PhD in Languages and Translation Studies
- Research Director
- Churnjeet Mahn
- Programme length
- Full-time: 33-48 months , Part-time: 45-96 months
- Programme start date
- October, January, April, July
At the core of our PhD programme are the regular meetings which you will have with your supervisors. For us, writing is key to understanding and developing new perspectives: you will be submitting written work from the very start. In the first year, you will – with the guidance and support of your supervisors – lay the foundations of your research by refining your research proposal, engaging with the literature and planning the structure of your work, based on an agreed timetable.
Key to the planning of your work is training in generic skills (for example, giving presentations, managing your time) as well as participation in a module in research methods. You will gradually learn to work more independently as you progress into your second and third years (or the equivalent for part-time students). We particularly welcome topics which cross disciplinary boundaries.
Entry Requirements
For Translation Studies, a good Bachelors degree and/or Masters degree in translation studies (translation, audiovisual translation, interpreting), in languages (with a literary or linguistic background), or in related subject areas is required. For other topics, a good Bachelors degree in linguistics, applied linguistics, education, languages (including literature) or in related subject areas is required. Applicants wishing to pursue doctoral studies in audio description or intralingual subtitling (SDH) only require a high level of proficiency in English.
English language requirements
IELTS minimum overall: 6.5
IELTS minimum by component: Writing: 7.0
Fees and Funding
Fees
| Study mode | UK/EU fees | Overseas fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £3,900 | £11,550 |
| Part-time | £1,950 | Available soon |
Funding
The School of English and Languages is committed to the continuous development of their doctoral programmes. An important role in this commitment is played by the Faculty Studentship Programme, which each year fully funds a number of three-year studentships covering tuition fees at the Home/EU rate and maintenance at current research council rates, in order to support excellent research projects.
Languages and Translation Studies at Surrey
Our research explores many different aspects of languages and translation studies including applied language studies, intercultural studies and sociolinguistics. In translation studies, research reflects the evolving nature of the discipline, encompassing topics such as new technologies, audio description, sociological perspectives on translation and innovative practices in interpreting. The Centre for Translation Studies (founded 1982) enjoys an international reputation for its research and is staffed by scholars who are actively involved in the national and international research scene in translation and interpreting.
Research
Proposals for research projects are welcome in the following areas:
Translation and Interpreting Studies
- Audiovisual translation, including intermodal translation e.g. audio description
- Interpreting, with a special focus on business and public service interpreting, new technologies in interpreting (remote/videoconference interpreting) and spoken-language research and its applications in interpreting and interpreter training
- Text corpora—including spoken corpora—as a basis for studies of translation, terminology and interpreting; corpus-linguistic methods in translation, terminology and interpreting
- Terminology studies, computerised terminology and terminography
- Cultural policy making/questioning
- Languages for special purposes and specialised translation
- Humour theory and (audiovisual) translation
- Linguistic/text-linguistic/pragmatic aspects of translation
- Modelling the discourse process of (audiovisual) translation and interpreting
- Paratextual framing of translated texts; ideology and/of translation
- Sociological approaches: social movements and translation, translation and agency
- Strategic and pragmatic dimensions of (audiovisual) translation and interpreting
- Translation and language learning
- Translator and interpreter education and training
Language Studies
- Intercultural communication with a focus on pragmatics
- Other topics according to staff interests
Research environment
Our PhD students are provided with office space, access to a computer and excellent library facilities in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of a multilingual and multicultural community of students and scholars with international reputations in their field. Software is available to support corpus-based analysis, subtitling, computer-assisted translation/terminography and audio-description topics, as well as state-of-the-art interpreting facilities with integrated videoconferencing. Students also participate in research training days, student-led Day Schools and an annual postgraduate research conference organised by the University’s very active postgraduate research community. In addition, they are encouraged to participate in international conferences, for which we provide capped financial support to promote the presentation and publication of papers. Some funding may be available for essential research trips.
Contact us
For general enquiries
0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681 681
For admissions enquiries
+44 (0)1483 681 681