Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

The Centre for Translation Studies is an internationally leading centre for research and teaching in translation and interpreting studies. Our research reflects the evolving nature of the discipline, encompassing a critical understanding of technology-enabled language mediation as well as quality, ethical and social dimensions of a fast-evolving language services industry.

Apply
Digital prospectus
Webinars and events
Register for updates

7,455+ people have created a bespoke digital prospectus (opens in a new tab)

Key course information

Entry requirements
See full entry requirements
Start date
April 2027
Attendance
Full-time
Duration
48/48 months
UK fees
£5,238*
Overseas fees
£21,800
Subject area
Languages, communication, translation and interpreting
Funding
Funding information

Why choose this programme?

  • We combine our knowledge of translation and interpreting as human practices with our expertise in computational linguistics, natural language processing, machine learning/AI, distance communication and human-computer interaction.
  • Our research into social perspectives on translation/interpreting workflows allows us to achieve a responsible integration of human and machine in translation and interpreting.
  • Since our formation in 1982, we have been awarded prestigious research funding that has allowed us to contribute to the theoretical advancement of translation and interpreting studies, applied to the real world. We achieve this by studying the responsible integration of human and technology-enhanced approaches, novel modalities of audiovisual translation and innovative practices in interpreting.
  • We belong to the South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc), a consortium of six leading UK universities promoting inventive and inclusive social science research training and collaboration, as well as the possibility of funding for your studies.
  • Our distance-learning route allows you to pursue doctoral research with full academic support, remote supervision, and access to online resources, without needing to relocate or interrupt your professional and/or caring commitments.
Find out more information

Statistics

10th in the UK

For research impact in English language and literature, with 75% of our research rated as having outstanding impact (Research Excellence Framework 2021)

Course details

Open Close

What you will study

At a time when increasing automation is reshaping language services into one of the fastest growing industries nationally and globally, the ‘technological turn’ in translation/interpreting has created a wealth of opportunities. However, to understand the dimensions of technology’s impact, to mitigate drawbacks and to derive innovative solutions it requires fresh approaches to research.

We are therefore particularly interested in PhD projects investigating how:

  • Professional translators/interpreters interact with, and adapt to, emerging technological ecosystems
  • This is changing professional practice and the products of this practice
  • Human knowledge combined with natural language processing and machine-learning approaches can help design sustainable technology-enhanced solutions in translation/interpreting.

It normally takes three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study to complete our PhD in Translation and Interpreting.

You will be assigned two supervisors, who will guide you through your PhD, meet with you monthly to discuss your progress, and give you feedback and advice on your work. You will also have the opportunity to interact and collaborate with other researchers from the Centre and across the University who work on topics relevant to your research.

As a doctoral student, you’ll receive a structured training programme covering the practical aspects of being a researcher, including grant-writing, publishing in journals, and applying for academic jobs.

Assessment

You will take a confirmation viva at 12-15 months (or 24-30 months part-time).

Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners.

You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Location

You can study for your PhD in person here in Surrey on our Stag Hill campus or by distance learning online.

Research areas

Open Close

Research themes

  • Translation technologies, including computer-assisted translation, translation memories, machine translation and post-editing
  • Interpreting technologies, especially video-mediated interpreting, distance/remote interpreting
  • Audio-visual translation including subtitling, audio-description, re-speaking and other modalities
  • Collaborative translation
  • Translation and natural language processing
  • Bilingual lexicography, corpora and translation
  • Translation process research
  • Translation and interpreting as multimodal activities
  • Translation and interpreting in the context of migration
  • Dialogue interpreting
  • Legal interpreting
  • Multilingual healthcare communication
  • Multilingual copyright
  • Sociological approaches to translation
  • Humour in translation.

Discover more about the research in the literature and languages research.

Research centres and groups

Translation facilities

Centre for Translation Studies

Surrey Morphology Group

Academic staff

Open Close

See a full list of all our academic staff within the Centre for Translation Studies.

Support and facilities

Open Close

Research support

The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College, which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate careers and employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.

Facilities

You will benefit from excellent facilities, including specialist software and hardware for research, for example: software to support computer-assisted translation, linguistic/corpus-based analysis, subtitling, re-speaking and audio-description; software for qualitative and quantitative analysis, eye-tracking facilities and dedicated server space.

We are also home to state-of-the-art interpreting laboratories with ISO-compliant professional interpreting booths, video-conferencing tools, mobile interpreting equipment and access to a remote simultaneous interpreting platform.

You will be allocated desk space, and you will also be able to take advantage of our common rooms for socialising and networking with other students and staff.

Entry requirements

Open Close

UK qualifications

Applicants are expected to hold a good bachelors degree and/or masters degree (2:1 or equivalent) in translation studies (translation, audiovisual translation, interpreting.

For other topics, a good bachelors degree and an MA in a relevant topic is required.

Country-specific qualifications

International students in the United Kingdom

View more country-specific information
Loading...
Find your country requirements

English language requirements

IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6.0 in each individual category and at least 7.0 in the writing component.

These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept.

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

Selection process

Selection is based on applicants:

  • Meeting the expected entry requirements and providing all relevant documents including a satisfactory research proposal
  • Being shortlisted through the application screening process
  • Completing a successful interview
  • Providing suitable references.

Fees and funding

Open Close

Fees per year

Explore UKCISA's website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all postgraduate research courses.

* Please note: any start date other than September will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).

Fee options

UK
£5,238
Overseas
£21,800
UK
£5,238
Overseas
£21,800
UK
£2,503
Overseas
£10,500
UK
£2,503
Overseas
£10,500
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£22,700
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£22,700
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£11,400
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£11,400
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£22,700
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£22,700
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£11,400
UK
To be confirmed
Overseas
£11,400
  • Annual fees will increase by 4% for each year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100 (subject to legal requirements).

Additional costs

There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey.

Funding

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.

Studentships

Browse our frequently updated list of funded studentships open for applications.

South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc) studentship

Awards cover UK tuition fees and provide a stipend at the UKRI home rate on a full-time and part-time basis. The UKRI has not yet announced the fees and stipend for 2027/28, but for the academic year of 2026/27 the UK fees are £5,238 and the stipend is £21,805 (£23,805 if London weighting applies). These PhDs are open to UK and international students and include a full UK or International fee waiver and stipend at UKRI rates.

Register for updates

Open Close

Apply

Open Close

Application process

Applicants should contact potential supervisors before submitting an application via the website. Please refer to section two of our application guidance.

We will be upgrading our application portal from 8am to 10am on 16 October, during which time it won't be possible to access the portal. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Apply online

To apply online first select the course you'd like to apply for then log in.

  1. Select your course

    Choose the course option you wish to apply for.

  2. Sign in

    Create an account and sign into our application portal.

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time, April 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 17 January 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time with Distance Learning, April 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 17 January 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time, April 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 17 January 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time with Distance Learning, April 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 17 January 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time, October 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 11 July 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time with Distance Learning, October 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 11 July 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time, October 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 11 July 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time with Distance Learning, October 2027

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 11 July 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time, January 2028

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 10 October 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Full-time with Distance Learning, January 2028

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 10 October 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time, January 2028

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 10 October 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

Translation and Interpreting Studies PhD

Part-time with Distance Learning, January 2028

Status

Applications:
open
Closing date:
Sunday 10 October 2027
Select

If you are applying through a studentship, there may be an earlier deadline listed on the studentship advert which should be followed. The above closing date is the last day that any applications for this entry point can be submitted.

Apply

After registration

Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.

About the University of Surrey

Manor Park accommodation

Accommodation

We have a range of housing to suit all requirements and budgets. There are more than 5,750 rooms available (en-suite, single-sex, studio flat, shared or single).

MySurrey Nest

Student life

At Surrey we offer a friendly university campus set in beautiful countryside, with the convenience and social life of bustling Guildford on your doorstep.

Need more information?

Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.

Code of practice for research degrees

Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.

Terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you will be agreeing to follow our policies and procedures, student regulations, and terms and conditions.

We provide these terms and conditions at the offer stage. You will be asked to accept these when you accept the offer made to you. You will be provided with these terms and conditions again at registration by way of reminder.

Disclaimer

This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.

Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate; some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.