BRANDING
The rebranding of a university degree programme
Client
Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Services
Brand consulting, Brand narrative, Portfolio architecture
The Challenge
After decades of machine translation and with artificial intelligence now entering translation solutions in full force, what reason is there to pursue a degree such as the Bachelor’s in Translation and Interpreting?
As the leading degree programme in languages and student numbers in Spain, the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting at the Autonomous University of Barcelona was in a position not only to ask the question, but to answer it.
After conversations with people who had insight into the Faculty’s and the degree programme’s trajectory, the conclusion was as obvious as it was beautiful: while software focuses on translating words, it does not focus on translating contexts. Languages can be replaced because they are encoded, which makes them decipherable by AI. However, cultures cannot. And that is where someone trained in Translation and Interpreting not only has work for years to come, but can also say that, in a globalised world, theirs will be essential work.
That is already what the profession is: from the hard-working interpreters in international negotiations to the rigorous translators who do not hesitate to add a Translator’s note in a footnote so that the author’s voice and vision do not escape the reader.
The key was to frame the training not as bringing languages closer together—something functional—but as bringing closer the cultural contexts that produce them. The Faculty already led in facilities, content, and the highest number of languages, and now it reframes the game by positioning itself as a centre that trains cultural mediators for all kinds of sectors: politics, business, exports, video games, and, of course, culture itself in all its forms, both literary and audiovisual.
The new narrative is not only a guiding tool for new students, but also a new way of explaining an entire academic discipline.
Portfolio architecture (course pathways) for the UAB Faculty of Translation and Interpreting
This rebranding involved renaming some courses to align them with this shared vision and, taking advantage of the change, giving greater visibility to the possible pathways.
Because while all university degrees may seem like a single path forward, the Bachelor’s in Translation and Interpreting is, from the very first minute, a branching tree that can take students down 40 unique pathways depending on the languages they choose.
Why does it endure?
Translation may seem like one of the fields “lost” to technology, and yet as an academic discipline it continues to show strength and attract interest from new students, as enrolment data shows.
At the same time, the opportunity to combine brand architecture with narrative strengthens course naming and the brand experience.
Finally, it is always a pleasure to be in contact with those who master an academic field and to turn a project not only into a challenge, but also into a learning experience.
