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Studies & Degrees in Technical-Scientific Translation

Technical and scientific translation is the translation of specialised texts from science, engineering, medicine and industry. Typical documents are user manuals, technical specifications, patents, safety data sheets, software documentation, research articles, clinical trial documents and medicine leaflets. The reader of such a text acts on it, so the translation has to be exact, consistent and clear.

Students learn three things at the same time. The first is language: a very high level in at least two languages and the writing conventions of technical texts. The second is subject knowledge, enough to understand what a text describes. The third is method: how to research terminology, build glossaries and terminology databases, use translation memory software and review machine translation, a task known as post-editing. Many courses also cover localisation, the adaptation of software and products to another market, and the basics of working as a freelance translator.

Qualifications and levels

There are two usual routes into the field.

  • A translation degree with a technical specialisation. In Europe a bachelor's degree has 180 or 240 ECTS credits, and a master's degree usually has 90 or 120. In Spain the bachelor's degree (grado) in Translation and Interpreting has 240 ECTS credits and official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120. Scientific, technical or medical translation is normally a specialisation in the final years of the bachelor's degree or the subject of a master's degree.
  • A degree in science or engineering followed by translation training. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that students of technical subjects such as engineering or medicine may be able to provide a higher level of translation. Graduates of these fields often add a master's degree or a shorter postgraduate course in translation.

Short courses in translation technology, medical translation or patent translation are offered by universities and private training centres, often online. They end with the provider's certificate. Students should ask what recognition that certificate has.

One neutral quality sign at master's level is the European Master's in Translation (EMT). It is a quality label that the European Commission gives to university translation programmes. In 2026 the network includes 81 programmes at 79 universities in 24 countries. The label covers translation programmes in general, not only technical ones, so the content of each programme still has to be checked.

Where to study it

Our directory currently lists one school for this subject: Riga Technical University in Riga, Latvia. Its list of study programmes in Latvian includes a professional bachelor's programme in technical translation (Tehniskā tulkošana un tekstveide) and a professional master's programme in technical translation and terminology (Tehniskā tulkošana un terminoloģija). Applicants from abroad should ask the university in which language these programmes are taught and which language pairs they work with.

Elsewhere, technical and scientific translation is taught inside general translation degrees. When comparing programmes, these points matter:

  • the language pairs offered, and whether the student's mother tongue is one of them
  • the fields covered: engineering, IT, life sciences, medicine, patents
  • training with translation memory, terminology and machine translation tools
  • a work placement or real translation projects
  • whether the degree is official in its country, and whether a master's programme holds the EMT label

Careers

Graduates work as freelance translators, as staff translators in translation companies, or in the documentation departments of industrial, pharmaceutical and software companies. Related roles are terminologist, reviser, post-editor of machine translation, localisation specialist and technical writer. In medicine and pharmacy, translators work on patient records, consent documents, pharmaceutical brochures, regulatory information and research material.

Official figures for the United States give an idea of the market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, interpreters and translators held about 73,900 jobs in 2025. Thirty per cent worked in professional, scientific and technical services and 28 per cent were self-employed. Employment is projected to grow 2 per cent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 6,000 openings a year, mostly to replace people who leave the occupation. The profession is generally not regulated: according to the same source, general certification is typically not required, and translators can show their level through optional certification tests.

Frequently asked questions

Is a science degree needed to become a technical translator?

No. Most translators enter with a bachelor's degree in translation or languages and specialise later. A background in engineering, medicine or science is an advantage, and graduates of those fields can add translation training at master's level.

How long does it take to qualify?

A bachelor's degree takes three or four years (180 or 240 ECTS credits). A master's degree adds one or two years (60 to 120 ECTS credits, depending on the country).

Does machine translation replace technical translators?

Machine translation is now part of the job. Translators review and correct machine output (post-editing) and use translation memories and terminology databases. This is why current programmes teach these tools.

What is the EMT label?

The European Master's in Translation is a quality label of the European Commission for university translation programmes at master's level. It does not replace the official accreditation of a degree in its own country.