Dreams spun of gold and silk

            Founded in 1980 by Reverend Fathers René CHAMUSSY, SJ, and Roland MEYNET, SJ, the School of Translators and Interpreters of Beirut (ETIB) is dedicated to providing its students with an excellent education that enables them to acquire knowledge, expertise, and soft skills in the fields of translation and interpretation.

            Roland MEYNET was the first director of ETIB. He was called to other missions in South Lebanon a year later, and Jarjoura HARDANE succeeded him, but he then left for Toulouse. René CHAMUSSY then assumed the directorship of the School from 1989 to 1995. Henri AWAISS, the fourth director of ETIB, took over in 1996 and led a successful mandate until 2012, the year the Faculty of Languages (FdL) was established, to which ETIB is now attached. Henri Awaiss was succeeded by Gina ABOU FADEL who, along with a dynamic team of ETIB graduates, pursued the School's tradition of excellence and promoted its qualities in the world of research, innovation, and creativity. Consequently, FdL became the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FdLT).

In 2015, ETIB expanded its international reach by launching a Master’s program in Translation at the USJ Dubai Campus. This initiative reflects the School’s commitment to meeting the growing demands of the professional market in the Arab world and beyond. Located at the crossroads of languages and cultures, the Dubai program offers students a comprehensive education that combines linguistic mastery, intercultural adaptability, and technological proficiency in translation.

In 2025, ETIB entered a new chapter under the leadership of Mary Yazbeck, translator, researcher, and educator - herself a graduate of the School. Her vision builds on ETIB’s founding legacy while embracing the ongoing transformation of the translation and interpreting professions in the age of artificial intelligence. Under her leadership, ETIB is redefining itself as a school of thought and action, where academic rigor, technological innovation, and ethical responsibility converge. The new direction emphasizes polycompetence, technocritical thinking, and international collaboration, preparing a new generation of language professionals to engage the digital age with both skill and humanity.

           Since its foundation, ETIB has aimed to be not only an institution of learning but also a place for reflection. It has held numerous round tables, seminars, and conferences, published annals, and founded a collection called “Sources Cibles,” bringing together works in translation studies.

ETIB, a member of CIUTI (Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes), has received the prestigious EMT (European Master's in Translation) label for its Master in Translation, awarded by the European Commission to a select group of excellent programs in Europe, and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UN.