Executive Master’s programs directed at business professionals are becoming a dime a dozen. Since 2000, however, the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in Denmark has offered something quite unique: an executive program directed at language and communication staff. The Master of Language Administration (MLA) is a two-year, part-time master’s program designed for professionals and managers with an academic background in languages and communication, and at least three years of relevant working experience. It is organized as web-based distance learning, combining the use of discussion forums with webcast lectures and workshops.

“This program provides an excellent opportunity for serious technical communicators to earn an online degree from a highly prestigious business school,” according to MLA Program Director, Sabine Kirchmeier-Andersen, who is also an Associate Professor and Head of the Copenhagen Business School Department of Computational Linguistics. “Although the program emphasizes administering multi-language information development, it is also an excellent program for any technical communicator who is looking for a program that has a strong business perspective.”

Going International

Originally a local Danish program, the Master of Language Administration degree nevertheless attracted international attention from the very beginning. As early as 2002, the American Electronic Document Systems Foundation awarded the program its Excellence in Education Award for Innovation in Continuing Education. CBS is also an EQUIS-accredited institution (European Foundation for Management Development).

As of 2006, the program will be offered as an international master’s degree with all teaching instruction and interaction in English. “It’s quite a natural step for us,” explains Sabine Kirchmeier-Andersen. “As you say, we had international attention from the beginning. Our industrial partners have included OCE, SAP, TRADOS and Medtronic in the Netherlands. Dr. JoAnn Hackos of the Center for Information Development Management (CIDM) has also been very supportive. She has been a guest instructor in the program for several years and will participate in the new online program, too. So we’ve had lectures in English and English-language teaching materials all along.” (Read Are You Prepared to Meet the Global Information Challenge?)

“We are also setting up new facilities for the program,” continues Kirchmeier-Andersen. “As of last month, our Department moved to new quarters in one of the CBS main buildings. We’re setting up a brand -new, state-of-the-art Language Technology Lab equipped with working and teaching facilities, as well as facilities for online broadcasting of lectures. Companies can book the lab for demonstrating and testing the latest language software or ask CBS students to test it for them. All MLA classes and research workshops are scheduled to take place here.”

MLA Details

The program runs over four semesters and consists of five modules, as shown in the figure below.

Modules 1-3 cover the areas of information and language technology:

• Text Production and Publishing (Module 1)

The aim of this module is to provide the participants with thorough knowledge of the current standards, methods and technologies for text production and publishing, and how to exploit these with regards to standardization and quality management of their companies’ digital communications programs, particularly web communication.

• Term and Knowledge Bases (Module 2)

The purpose of this module is to provide participants with thorough knowledge of the methods and technologies for terminology, and to enable them to use these to ensure the standardization and quality management of their companies’ mono- and multilingual terminology. At the same time, students develop the qualifications for gathering, managing, storing, disseminating and sharing knowledge across different languages, cultures and disciplines.

• Translation Technology (Module 3)

The aim of this module is to provide participants with solid knowledge of methods and techniques in advanced translation technology, enabling them to use this technology efficiently in connection with the standardization and quality management of their companies’ translation processes.

• Quality Management of the Company's Document Production (Module 4)

The aim of this interdisciplinary course is to introduce students to the interplay between production, organization and business.

Module 5 consists of writing a Master’s Thesis, based on recurring themes from the previous modules. It also includes a project management course that focuses on projects that include language content.

In total, the four semesters correspond to one year of full-time study (60 ECTS points). (The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is a European standard for comparing university programs in different countries.) One question that often comes up is how only year of study can yield a Master’s Degree. “The MLA is not a traditional graduate program,” explains Kirchmeier-Andersen. “It is a program for continuing education. Many students already have a Master's Degree when they enter the program. Also, the admission criteria include three years of relevant work experience, which are mandatory. Thus, the title of Master of Language Administration is only awarded to those people who have completed one year of (additional) studies and who have a professional track record.”

Words Are Gold

Words Are Gold, runs the MLA motto. How is that to be understood?

“Quite literally!” says Kirchmeier-Andersen. “Language is an important, but often underrated, factor in competition. A very important part of a company’s assets can be found in the content of all of its documents, publications and web pages, of which the large majority very often consists of text in one or more languages. It is worthwhile for a company to implement efficient processes for the establishment and maintenance of these information resources and to ensure their optimal functioning for the company and – not least of all – for its customers and business partners.”

“At a seminar recently, I had the pleasure of hearing Director-General Karl-Johan Lönnroth of the European Commission's Directorate General for Translation. He has been facing the inclusion of 9 new languages since 2004 and is currently dealing with the prospects of further extensions. The Directorate is the largest translation service in the world and faces great challenges due to the political decision that multilinguality must be maintained. In brief, Director-General Lönnroth’s message was: shorter and clearer source documents. This emphasizes the need for a language strategy that optimizes texts for translation tools and puts quality issues in the spotlight. I am pleased to note that these are the very key competences promoted by the MLA program.” (Read The Translation Challenge at the EC: Multilingualism as a Democratic Right).

“So,” concludes Kirchmeier-Andersen, “it is a good investment to develop better and more flexible processes, quality management, established standards and more clarity. In this case, language technology and information science, combined with knowledge about ‘best practices,’ have something to offer.”

There are four significant advantages gained from such professional investment:

• Better documentation increases the value of the company’s products and leads to more satisfied costumers.
• Efficient processes, from first drafts of texts to version control, mean lower costs.
• Well-arranged information resources with logical structures improve the foundation for knowledge sharing and save time for everybody in the company.
• Quality and consistency in all written communication play an important role in building a successful corporate image.

“Incidentally,” adds Sabine Kirchmeier-Andersen, “there is a longer version of the phrase, Words Are Gold. It is, Words are gold. Is your company a gold mine? Do you possess the resources to extract that gold? It’s all about hidden assets and the means to utilize them.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: The closing date for applications for the 2006 program is December 15, 2005.

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Stig Jørgensen (swj.id@cbs.dk) is Program Coordinator and Sabine Kirchmeier-Andersen (ska.id@cbs.dk) is Program Director of the Master of Language Administration Program at the Copenhagen Business School (Department of Computational Linguistics).