Graduate Student Manual (Handbook), Department of English (2025-2026)

5 – Foreign Language Requirements

The Department of English believes that incoming graduate students should understand the professional demands of their discipline through preparation in the following areas:

  • Training in methods of inquiry and research methods appropriate to their discipline or subdiscipline;
  • Reading in and engagement with the challenges of the profession, including professional norms of publication and the academic job market; and
  • Preparation in language studies appropriate to the student’s research area, which may include languages other than English, linguistics, or computer languages.

The Language and Research Requirement is designed to prepare students in these areas.

The English Department concurs with the Modern Language Association’s 2012 statement on the importance of foreign language study: “The MLA regards the learning of languages other than English as vital to an understanding of the world; such learning serves as a portal to the literatures, cultures, historical perspectives, and human experiences that constitute the human record. Pragmatically, we believe in the value of becoming part of a global conversation in which knowledge of English is often not enough, and the security and future of our country depend on accurately understanding other cultures through their linguistic and cultural practices.”

Accordingly, all candidates for graduate degrees in English must provide evidence of substantial preparation in language studies. Both the MA and PhD programs have specific language requirements. Exemptions from the requirement are normally granted to students whose native language is not English and to students who completed a foreign language major at the undergraduate level.

5.1 – Methods for Satisfying the Requirement

Both MA and PhD candidates in the Department of English are normally expected to demonstrate substantial competence in research methods or in at least one language other than English.

Students may satisfy the requirement in one of the following ways:

  1. Transcripts. Any person with a bachelor’s degree in a language other than English has met the requirement. Any person with a minor in a language other than English has met the requirement. The minor must involve a minimum of 15 semester credits in the language with courses taught in the language. Students may need to write to the university for information on the courses.
  2. Transcripts. A student may choose to do one year of graded coursework in a language. The coursework must be offered through WSU or, by approval of the graduate studies director, during a summer school or at a distance through another university. This coursework could be an introductory year of the language or a year of literature courses (taught in the language).
  3. Testing. The student could test to show proficiency through a direct translation of roughly 500 words in 2 hours.
  4. Testing. The student could take a test involving 800 to 1000 words of reading in a two-hour period with ten comprehension questions being asked/answered in English.
  5. Testing. The student could take a one-week challenge exam in which the student, working with a faculty member, identifies an article in the language — one that has not been translated to English.  The student would then have one week to work through the article on their own and to write a summary of that article in English.  
  6. International students whose primary language is not English would not be required to meet any of these requirements.   
  7. Persons testing in ASL would be required to either take two semesters of the language (see #2 above) or take a standardized test.   

MA students should plan to complete the Language and Research requirement earlier rather than later, preferably in the first or second semester of their program, since the language testing exams and English 600, Preparation for Proficiency Testing may be taken more than once.

For PhD students, the choice of language must be made no later than the third semester of doctoral study (the fall semester of the second year), preferably in the first or second year, and students normally should fulfill the language requirement before taking their qualifying examinations.

Please note the following exceptions to the requirement stated above:

  • MA and PhD students in Rhetoric and Composition may also consider taking six hours of linguistics and then completing a foreign language course at the 306-level or higher or one of the above options.
  • Exemptions from one of the languages required are normally granted to students whose native language is not English and to students who completed a foreign language major at the undergraduate level. 
  • Pending approval by the Director of Graduate Studies, students holding an MA in English from WSU who have successfully completed the language requirement for their MA will be considered to have completed the language requirement for the Ph.D. as well.

The programs of MA students may contain up to three hours of non-graduate credit, 300- or 400-level courses in supporting work outside the major department. 

The programs of PhD students may contain up to six hours of non-graduate credit, 400-level courses outside the major department and listed in the WSU Graduate Bulletin.  Foreign language courses, therefore, may fulfill part of the credit-hour requirement for the degree.

5.2 – Guidelines for In-House Foreign Language Translation Examinations (Option 3)

The following guidelines apply to all faculty members in the English Department who provide foreign language proficiency testing to departmental graduate students.

Designing and Administering the Translation Exam (Option 3)

  1. The student must be able to provide a reasonable explanation for his/her choice of language. 
  2. The test itself is to be designed by the faculty member.
  3. Selections for translation should come from academic, non-literary sources. Academic sources include journal articles, book chapters, introductory essays to books, some web documents, etc.    
  4. In tests of languages in which academic materials are not available (e.g. Anglo-Saxon/Latin), appropriate literary/historical texts may be used.
  5. The excerpts for translation should come to no more than 500 words (including “small” words such as articles, prepositions, etc.). The faculty examiner may choose one extract of 500 words or shorter extracts that add up to 500 words.
  6. During the test, the student may use any dictionaries, grammar books, verb conjugation handbooks, etc. The student may also use such resources online. However, under no circumstances may a student use an electronic translator. This rule should be carefully explained to the student prior to the exam.
  7. The student should be given an uninterrupted full two hours to translate.
  8. The student may handwrite or type his/her translation as desired.

Scoring the Translation Exam (Option 3)

A holistic score of 3 or better on the following rubric is required:

4 = Outstanding: a well worded, accurate translation in fluent colloquial English. 100% of the translation has been completed.

3 = Good: errors would not prevent the student from making effective scholarly use of the translation of the text; the English translation may not be elegant, but awkwardness would not hinder an outside reader. Alternatively, the major problem may be in the area of speed/number of words translated. The quality of the translation may fit the descriptor for a “4” but only 90 – 95% of the translation may have been rendered.

2 = Basic: general understanding, but major errors in meaning or English prose. Alternatively, the major problem may be in the area of speed/number of words translated. The quality of the translation may fit the descriptors for “3” or “4” but only 80 – 90% of the translation may have been rendered. A grade of 2 should imply that the assessor believes the student could pass with a moderate amount of additional study.

1 = Inadequate in accuracy, fluency, or both, with major errors in understanding and/or failure to complete translation of even 80% of the text. A score of 1 implies that the assessor believes the student needs serious coursework in the language, i.e., improvement is probably beyond what practice and self- teaching can accomplish.

More information on the scoring of options 4 and 5 will be available in Fall 2022.

Refereeing the Test

An examiner may be torn between a score of 3 and a score of 2. In such cases, he/she should confer with the language proficiency committee so as to find a second referee to read and evaluate the translation.

Filing the Test

The test should be evaluated within one week of the testing date. Once the examiner has marked the test and scored it, he/she should send the score and comments to the student, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Director of Graduate Studies. The exam itself may also be given to the student.

Tests that receive 3 or 4 should be sent to the student and to the director of Graduate Studies. Tests that receive a score lower than 3 should be returned to the student so that the student can review the work and prepare for a retake.   

Retaking/Practice with the Test

It is understood that because the student is not charged for this service, the faculty member is not obliged to offer a practice test or any form of coaching. If the student needs to retake the test, the retake should be scheduled at least one month after the date of the previous test. A student may retake the test as many times as needed – but not more than once a month.

5.3 – Guidelines for Reading Comprehension and Article Summary Examinations (Options 4 and 5)

If you wish to satisfy the requirement through one of these options, please see the Director of Graduate Studies for further consultation.

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