The focus area of this degree programme is communication in businesses and organisations which have relations with German-speaking countries, or which use German as their working language. The profile courses deal with translation, interpreting and the production of texts in a range of genres and text types of business communication such as websites, press releases, technical and legal descriptions and emails. In addition, students naturally learn about the context in which such texts are produced – context being important for the design and use of these texts. In this connection, the teaching covers social conditions in German-speaking areas and markets, including market analysis, segmenting and positioning, corporate organisation and public relations.
The teaching in the focus area of the programme is based on the research into international business communication that is carried out at the department. This research revolves around the communicative issues connected to various forms of business communication both in general and in language-specific areas. This includes communicative issues within international and intercultural market communication, lexicography, translation, interpreting and the production of texts in academic and knowledge-related communicative contexts.
The research in market communication focuses on the communicative performance of activities by companies and organisations seen from a cultural viewpoint. The research in lexicography deals with lexicographical tools and user-friendly access to information. The research in translation, interpreting and the production of communicative texts includes texts on company websites, legal, technical and financial texts, translation processes, the use of CAT tools and issues within the sociology of translation. Another area of focus concerns the creation and communication of academic knowledge in the relevant writing and translation processes of students.
