Master’s Degree Awarded to Ms. Amal Abdu Saleh Al-Dowah in Linguistics

Ms. Amal Abdu Saleh Al-Dowah was awarded a Master’s degree in Linguistics with an average of (Excellent) and a grade of (95%) for her thesis titled: Needs Assessment of Translation Students at Yemeni Universities with Reference to Job Requirements of INGOs, which was submitted to the Department of English, Faculty of Languages – Sana’a University. The MA defense was held on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

The MA Viva-voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

#	Committee Members	Designation	University	Position
1	Prof. Abdusalam M. Gh. Al-Ghrafy	Internal Examiner	Sana’a University	Chair
2	Prof. Abdulhameed A. Ashuja’a	Main Supervisor	Sana’a University	Member
3	Assoc. Prof. Abdulmu’min Ali Al-Muntasir	External Examiner	Hodeidah University	Member

The thesis aimed to:

Examine the extent to which translation education in Yemeni universities aligns with the professional competencies required by INGOs in humanitarian contexts.

The research yielded several key findings, summarized as follows:‎

A significant gap between academic training and professional needs: 77.8% of participants reported a lack of alignment, and 83.3% noted insufficient opportunities for practical training.
Only 22.3% agreed that current programs adequately prepare students for INGO-related work.
Conversely, 88.9% stressed the need for training in emerging translation technologies, while 83.4% called for improving communication and professional mentoring.

Based on the findings, the researcher proposed several recommendations, including:

Integrating humanitarian texts and terminology into curricula, with exercises based on authentic NGO documents.
Establishing partnerships with INGOs to provide structured training and embedding practical translation projects that simulate the actual job market into coursework.
Offering workshops on communication skills and CV writing as well as creating mentoring programs linking students with professional practitioners.
Making humanitarian translation content a mandatory component of accredited curricula, including intercultural communication skills.
Facilitating and encouraging collaboration between universities and INGOs.

The defense session was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and interested participants, colleagues and the researcher’s family members.