STUDENTS AND FACULTY FEAR THE LOSS OF ONE OF CANADA’S ONLY INTERPRETATION PROGRAMS
The University of Ottawa’s School of Translation and Interpretation (STI) is facing severe budget cuts. This financial crisis has led to the suspension of multiple undergraduate programs, putting at risk the future of one of only two interpretation degree programs in Canada.
The school’s program was suspended in January of 2023 due to budget cuts to the Faculty of Arts, which led to the cancellation of numerous courses. The impact of these cuts has been immediate and disruptive for students. This financial squeeze on small programs within the Faculty of Arts aligns with a broader trend at the University of Ottawa, where a challenging financial situation has led to an increased focus on enrolment metrics over market needs.
The budget cuts that led to the freezing of the Honours BA in Translation program began in 2021. The director of the STI, Professor Salah Basalamah, told the Fulcrum that the reason for these cuts was due to the continually decreasing number of enrolments. These budget cuts later led to the suspension of the Honours BA program in Translation in January 2023.
When enrolment in the 2-year accelerated BA remained steady, the School initially hoped to weather the changes; however, in December 2022, they were informed that this program, along with the online translation certificate and the research MA, would also be suspended starting in September 2023. These abrupt suspensions left only the PhD program and the MA in Conference Interpreting remaining. Professor Basalamah stated that a professional Master’s in Translation (MTr) is planned as a long-term replacement, but its launch awaits provincial approval, with the earliest start date estimated to be 2026.
In addition to disrupting students’ course sequences, recruitment freezes across campus intensify this issue, forcing STI to explore collaborations with other programs to sustain its curriculum. The federal government has expressed concern about this shrinking pipeline of translation professionals. The Translation Bureau is “calling upon us to do something,” said Professor Basalamah, who noted that even recent efforts to engage with the university administration on preserving the program have yielded little progress.
Despite the growing demand for translation professionals, with job postings constantly appearing on government platforms, the university’s suspension of translation and interpretation courses continues to grow. Professor Raúl Ernesto Colón Rodríguez, a representative from STI, emphasized that the need for skilled translators who can effectively edit and revise content, especially with the advent of computer-assisted translation technologies, is far from being met by automation alone.
The impact of these budget cuts is not just local but international. Professor Colón told the Fulcrum the suspension of undergraduate courses at STI has affected “collaborations and exchange programs with universities in Brazil, Spain” and that “other countries have been affected, leading to the deterioration of valuable networks developed over decades.”
With the school’s reputation at stake, Professor Colón expressed concern that, in a field rapidly advancing globally, the U of O risks becoming outdated and losing its position as a leader in Canadian translation and interpretation education.
Beyond the impact on the program itself, the potential loss of the school has significant implications for Canada’s bilingual identity. The STI has played a critical role in shaping professionals who contribute to Canada’s cultural and political bilingualism. The suspension of these programs threatens to undermine a major aspect of Canada’s heritage, as fewer qualified translators will be available to work in government, law, and various cultural institutions.
The budget crisis has affected other departments at the university as well, including Music, Classical Studies, and Modern Languages. Professor Colón argues that university administration should recognize the long-term cultural and intellectual benefits of these disciplines rather than focusing solely on short-term profitability, expressing that “A university should not be run like Walmart.”
With limited avenues for change within the university, the STI has sought to raise awareness in student newspapers and hopes the broader community will rally in support. Professor Colón told the Fulcrum that the STI along with the Association of Part-Time Professors of the University of Ottawa (APTPUO), “intend to continue to make our voices heard about the survival of the University of Ottawa’s School of Translation and Interpretation, where we studied and to which we have devoted much of our best intellectual efforts.”
In a recent development, the Government of Canada announced a new partnership with Laval University to launch an interpretation program, aiming to address the shortage of trained interpreters across Canada. This initiative reflects a growing national awareness of the need for specialized interpretation skills, especially in an officially bilingual country. However, with the University of Ottawa’s School of Translation and Interpretation facing severe budget cuts and program suspensions, this partnership underscores the urgency of preserving existing programs. If U of O’s program continues to scale back, the demand for interpreters in Canada’s capital may outpace local supply, placing additional strain on initiatives like the Laval partnership to fill the gap.
The STI’s hope is that the University of Ottawa and its community will understand the broader impact of these cuts and advocate for the preservation of Canada’s first translation school, an institution crucial to both the university’s legacy and Canada’s bilingual identity.
The stakes for the University of Ottawa’s School of Translation and Interpretation are high, and the support of the campus and community may be pivotal in influencing the future of this unique institution. Students can help by staying informed, sharing the news on social media to broaden outreach, and contacting university administration to voice support.
