BA in Spanish/MFA in Literary Translation

The BA in Spanish/MFA in Literary Translation gives high-performing undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a graduate degree during their time at Boston University. Many students find the MFA an asset in their post-graduation career plans. Students receive training in Spanish language and literature and, simultaneously, in the history, theory, and practice of literary translation. In addition to developing their skills as translators from Spanish, students will acquire the methods and strategies needed to read translations critically. The degree is designed for students who hope to pursue a PhD in translation in Spanish and Latin American literature or in comparative literature to move into cognate humanistic fields, or to pursue employment in fields where knowledge of language and literary translation is valuable, such as translation, teaching, publishing, and media.

Learning Outcomes

BA in Spanish:

• Advanced knowledge of major themes in Hispanic literature and culture in their historical contexts and familiarity with major literary genres.
• Knowledge of events, periods, and people who have shaped the history of the Spanish-speaking world.
• Advanced proficiency and accuracy in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding the Spanish language as used in different areas of the Spanish-speaking world, including the US, Spanish America, and Spain. Knowledge of structural and other aspects of Spanish; accurate and fluent use of advanced Spanish (tested by a variety of means) in a range of academic and everyday situations.
• Ability to evaluate arguments about literary and cultural texts and topics.
• Ability to live, study, and work in Spanish-speaking environments in the US and abroad (for example, through BU’s Study Abroad programs).
• Skills needed for advanced study and for careers in a variety of fields: effective and accurate oral and written communication; close reading and analysis; writing and research skills appropriate for entry-level professional use and/or graduate study, including the ability to formulate a well-organized, clear, and persuasive argument; familiarity with traditional cultural norms and expectations of the Spanish-speaking world.

MFA in Literary Translation:

• A broad knowledge of the history of translation and translation studies as a discipline, and of the main ideas and debates in the field, from antiquity to the present.
• An advanced ability to translate texts of different genres and levels of difficulty from Spanish.
• The ability to evaluate translations critically and to pinpoint the methods and strategies used by a translator in order to achieve different effects (e.g., domestication, foreignization, rusticization, archaism, etc.).

Requirements

Bachelor’s-to-master’s programs are linked bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in which the two degrees are conferred sequentially. This bachelor’s-to-master’s program allows students to apply a maximum of 8 units from their undergraduate degree toward the associated master’s degree. The units applied toward the master’s degree must be at the 500 level or above. During the last year of the BA study in this bachelor’s-to-master’s program, students may take two of the required MFA courses chosen from CAS TL 500, TL 541, TL 551, or one literature elective at the 500+ level, which may be counted towards the requirements for the MFA.

Students must apply to bachelor’s-to-master’s programs before the conferral of the bachelor’s degree. Typically, students apply to the BA in Spanish/MFA in Literary Translation program in their junior year. Students in the BA in Spanish/MFA in Literary Translation program must complete at least 24 units while enrolled as a graduate student. Students should consult with the Financial Assistance office to learn how entrance into the bachelor’s-to-master’s program might impact their financial aid.

The requirements for the BA in Spanish/MFA in Literary Translation are:

• the completion of at least 152 units of coursework
• the completion of all the requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences BA in Spanish
  • These requirements include requirements for the major, college-level requirements (i.e., Second Language Requirement and Natural Science Lab requirement), and the BU Hub.
• the completion of all the requirements for the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) MFA in Literary Translation

Students who are interested in the BA/MFA program are encouraged to pursue study abroad opportunities in Spain or Latin America early in their studies at Boston University, and to consult frequently with their faculty advisor.

Application Process

Students should apply to the BA/MFA program by February 15 of the student’s junior year. The applicant must include the BU transcript, two faculty letters of recommendation, a sample of critical writing (8–12 double-spaced pages, usually drawn from previous coursework), a translation sample with the original text (8–12 double-spaced pages of prose or 80–100 lines of poetry), a plan of study, and a personal statement describing the applicant’s interest in the program.

For more information about the application process, please see the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ PhD and MFA Admissions page.

Please consult the Director of the Literary Translation MFA in the Department of World Languages & Literatures with any specific questions. Information about placement tests, requirements for the BA in Spanish, and other questions can be found on the Department of Romance Studies website, or in the appropriate section of this Bulletin.