Russian Translation and Interpretation (Russian/Turkish)

Russian Translation and Interpreting (Rusça Mütercim ve Tercümanlık) is a four-year bachelor's that trains professional translators and interpreters between Russian and Turkish. İstanbul Okan University teaches it in Russian and Turkish for $4,500 a year in 2026/27, or $4,275 if the year is paid in advance. Graduates of full secondary schooling in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan are exempt from Okan's Russian preparatory programme, so the key entry question for most applicants is their Turkish.

The degree is built for a two-way language pair. You translate and interpret from Russian into Turkish and from Turkish into Russian, so both languages have to reach a professional level. Native Russian speakers usually need the most work on Turkish; Turkish speakers on Russian.

Demand for the pair comes from trade, tourism, construction and energy projects, healthcare for international patients, courts and notaries, and media. The programme therefore mixes language work with specialised translation and practical interpreting.

Okan's published course descriptions give a clear picture of the progression. The outline below groups them roughly by stage of study; exact codes and semesters are in the university's course plan.

Ask how many hours you will spend in interpreting booths or labs, whether consecutive and simultaneous interpreting are both taught, and which computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools appear in the curriculum. These make the difference between a language degree and a professional one.

• a completed secondary-school certificate with transcript; if you studied your whole school programme in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan, Okan exempts you from its Russian preparatory programme;
• Turkish: a B2 certificate from an institution with a TÖMER centre, issued within the last two years, followed by an interview; otherwise Okan's Turkish proficiency exam, and at least one semester of Turkish preparation if you do not pass;
• a passport and translated school documents, and after admission the equivalence certificate (denklik) from a Turkish education attaché abroad or through the e-Denklik system in Turkey;
• for applicants whose Russian is not native, Russian preparatory study; Okan offers preparatory teaching in Russian, Turkish, English and Chinese.

Because the programme uses two languages of instruction, check both levels before applying. A native Russian speaker with no Turkish should expect a preparatory period before starting the first year.

1. A year before. Start or continue Turkish; a B2 certificate from a TÖMER centre saves time if it is under two years old when you enrol.
2. Six months before. Prepare your school certificate, transcript and passport; check whether your schooling qualifies for the Russian preparatory exemption.
3. Application. Apply online; Okan issues a letter of acceptance, which you use for the visa application.
4. Visa. Inform the university before you apply for a student visa at the Turkish embassy or consulate, which decides; applicants from visa-exempt countries do not need a student visa.
5. Arrival. Take the Turkish placement test if you have no valid certificate, register, and apply for the residence permit, which the migration authority decides.

• Both directions. Check that translation and interpreting are taught into Russian as well as into Turkish.
• Interpreting practice. Note-taking, consecutive, liaison and, ideally, simultaneous interpreting should all appear.
• Specialised fields. Trade, law, medicine and technical translation are where paid work is; look for them in the electives.
• Staff. Lecturers who work as sworn translators or conference interpreters bring real texts and contacts.
• Alternatives. Turkish state universities run Russian Language and Literature departments, which are more literary; YÖK Atlas lists current programmes.

The most common mistake is to assume that being bilingual is enough. Interpreting is a trained skill, and employers test terminology, speed and accuracy in both directions.

Source: İstanbul Okan University. The list quotes $4,500 with instalments and a 5% lower price for payment in advance.

Add the cost of any Turkish or Russian preparatory period, housing, health insurance and the residence permit. Okan's deposit is refundable after a visa refusal if you request it within three months, and refunds are processed each January.

Graduates work as in-house translators in trading, logistics, construction and energy companies, as interpreters in hospitals serving international patients, in tourism and hospitality, in translation agencies, in media and publishing, and as freelance translators. Court and notary work in Turkey involves additional appointment procedures set by those institutions.

Build a portfolio during the degree: translated documents in two or three specialised fields, a record of interpreting assignments, and fluency in a third language such as English. International graduates who want to work in Turkey need a work permit, applied for by the employer.