A program supported by the Khyentse Foundation at the University of Vienna to impart competence in translating Buddhist texts
Buddhist Studies at the Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies (STB) at the University of Vienna builds many of its courses around working with Buddhist textual sources on the basis of the high philological standards needed for translation work. In Vienna, as in other universities, great importance is attached to integrating a wide range of approaches — from such related disciplines as Cross-cultural Studies, Anthropology, and Religious Studies — into its Buddhist Studies curriculum. Buddhist Translation Studies (BTS) at STB seeks to draw upon such disciplines to broaden the base of acquired expertise needed to meet the diverse challenges posed by translation, and to highlight Translation Studies itself as a core component of the wider discipline.
BTS provides a firm grounding in translation theory and in the practical application of it. Students are stimulated to put the necessary effort into mastering such difficult languages as classical Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pāli, and classical Chinese. In the end, recipients of a Tibetan and Buddhist Studies diploma will have acquired the tools needed to pursue a professional career as translators.
This Khyentse Foundation-sponsored program thus supports in a fundamental way the stimulating and multifaced academic pursuit of Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna.