KudoZ question not available

English translation: rector

11:37 Jan 24, 2013

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Education / Pedagogy / Degree Certificates

Spanish term or phrase: Rector

I know there are already several entries on this, but they don't seem to be very consistent. Most state that "Rector" is the "Vice Chancellor" of a university and I must admit that I thought the same but am now having my doubts. I have a certificate where it appears that the signatory (the Rector) is the same person as the one issuing the certificate (the Rector Magnífico). Well, actually it's being signed on the Rector's behalf, but you know what I mean.

I'm sure that the "Rector Magnífico" is the "Chancellor", and therefore, it would appear that "Rector" may be an abbreviation of "Rector Magnífico", rather than them being two different people (ie Chancellor and Vice Chancellor).

"D. XXX
Rector Magnífico de la Universidad de YYY"

"PD del Rector

El decano/director"

Please also see the links below:

http://www.um.es/estructura/equipo/rectorado/index.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rector_%28academia%29

Would the "Vice Chancellor" be the "Vicerector"?

Thanks very much in advance for any clarification you are able to provide on this.

Ruth Ramsey KudoZ activity Questions: 358 (2 open) (8 without valid answers) (26 closed without grading) Answers: 369 United Kingdom
Local time: 13:21

English translation:rector

Explanation:
"Magnífico" is just his form of address in formal settings. Like when you refer to an MP as "Right Honourable" or an ambassador as "His Excellency". It's still the "rector". Some translate it as "vice-chancellor", but I tend not to because the name of the person in charge of a university varies so much from country to county in the English-speaking world.

The role of the "Chancellor", in the sense used in the UK, doesn't exist in Spanish universities.

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Note added at 7 mins (2013-01-24 11:44:51 GMT)
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The vice-chancellor is not the same as a "vicerector". The vice-chancellor is in practical terms the highest authority in a British university. The chancellor is purely ceremonial. For instance, it might be a member of they royal family.

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Note added at 9 mins (2013-01-24 11:47:09 GMT)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rector_(academia)

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Note added at 12 mins (2013-01-24 11:50:24 GMT)
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In answer to your question, the reason it's often translated as "vice-chancellor" is because a British vice-chancellor has the same role as a Spanish "rector", whereas the chancellor is a role that doesn't exist in Spain. To me, calling a Spanish rector a "vice-chancellor" doesn't make sense, because it implies that there's also a "chancellor" somewhere, when in fact there isn't.

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Note added at 22 hrs (2013-01-25 10:23:15 GMT)
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Also note that the word "rector" has the definition we're looking for in the dictionary: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/rector?q=re...

Selected response from:

Timothy Barton
Local time: 14:21

Grading comment

I still think that "Rector" has more clerical connotations in the UK, but there are also some problems with "Chancellor" and "Vice Chancellor", ie that these exact same roles don't exist in Spain and the role of each is really carried out by the same person. Thanks for your help on this.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +6

rector

Timothy Barton

4 +2

Vice-Chancellor

Yvonne Gallagher

chancellor or president

Patricia Urrutia

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

rector

Timothy Barton
Local time: 14:21
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 82

Grading comment

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks Timothy. So is it because the Chancellor in a UK university isn't usually a member of the teaching faculty that people tend to translate "Rector" as "Vice Chancellor"?

Asker: The problem is that Rector sounds as if it's something to do with the church/clergy here in the UK.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Nikki Graham: I agree, and believe that "Rector Magnífico" is "Rector Magnificus"

15 mins

agree

Charles Davis: I think it's best to use "Rector", though the equivalent figure in almost every UK university is called the Vice-Chancellor, as you say. Really, a Spanish Rector is both Chancellor (titular head) and Vice-Chancellor (chief executive) in UK terms.

1 hr

agree

philgoddard: I think it's irrelevant what they call it in the UK or anywhere else. Rector has an exact English equivalent.

3 hrs

-> This is what I think. To me, this is like when translating "Ministro de Finanzas". Although the UK equivalent is "Chancellor of the Exchequer" we would translate it as "Minister of Finance" or "finance minister".

agree

neilmac: Forget the clergical connotations - in academia, universities can have rectors.

4 hrs

agree

Richard Hill

5 hrs

agree

Mike Yarnold (X): I agree with Nikki Graham Rector Magnificus (in English Latin)

10 hrs

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

Vice-Chancellor

Explanation:
These are murky waters indeed and really the best translation really depends on your target audience (which you haven't given).

With due deference to Timothy, I believe the reason most people use Vice-Chancellor as an equivalent for UK is because "Rector" is just not commonly used. I do agree with him that "Vice-Rector" is certainly not correct here

I take the point about "Vice" implying there is a Chancellor as well but there usually is! OK, so the Chancellor more often than not has merely a figurehead or ceremonial role but really we are seeking the best equivalents.

One of the universities I attended Trinity College Dublin has a Chancellor as figurehead and Pro- (not Vice so there's no confusion) Chancellors to take over in her absence but the academic head or CEO of the university is called the "Provost" a name also used in many other universities, such as Toronto, Michigan and Chicago...but sometimes, the provost is really the Vice-President so further confusion can arise.

http://provost.uiowa.edu/about/whatis.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provost_(education)
http://provost.uchicago.edu/

http://www.tcd.ie/chancellor/

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-01-24 12:56:22 GMT)
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Basically, it's hard to find a one-size-fits-all here. Rector is used in the older universities in Scotland such as St Andrews where the Chancellor and (and step-in Vice or Pro) are the figureheads

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/about/governance/thechancellor/

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-01-24 12:59:23 GMT)
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In that case Ruth, (for the UK) I think "Vice-Chancellor" is the most widely-used and understood

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-01-24 13:03:22 GMT)
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Vice-Chancellor of... Oxford, London, Cambridge, Wales, Birmingham etc.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-24 13:41:44 GMT)
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yes, the Chancelor confers degrees in Trinity as wellhttp://www.tcd.ie/vpcao/administration/records-awards/commen...

I believe in some universities the Chancellor will confer honorary degrees or at least preside over the ceremony

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-24 13:49:14 GMT)
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http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees/honorary/

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/...

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-24 13:54:15 GMT)
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and I also agree with you that "Rector" seems to have more religious connotations in UK

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Note added at 7 hrs (2013-01-24 19:16:04 GMT)
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anyway,I don't understand how Phil can say rector in English (i.e Scottish "rector") and Spanish are equivalents. It's apparent that there IS is NO exact equivalent since there is both Chancellor AND Rector in Scotland and Chancellor AND Provost/Vice-Chancellor elsewhere

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Note added at 1 day39 mins (2013-01-25 12:17:00 GMT)
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there are also quite a few different definitions/meanings for "rector"

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rector

1. A cleric in charge of a parish in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
2. An Anglican cleric who has charge of a parish and owns the tithes from it.
3. A Roman Catholic priest appointed to be managerial as well as spiritual head of a church or other institution, such as a seminary or university.
4. The principal of certain schools, colleges, and universities.

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 13:21
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 110

Notes to answerer

Asker: Sorry, the target audience is UK here.

Asker: It's interesting to see that it's the Chancellor who confers the degrees in Scottish universities.

1 day 2 hrs confidence:

chancellor or president

Explanation:
In the University of Maryland where I graduated, the Diploma was signed by the Chancellor, the President, the Provost and the Vice-chancellor, but the title is given by the Bord of Regents. Who is the head of a university? it varies from country to country. If I were you I follow my instincts. Chancellor I think is the best answer in this case.

Patricia Urrutia
Colombia
Local time: 07:21
Does not meet criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 8

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