Academic Solution Brief

What is the SDL University Program?

The SDL University Program provides students with the knowledge, expertise and resources to help prepare for a career within the translation industry. This academic program gives students the opportunity to gain the SDL Certification qualification, through a professional and well-structured training program, and also offers a number of other additional benefits too.

SDL Certification is the industry’s premier technology- SDL Certification examinations based certification that provides a recognized standard There are different SDL Certification options for SDL of excellence in SDL software. SDL Certification Trados Studio and SDL MultiTerm. SDL Certification has rapidly gained popularity, with over 8,000 helps individuals achieve their personal development translators and project managers currently undergoing goals by providing translators with a professional certification. The qualification has become the first industry-recognized qualification. There are two choice for corporations and Language Service Providers pathways available for SDL Trados Studio; one for Project (LSPs) to identify highly-skilled SDL Trados enabled Managers and one for Translators. There is one exam for translators. the project management pathway and three exam levels Since 2007, over 370 universities worldwide have for the translators pathway; they are Getting Started adopted the SDL University Program to build their (level 1), Intermediate (level 2) and Advanced (level 3). students’ knowledge in the market-leading Computer The certification exams have been developed to test Aided Translation (CAT) tool. an individual’s knowledge of the complete range of Many of the world’s leading universities have functionality within SDL Software. incorporated SDL Certification into their translation Attributes of the certification exam include: courses. This includes Imperial College (UK), the • Online multiple choice exam. University of Westminster (UK), the University of • Four sections consisting of 10 questions each. Bologna (Italy), Stanford University (US), the University of Heidelberg (Germany), the University of Maastricht • Exam duration is 40 minutes. (Holland), Monash University (Australia) and the • Each person is provided with 3 attempts to pass the University of Buea (Cameroon). exam. • Each level is rewarded with a personalized web page and pin badge. “Three students who sent their curriculum vitaes Universities will have the option to choose Certification for SDL Trados Studio and SDL MultiTerm, the leading just after becoming SDL Certified were contacted terminology management tool. There are pathways for by employers in less than 24 hours. Another translators and project managers for both software. international student who passed the SDL Certification exam was head hunted to join an international master’s course about translation” Marco Sajeva, Lecturer, University of Palermo, Italy Solution Brief

How can universities become SDL Certified? In order to integrate SDL Certification into the curriculum, universities need to have installed the latest SDL software. This will provide students with an opportunity to gain practical experience using the different functionalities of the software in preparation towards the SDL Certification exam. The certification pathway for SDL Trados Studio (translator exams), is as below: Level 1 Certification Level 2 Certification Level 3 Certification Achievement of Level 1 Achievement of Level 2 Achievement of Level 3 Certification shows mastery of the Certification demonstrates Certification confirms super-user basic functions of SDL Trados Studio proficiency in the enhanced knowledge of SDL Trados Studio. functionality within SDL Trados Studio.

SDL Certification Training The SDL Certification training program enables both students and teachers to increase their knowledge and expertise of the functionalities of SDL Trados Studio and SDL MultiTerm in preparation for the SDL Certification exams. The training courses have been designed to provide stronger technical knowledge of the features and to ultimately increase productivity There are two training options available: onsite and online. Onsite training is hands-on, classroom- based and delivered at one of our Approved Training “By endorsing SDL Certification as a preferred Center facilities or at the university’s chosen site. Online training is live, delivered via the Internet at credential, we expect to increase localization an agreed time and duration and can be delivered in production efficiency by ensuring translators are many different languages. competent using the most up-to-date technology.” What additional benefits does the SDL University Program offer? Thomas H. Hecht, Lecturer, Head of Technology A host of new initiatives have been incorporated Group, Siemens AG within the SDL University Program to provide additional value to students, graduates and teachers. All involved in these different initiatives (outlined below) will receive many extra benefits including “We are very excited and grateful for this unique exclusive software discounts and a range of speaking opportunity to participate in the SDL University opportunities that can help to build stronger relationships with influential figures within the Program. Once our students have experienced SDL translation industry. software, we are convinced that this certification will SDL Internships become a career essential.” The SDL Internship links students with placement opportunities at various SDL network offices to gain Dr. Nicole Keller, valuable work experience. Lecturer, University of Heidelberg What are the benefits What are the benefits for What is included within the SDL for students? teachers? University Program? • SDL Certification training • SDL Certification training • SDL Certification courseware • SDL Certification courseware and • SDL Certification courseware and exams exams and exams • SDL Certification training • Exclusive discounts on S • Exclusive discounts on SDL Trados (additional cost) DL software software • SDL Internship Program • Valuable work experience at one of • Present a webinar to a • SDL Graduate Scheme the SDL network offices global audience • SDL University Champions • Access to industry experts and • Opportunity to become an SDL • SDL Teacher Program informative online Approved Trainer academic resources • Feature on our website as • Meet future employers at ‘SDL University of the Month’ SDL events • Access to industry experts and • Have work published onto one of informative online academic SDL’s websites resources • Present a webinar to a global audience

SDL Graduate Scheme The SDL Graduate Scheme keeps all graduates up- to-date with the latest graduate vacancies at the SDL network offices. SDL Alumni Club The SDL Alumni Club provides graduates who are certified to a minimum of Level 1 with regular information on the latest translation industry news. “I believe that the SDL Certification is very SDL University Teacher Champions useful because it helps users to increase their The SDL University Champions are a group of understanding of the software and to discover its elected teachers who are able to answer questions and share ideas on the field of Translation and various functionalities. The first level exam was not Translation Technology studies. so difficult for me and its preparation was easier SDL Teacher Program than I thought, even though it required a lot of The SDL Teacher Program provides university attention in avoiding misunderstandings. I am sure teachers with exclusive opportunities to speak at SDL webinars and events so that they can increase it will represent an incredible asset for my their presence within the translation industry. working future.” SDL Education Portal Melissa Garavini, Student at SSLMIT of Forlì, The SDL Education Portal has been developed to provide students, graduates and teachers from University of Bologna universities and other educational institutions with information about the SDL University Program. It includes a selection of academic resources providing “SDL Trados Studio 2011 provides translators with useful information, including webinars, case studies, press releases and newsletter articles for anyone even more innovative functions and accurate who is interested in learning more about the matches to help us earn more.” qualification. Nagy Dénes, Lecturer, Szent Istvan University “The SDL University Program is the natural extension to the contents of the technology taught at the MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation with Translation Technology at Imperial College, London. Students have the opportunity to take certification exams and as such are offered a great opportunity to enrich their CV on the one hand, but also increase their visibility in the market.” Christophe Declercq, Lecturer, Imperial College

What are the requirements for universities? To participate in the SDL University Program the current version of SDL Software should be installed as a prerequisite. System requirements: SDL Trados Studio 2011 supports Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. As minimum requirements, we recommend a Pentium IV-based computer with 1 GB RAM and a screen resolution of 1280x1024. For optimum performance, we recommend 2 GB RAM and a more recent Pentium or compatible processor. Please also note that in order to extract and add terminology to SDL MultiTerm 2011 you must be using SDL MultiTerm Extract 2011. Previous versions of SDL MultiTerm Extract will not work with SDL MultiTerm 2011. Discounts on SDL Trados software Universities are entitled to significant discounts off SDL software. To ensure that students are equipped with the first choice in translation software, SDL also offers a considerable student discount on the latest software version to students studying at universities that are part of the academic program. This offer is extended to teachers at these universities who are also given the opportunity to purchase their own freelance license at a discounted price.

More information Visit our Education Portal to find out more about the SDL University Program. www.translationzone.com/education If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

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SDL has over 1,500 enterprise customers, 400 partners and a global infrastructure of 70 offices in 38 countries. 42 out of the top 50 brands work with SDL. For more information, visit www.sdl.com.