Rangjung Yeshe Institute is pleased to announce another year of its intensive Translator Training Program. The program is designed to allow students to become oral translators in 12 months, capable of serving as an interpreter for a Tibetan teacher giving basic Buddhist teachings.  The program will be offered at an Intermediate Level, which assumes a year of prior training in both Colloquial and Classical Tibetan language.

As the program is offered to fill a real need for oral interpreters in the Tibetan Buddhist world community, graduates of the program should intend to serve as an interpreter for a Tibetan Buddhist teacher or community upon completion of the program.

The training offered consists of three educational elements:

1. Rigorous Tibetan language training
2. Practical translation workshops, and
3. Full immersion in a Tibetan living environment

Classes are taught in both English and Tibetan, and students are expected to translate into English.

Time and Venue
The program is located at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Boudhanath, Nepal, and runs from June 2012 to June 2013.

Course Overview
Classes in the program are a combination of regular RYI language classes and individual translator training classes specifically designed for the Translator  Training Program. Approximate class hours per week are 20-25. The yearly schedule of classes is as follows:

Dates	Courses Taken	Weekly Hrs.
13 June - 10 August 2012	Intermediate Summer Course	16
3 September - 14 December (Exams 10-14 December)	Classical Tibetan 3 (2nd year-level course) or Translation Project	3
	Colloquial Tibetan 5	5
	Tibetan Philosophical Discourse 1	5
	Translation Training	5
	Reading, Writing, Dharma Conversation Practice	5
17-21 December	Translation Seminar	10
21 December - 6 January	Holiday - no classes
7-11 January 2012	Translation Seminar	10
14 January - 19 April 2012 (Exams 22-26 April)	Classical Tibetan 4 or Translation Project	3
	Colloquial Tibetan 6	5
	Tibetan Philosophical Discourse 2	5
	Dharma Conversation	5
	Translation Practice	5
29 April- 3 May	Holiday - no classes
6-31 May	Translation Training	10
3-12 June	Translation Practicum	10

 

Instructors and Staff
The teaching faculty consists of experienced international translators, Tibetan monastic teachers, Tibetan laypeople, and international language instructors. In addition, a Translation Program Manager bears overall responsibility for the program and oversees the progress and well-being of the students.

Entry requirements
The Translator Training Program is intensive and demanding. Only outstanding and highly qualified students will be admitted. At a minimum, students applying to the program should have the following prerequisites:

1. High School diploma
2. Excellent proficiency in English
3. Solid grounding in Buddhist philosophy
4. Excellent language skills, documented by past achievements
5. Excellent academic potential
6. Diligence and eagerness to learn
7. One year, or equivalent, of Colloquial Tibetan language study and one year, or equivalent of Classical Tibetan language study

In addition, the applicant must:

1. Be a practicing Buddhist
2. Be willing to live with a Tibetan family for the duration of the program

Due to the intensive nature of the program, a maximum of six students for program year 2012-2013 will be accepted. Applicants should clearly describe their Tibetan language background in their application. Applicants must also take a written classical Tibetan exam, as well as written and spoken colloquial Tibetan exams to identify their level of proficiency.

Tibetan Family Stay
During the program students live with a Tibetan family. RYI will place students with responsible families committed to creating an environment conducive for learning and for assimilating Tibetan.

Tuition

The Translator Training Program is intended as a service to the Buddhist community through increasing the number of skilled interpreters for Buddhist teachers from the Tibetan tradition. Reflecting the intensive and comprehensive nature of the program, tuition has been set at a level that, while somewhat higher than other courses, continues to reflect the real costs of running the program.

Unique features of the program include:

1. Course-intake limited to five students to ensure rapid progress
2. A full-time Translator Program Manager to support students and monitor progress
3. Opportunities to practice translating begin by Fall semester, only 3 months into the program.
   

Please note that partial scholarships may be available to students requiring financial support.