing Your Literary Translation: Finding and Securing a Publisher

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Students at the University of Massachusetts can pursue a fully online interdisciplinary studies Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with a multilingual concentration in translation and interpreting through the University Without Walls program.

This interdisciplinary 'build-your-own' 120-credit degree program is the only program of its kind in the United States.

Students complete the university's general education requirements and the interdisciplinary studies program's core courses then design a 45-credit individualized degree concentration.

Coursework may include studies in ethics and standards in translation and interpreting, mental health interpreting, translation and technology, simultaneous interpreting, legal interpreting, and medical interpreting.

In addition to studying at least one language other than English (LOTE), students can gain a strong cross-cultural foundation with courses such as:

Language, Culture, and Communication
People and Their Language
Interpersonal Communication and Culture
Introduction to Linguistic Theory

Students will work with faculty from the Department of Languages and Cultures, the Departments of Communication, Political Science, Sociology, Legal Studies, and the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, among others.

UMass Amherst also has an online Certificate in Professional Translation and Interpreting.

Target students for this language mediation skills program are those with strong English language, grammar, and vocabulary skills as well as skills in at least one spoken LOTE.

You can complete the 15-credit certificate program in one year.

The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Liberal Arts provides a strong presence with its academic programs in translation and interpreting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

These include:

Bachelor of Arts program in Spanish translation and interpreting (not online)
a six-course (18-credit) minor in Spanish translation (may not be online)
fully online Master of Arts program in spanish Translation and interpreting

UTRGV also offers five different five-course graduate-level certificates online, which include:

Spanish Translation (general certificate)
Court Interpreting
Healthcare Interpreting
Literary Translation
Localization and Audiovisual Translation

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

The Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies in the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's (UWM) College of Letters and Science is home to an impressive selection of online graduate programs to provide professional translator and interpreter training.

These programs include:

Online Professional Track–Master of Arts in translation and interpreting studies: can be completed in French, German, Russian or Spanish to English (30 credits)
Online Professional Track&ndashDual Degree in Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Arts in translation and interpreting studies: can be completed in French, German, Russian or Spanish to English (51 credits)
Hybrid coordinated MA in translation and interpreting studies and MBA program: MA courses are online, but the MBA courses are not (54 credits)
Graduate Certificate in Translation: can be completed in French, German, Russian or Spanish to English (21 credits)
Graduate Certificate in Interpreting (21 credits)

Western Oregon University

At Western Oregon University, you can either earn a 12-credit certificate in Spanish-English Interpreting and Translation as part of your undergraduate degree (like a minor) or you can earn a Master of Arts in interpreting studies (MAIS) online.

The 45-to-54-credit MAIS program offers a choice of three tracks:

Theory and Practice Interpreting
Advanced Interpreting
Teaching Interpreting

The program requires a three-day residency requirement each fall.

Discover the Best Online Translation Degrees and Certificates

For those who want to become an interpreter, there are many online degrees and certificates that they can begin earning today. Be sure to learn more about each of the programs above and pick the best one for you.