Greater orientation for international higher education
Research and teaching are carried out within international networks, as are many administrative processes. The need for reliable information in English—whether HR forms or administrative regulations—is growing accordingly. That’s where the NRW Coordination Office comes in: It seeks to pool existing resources, prevent the unnecessary duplication of work and provide centralized access to English-language documents that are relevant across universities in NRW.
During the initial setup phase, the NRW Coordination Office is mapping which English-language documents and bilingual resources, such as glossaries or terminology, are already available at NRW’s 36 public universities. This information will help set future priorities.
At the same time, a digital platform is under development, set to go live by the end of April. This will serve as the primary access point for sample translations and other materials. Universities will be able to submit translation and proofreading requests via this platform or via email.
Drawing on proven expertise
One of the reasons for establishing the NRW Coordination Office in Bonn was the strong structures already in place. The University of Bonn set up its Central Translation Service within the International Office back in 2019 as a means of reducing language barriers and strengthening its international outreach. Initially, the Central Translation Service focused on translating texts, forms and other content from German into English; a year later, it also took on the coordination of editing services for academic texts in English in collaboration with an external provider.
Today, the Central Translation Service advises staff on all language and translation issues and maintains the University’s German-English glossary and English style guide. Since 2021, its language specialists have also offered an interpreting service for key meetings and public events at the University of Bonn.
A central hub to drive synergies
A few other German states already have similar offices to coordinate translations of cross-university importance or make shared language resources available. In discussions among the universities in NRW, the idea emerged to set up a similar state-wide coordination office here. This led to an application being submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Science of NRW in collaboration with representatives of the universities and the University Rectors’ Conference. In 2025, the University of Bonn’s application was approved, with financing provided through the NRW Future Fund (Zukunftsfonds) for an initial two-year period.
Professor Birgit Ulrike Münch, Vice Rector for International Affairs, stated: “International collaboration relies on solid linguistic foundations, including in administration. With the NRW Coordination Office, we are putting in place a structure that provides concrete support to universities in North Rhine‑Westphalia.” Professor Petra M. Vogel, Prorector for Students and Junior Faculty, Diversity, and International Affairs at the University of Siegen, was also one of the earliest proponents of the project: “Experience from other German states shows that a state-wide coordination office can deliver real value in the field of higher‑education translation. There’s a key focus on connecting existing structures in a meaningful way and creating synergies. I’m very pleased that an office like this could also be set up in NRW.”
The project aims to build a fully functional platform that
- taps into synergies in the translation field and avoids the same work being done multiple times;
- expands the range of information available in English;
- supports university translators, administrative staff and researchers in implementing internationalization strategies.
Services designed to meet real needs
When the platform launches at the end of April, it plans to offer the following services:
- Translations (German to English) of documents that are relevant for all universities in NRW
- A bilingual (German/English) terminology database
- Topic-specific glossaries that can also be integrated into machine translation tools or used in the context of AI-supported translation
- Machine translations for universities that don’t have the relevant licenses themselves
- Proofreading
- Training sessions, especially on the effective use of machine translation tools
Particularly when it comes to machine translation or the use of AI in a translation context, there is growing demand for guidance. That’s why training sessions will aim to give practical tips on how these tools work, where they fall short and what else needs to be considered in practice, for example data protection requirements or established institutional terminology.
Collaboration across the network
The NRW Coordination Office will partner closely with NRW’s 36 public universities. Each institution will receive access to the platform and can use the services offered. Regular exchange formats, a newsletter and feedback channels are also in the works.
The NRW Coordination Office sees itself explicitly as a service provider and networking hub that offers support, but does not establish binding standards. The translations and terminology recommendations provided aim to offer universities guidance and complement their internal language resources.
Significance for the University of Bonn
This state-wide office further embeds the University of Bonn in the cross-institutional structures of higher education development in NRW. At the same time, the NRW Coordination Office aligns perfectly with the University’s Internationalization Strategy, which explicitly calls for the expansion of English-language information resources.
Contact:
NRW Coordination Office for Translation Matters in Higher Education at the University of Bonn: landeskoordinationsstelle.nrw@uni-bonn.de