Your profile

• You are intellectually curious and closely follow current events and developments in the world. You have in-depth knowledge in a variety of fields.
• Your best assets will be your ability to make the most of the richness and subtleties of the French language and your ability to think on your feet.
• For spoken language interpreting, you are fluent in the two foreign languages from which you will interpret into French. For sign language interpreting, you are fluent in Belgian French Sign Language (LSFB).
• You know how to communicate and want to act as a bridge between people and cultures. 
• You dream of being at the heart of the event and constantly in contact with different subjects. You like a challenge and want continue learning and discovering throughout your career.

Your future job

Conference interpreters interpret speeches made in another language, usually into their mother tongue. There are two main types of interpreting:

• simultaneous interpreting: the interpreter sits in a booth and transmits the message as the speaker speaks. The audience in the room receives the message through headphones. This type of interpreting is generally used at multilingual conferences.
• Consecutive interpreting: the interpreter restates the message after the speaker has spoken, using notes taken using a personal technique. This type of interpreting is suitable for bilingual or trilingual meetings. 

Interpreters may work for national or European institutions or international organisations as civil servants or as accredited freelancers. Outside the institutional framework, they also interpret for a large number of events on the open market: works councils, various meetings, international conferences, trade union negotiations, delegation visits, etc.
In addition, thanks to the knowledge and skills acquired during their training at the Louvain School of Translation and Interpreting (LSTI), interpreting graduates also have excellent career opportunities in many other fields: diplomacy, multilingual communication, public relations, international trade, journalism, media, publishing, the cultural world, the banking sector, etc.
LSFB<>FR interpreters work at the heart of communication and accessibility. Interpreters provide linguistic and cultural mediation between deaf sign language users and hearing French speakers, interpreting both directionally and bidirectionally between French and LSFB. 
Trained in interaction management, discourse analysis and adaptation to communication contexts, interpreters work in a wide variety of situations: education, employment, public services, justice, health, the voluntary sector, culture, media and politics. The profession requires linguistic rigour, a sense of responsibility, analytical skills and respect for the ethical principles specific to sign language interpreting. 
Thanks to the training offered by the Louvain School of Translation and Interpreting (LSTI), graduates acquire solid expertise in French<>LSFB interpreting, excellent command of working languages and a keen understanding of the realities of the deaf community. This training paves the way for a committed and meaningful career in French<>LSFB interpreting. These professionals are called upon to work on a contractual or freelance basis, alone or in teams, in a variety of contexts within interpreting services, associations, public services, and even the media.

Your programme

The advantages of the Louvain School of Translation and Interpreting (LSTI) and its course:

• The teaching team, made up of university lecturers and experienced professional interpreters, ensures the link between theory, practice and the professional market: a close-knit team that will support you throughout your studies.
• Teaching in small groups guarantees you personalised support.
• The LSTI benefits from regular teaching assistance from European and international institutions (EU, UN, NATO, etc.), enabling you to familiarise yourself with these organisations and develop the skills you need to work in them.
• The LSTI's equipment is constantly evolving in line with technological developments: two classrooms equipped with interpreting booths put you in a working situation similar to that of professional interpreters.
• As well as linguistic expertise, you will acquire intellectual rigour, work capacity and a versatile, adaptable profile, all qualities that are highly sought after in many sectors of the job market. 

Your parcours

The programme consists of:

• 75 core credits (including 15 credits for the dissertation and 9 to 16 credits for the work placement).
• 30 credits for one focus.
• 15 credits of option or optional courses.

Possible language combinations:

• English + German
• English + Dutch
• English + Spanish
• English + Russian
• German + Dutch
• German + Russian
• Biactive French >< LSFB

Work placements
Work placements play an important role. They will enable you to use the skills acquired at LSTI in a real working environment. You will work at closed microphones in national institutions and international organisations (NATO, EU, Council of Europe, UN) where you will benefit from the advice of interpreters from these institutions. You will also do voluntary interpreting for conferences and events organised by non-profit organisations. In this case, you will be working for an audience that will depend on your interpretation. 

For LSFB<>French interpreting, internships play a central role in the programme. They allow you to put the skills you have acquired at LSTI into practice in a variety of real-life professional contexts.
Through an observation internship in the first term of the first year and a practical internship in the second term of the second year, you will be immersed in different French<>LSFB interpreting environments: public services, medical, legal or administrative sectors, associations, socio-cultural events, education, media, etc.
Organised in alternation with classes, the placements encourage constant back-and-forth between theory and practice, allowing you to make direct links with the lessons you have learned and gradually consolidate your learning.
Supervised by experienced interpreters, you will learn to understand the realities of the field, collaborate in a team and think critically about your practice, in order to build the foundations of your professional identity as an LSFB<>French interpreter.
Internships are selected with care and in accordance with good practice in the profession by the teaching team, who will help you prepare for them and assess your performance. 

The final examination
At the end of the course, you will sit an examination before a jury made up of the teaching team, professional interpreters and, in the case of spoken languages, representatives of the interpreting services of international organisations, which guarantees recognition of the diploma by the profession and a direct opening onto the market.

Aptitude test
In September, at the very beginning of the Master's programme in interpreting, you will take an aptitude test organised by the teaching team, which will give you detailed feedback. The purpose of this test is to assess whether you have the skills required to begin your interpreting studies with confidence. If you receive an unfavourable assessment, you will have the opportunity to change course before the registration deadline.

Start of the 2026-2027 academic year: the compulsory aptitude test will be held on ???.