MA Translation Studies

Teaching: 10–12 hours per week
Private study: 28–30 hours per week
Dissertation: approximately 600 hours over three months

The CTS regularly organises a varied programme of international events, including, for example:

‘Videoconference and Remote Interpreting in Legal Proceedings’, an international symposium and the first of its kind, organised by CTS to discuss emerging research on these novel forms of interpreting.

‘Audio Description for Visually Impaired People: Towards an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda’, hosted by CTS and sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Studies to provide an interdisciplinary framework for dialogue and future research.

‘Translation and Opposition’, organised by CTS, under the auspices of the publisher Multilingual Matters Ltd, with the aim of bringing together specialists from the UK and other European countries to discuss and debate the conflictive aspects of translation.

‘The Translator as Professional and Scholar: Challenges and New Horizons’, a one-day event to mark the 21st anniversary of our MA in Translation.

An International Translation Symposium hosted by CTS and the Royal Embassy of Norway in London.

‘In So Many Words: Language Transfer on the Screen’, an international conference on audiovisual translation, co-hosted by CTS and the Hispanic Research Centre at the University of Roehampton

You will be taught by both academic staff and experienced practising professionals in a supportive and welcoming atmosphere.

Our academic staff enjoy international reputations in their particular field and bring the insights of their research work into the classroom. You will be challenged to think and develop your own ideas.

Our extensive team of tutors – professionals who work as translators, interpreters, subtitlers and audio describers – bring their knowledge of the marketplace, its conditions and expectations to practice-based classes in which interaction and feedback are the keys to progress.

Our students of translation, interlingual subtitling and interpreting take part in practice-based classes in language-specific groups for which assignments are set throughout each semester. You will get individual feedback on a regular basis from an expert tutor in your chosen language pair throughout the academic year.

Postgraduate students are fully integrated in the life of the Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) and benefit from being part of a larger community in the School of English and Languages, which is in turn part of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences. Research students enjoy the use of a dedicated postgraduate research room.

Mastery of English is vital for success on our translation and interpreting programmes. The Department’s intensive academic English courses are available for students who wish to prepare for their degree programmes starting in the autumn.

These pre-sessional classes are available in five or ten-week sessions between July and September, as well as from October to June. The University sometimes asks for successful completion of our ten-week pre-sessional programme as a condition of entry. Please note that special conditions apply for applicants to the MA Business Interpreting in Chinese and English, for which successful completion of a customised pre-sessional course is required.

Support is also available to you throughout the academic year in study skills and academic writing. You will receive individual attention from our experienced and friendly staff to help you get the most from your degree programme.

• We combine state-of-the-art teaching methods with up-to-date insights from translation and interpreting research
• Our programmes are taught by a combination of academic staff and practising professionals
• We maintain close relations with the profession: CTS has forged close links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting and the Chartered Institute of Linguists, and has an extensive network of visiting professional
• We place equal emphasis on translation/interpreting theory and practice
• Our programmes prepare you for the professional market as well as research; we help you to develop the professional skills required to start a career in your chosen field of translation/interpreting or research
• We offer regular language pair-specific practice throughout the academic year, taught in small groups
• Our programmes enable you to study according to your specific interests; each programme combines a range of compulsory modules with a variety of options
• We provide excellent academic support facilities
• We use state-of-the-art professional translation software, including translation memory, terminology management, subtitling and audio description software; the software is accessible 24/7
• We have a brand-new suite of interpreting labs with videoconferencing facilities for the teaching of interpreting (including remote interpreting) and for self-study
• We offer a supportive environment for learning

The CTS enjoys an international reputation for its scholarship and research across a range of areas in translation and interpreting studies.

Founded in 1982, the Centre offers a full portfolio of programmes from undergraduate through Masters to doctoral level. The Centre is staffed by scholars who are actively involved in the national and international research scenes. Colleagues regularly participate in international conferences, give invited lectures, publish in peer-reviewed journals, produce edited volumes on topical themes with leading publishers, and write monographs, as well as working on funded research projects.

The Centre for Translation Studies is proud of its active links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL). The Centre is a corporate member of the ITI and supports its activities by contributing to courses in continuing professional development. By working together with the ITI and the CIoL, the Centre is keen to promote all branches of translation and interpreting and to work towards establishing and maintaining the highest possible standards.

This route allows you to submit a single combined application for study on a taught Masters programme with further study for a research degree. The initial application should include details of the proposed taught Masters programme and the broad area of the proposed future research. Offers for the 1+3 programme will include progression criteria that will be applied at the end of the taught element, usually in the form of an overall percentage and a minimum performance in the dissertation. This pathway is primarily intended for the MA in Translation Studies but can also be considered for other programmes.