Masters Degrees (Subtitling)

Our MA Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling is the first of its kind to offer written translation, oral interpreting and film and video subtitling within a single course. This complete and integrated approach to language services is demanding but it provides you with the expertise to work in business, film, TV or tourism.

Our course is offered with the combination of English and one of French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. You can be a native or near-native speaker of any of these languages, as you learn to translate to and from both languages. You work with native speakers in developing your ability to move accurately and quickly between your chosen language and English in a variety of contexts.

Explore our hands-on, practical modules, including:
-Principles of Translations and Interpreting
-Translation Portfolios
-Interpreting practice
-Technologies of Translation,
-Subtitling

We are one of the largest and most prestigious language and linguistics departments in the world, a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014), placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and ranked among the top 150 departments on the planet according to the QS World University Rankings 2016 for linguistics.

If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex.

Our expert staff

Our lecturers are skilled interpreters and translators, experienced in training students with the necessary skills for professional practice. We maintain excellent student-staff ratios with capped language-specific seminars.

Our lecturers come from around the world including France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Cuba, China, and the UK. They will share their expertise with you in the areas of professional translation.

Specialist facilities

-Our state-of-the-art interpreting lab provides you with simultaneous interpreting booths in a professional business setting for both classwork and practice
-You also have access to LTB 6, a conference facility for up to 350 people with simultaneous interpreting booths, for interpreting live conferences and lectures
-24-hour self-access to our translation lab dedicated to translation students
-Use specialist software such as SDL Trados Studio 2015 and MemoQ for technical translation, Televic and Brähler equipment for Interpreting and WinCaps Qu4ntum for Subtitling
-Use our professional recording studios to video record a small audience or for presentations
-Weekly multilingual interpreting conferences, field trips and workshops led by internationally renowned experts from the industry
-Our Languages for All programme offers you the opportunity to study an additional language alongside your course at no extra cost

Santander Scholarship

Our €5,000 Santander Scholarship, funded by Santander Group, is available for this course on the basis of your academic merit.

Latin American Scholarship (including Caribbean)

Our £4,950 Latin American Scholarship is available for this course, if you're from Latin American or the Caribbean.

Your future

This course can lead to you having a career in tourism, business or in international organisations . You will gain key employability skills such as researching, writing for specific purposes, translation, interpreting and subtitling.

We work with the University’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we also offer supervision for PhD and MPhil. We offer supervision in areas including language acquisition, language learning and language teaching, culture and communication, psycholinguistics, language disorders, sociolinguistics, and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.

Our graduates are successful in a wide variety of career paths. They leave Essex with a unique set of skills and experience that are in demand by employers.

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MA Chinese-English Translation and Interpreting should interest you if you want to build your language proficiency in Chinese and English and further develop the translation and interpreting techniques that are required by employers.

Building on our internationally recognised expertise in the teaching of practical foreign language skills, our course offers written translation, oral interpreting and film and video subtitling in a single programme. By the end of your studies, you will have developed the practical language and key skills necessary for employment in professional translation, interpreting and subtitling.

Our course will build on the knowledge and skills you acquired in your previous studies, and is unique in the emphasis it places on hands-on training. With the help of native speakers, you learn how to use your language skills to translate, interpret and subtitle effectively, using the latest industry-standard software, in a culturally sensitive way.

You cover topics including:
-Bilateral, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
-Technologies of translation
-Effective note-taking
-Written translation
-Subtitling

We are one of the largest and most prestigious language and linguistics departments in the world, a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014), placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and among the top 150 departments on the planet (QS World University Rankings 2016).

If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex.

This course can also be studied up to a PGDip level, for more information, view this web-page: http://www.essex.ac.uk/courses/details.aspx?mastercourse=PG00480&subgroup=2

Our expert staff

Our staff are internationally renowned. Their books dominate the reading lists at other universities. All our language teachers are native or bilingual speakers, we maintain excellent student-staff ratios, and we integrate language learning with linguistics wherever there is synergy.

Our lecturers on the MA (Dan Chen, Nan Zhao and Yanxi Wu) are professional interpreters and translators experienced in training students in the necessary skills for professional practice.

Specialist facilities

-Our new interpreting lab provides 10 booths to interpret conferences with up to 20 interpreters
-Use our lecture theatre equipped with five interpreting booths, and the capacity to interpret lectures of up to 350 people – we are the only university in the UK with such facilities
-We regularly use two multimedia language teaching labs equipped with top-of-the-range computers integrating audio-visual projectors and large screens
-Use specialist software such as SDL Trados Studio 2014 and MemoQ for technical translation, Avidanet Live and Black Box for Interpreting and WinCaps Qu4ntum for Subtitling
-Use our professional recording studios to video record a small audience or for presentations
-Attend our exciting programme of research seminars and other events
-Our Languages for All programme offers you the opportunity to study an additional language alongside your course at no extra cost

Your future

Our course directly leads to a career in translation, interpreting and subtitling, in the media, business and tourism between the English-speaking world and China.

We work with the University’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we also offer supervision for PhD and MPhil. We offer supervision in areas including language acquisition, language learning and language teaching, culture and communication, psycholinguistics, language disorders, sociolinguistics, and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.

Example structure

-Business Interpreting I
-Consecutive Interpreting III
-Principles of Translation and Interpreting
-Simultaneous Interpreting III (optional)
-Subtitling: Principles and Practice
-Specialised Translation
-Written Translation II
-Dissertation
-Simultaneous Interpreting II
-Technologies of Translation II and Post Editing (optional)

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About the course

You’ll learn the theory and practice of screen translation, and gain the technical knowledge and skills needed to work in this specialised area. By studying the theory and working on practical subtitling projects, you’ll find out how the profession works and develop an awareness of the linguistic and cultural issues involved.

We’ll help you develop your ability to translate from at least one language (current translation options are: from English into Arabic, Chinese, Polish and Italian or translation from Czech, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish into English).

Your career

Our reputation for excellence means your MA will be highly respected by employers. You’ll develop the skills to work in translation, culture and communication internationally or in the UK. Recent graduates have gone on to work for employers such as SDL, Transact, The Big Word, Kaplan, the University of Leeds, the State University – Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Centre for French and Francophone Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and as International Projects Director at a South Yorkshire College.

You may also choose to follow in the footsteps of students who have continued to PhD and have been awarded highly prestigious grants for PhD study such as Wolfson and WRoCAH scholarships.

About us

We constantly review and revise our degrees to make sure you keep on top of the latest developments in the field. You’ll learn academic theory and practical skills – and how to relate the two.

Sheffield is at the forefront of modern languages research. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranks us among the top ten Russell Group universities for impact in this field. Recent projects include e-learning and knowledge exchange with industry, and three initiatives looking at language teaching and learning.

Our facilities

You can practise your English, French, German, Italian or Spanish with native speakers at our Modern Languages Teaching Centre. Our specially designed building has modern spaces for teaching and research. We’re right next to the other arts and humanities departments, and there are lots of opportunities to share ideas.

Core modules

Theory and Practice of Subtitling; Advanced Translation of a Language; Subtitling Project; Dissertation.

Examples of optional modules

Film Translation of Literary Classics; Concepts and Approaches in Intercultural Communication; Critical Reading and Writing at MA Level; Approaches to Translation Genres; Language in Context; Intercultural Communication; International Project Management; Localisation for Linguists; International Management; Localisation
for Linguists.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching takes place through lectures, seminars, small-group work and workshops. You’ll be assessed by essays, presentations, practical subtitling projects, translation assignments, a translation exam and a dissertation.

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This is the only degree which offers students the opportunity to specialise as a translation expert in audiovisual translation and in the translation of popular culture.

Who is it for?

This course is for you if you:
-Are interested in popular culture, films, TV, literature, comics or graphic novels
-Love languages, other cultures and their differences
-Are interested in translation and want to learn about systematic decision-making
-Know about translation and want to specialise
-Have an amateur or fan background in translation and want to become a professional
-Have studied foreign languages, linguistics, literature, media, film, theatre, drama or cultural studies.
-Are looking for a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of translation.
-Want to gain an insight into professional practice in audiovisual translation or in literary translation.

The course aims to make students fit for the market as properly trained and highly qualified translation experts.

Objectives

This course:
-Provides you with training in audiovisual translation techniques.
-Uses industry-standard software for subtitling, dubbing and voice over.
-Specialises in the translation of children’s literature; crime fiction; science fiction and fantasy; comics, graphic novels, manga and video games.
-Introduces you to the different conventions and styles associated with popular culture in its varied forms and genres.
-Focuses on the specifics of genre translation and how these shape translation decisions.
-Provides a theoretical framework for the practical application of translation, working with a wide range of source texts from different popular genres and media.

The course:
-Aims to give you a secure foundation in theoretical strategies underpinning and supporting the practice of translation.
-Develops your awareness of professional standards, norms and translational ethics.
-Works closely with professional translators and the translation industry helping you to develop a professional identity.
-Has optional modules in dubbing, translation project management, screenplay translation and publishing.

Placements

There are no course-based placements on this course. Literary translation does not offer placements, while audiovisual companies offer internships which are competitive.

We support and guide our students through the application process for audiovisual translation internships and have a very good record of achievement. Each year, several of our students win one of these very competitive internships and they tend to be offered full time work on completion.

The course is very industry-oriented and we work closely with the translation industry. Industry professionals teach on the course, supervise students or give guest seminars and lectures.

Academic staff have run Translation Development courses, for example in genre translation for professional translators for the Chartered Institute of Linguists, and they are involved in running Continuing Professional Development courses in specialised translation.

We run a preparatory, distance learning course for the professional Diploma in Translation examined by the Chartered Institute of Linguists. We organise a Literary Translation Summer School each July which is taught by professional, literary translators and with lectures by prestigious translators, academics or writers.

The Translation department runs the John Dryden Translation Competition for the British Comparative Literature Association. The competition is sponsored by the British Centre for Literary Translation and the Institut Français. We offer one internship per year in working on this Translation Competition, interacting with translators, translation judges, managing competition entries and learning about the judging process.

Teaching and learning

The course is taught by academics, industry professionals (for example, audiovisual translation project manager) and translation professionals (for example, award winning literary translators, experienced subtitlers).

Teaching is delivered in a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and lab-based sessions for audiovisual translation. In workshop sessions students work individually, in pairs, group work or plenary forum in a multilingual and multicultural environment.

In all translation modules, there is also a translation project prepared in independent guided study under the supervision of a translation professional in the student’s language pair and language directionality. You can expect some on-line learning, supported by seminar sessions, and industry visits to audiovisual translation companies.

In the Translation project management module, students work in project groups performing real-life translation roles and tasks in a collaborative environment.

Assessment

Assessment is 100% coursework – there are no examinations.

Coursework assignments are a mixture of essays, translation projects, translation commentaries, subtitling and voice over files or project work. The dissertation is 12,000 to 15,000 words long and can either be a research project on any topic relevant to Audiovisual Translation or Popular Literary Translation / Culture or it can be practice oriented: a translation of an extended text or AV clip with critical introduction to and analysis of the translation.

Coursework assignments: 66.6% (120 credits)

Dissertation: 33.3% (60 credits)

Modules

There are five compulsory taught modules plus three elective taught modules, selected by the student from a pool of module choices, plus a dissertation which can be a research dissertation or a practice-oriented dissertation of an extended translation with critical introduction and analysis.

Each taught module is an estimated 150 hours of study. Teaching consists of lectures, seminars and workshops plus independent individually supervised work.

The first part of the translation modules is taught in three-hour sessions (lecture + seminar + practical workshop). In the second part of each translation module, students work on a translation project which is individually supervised by a translation professional who gives written feedback on drafts and provides tailored advice and guidance in individual supervision sessions.

Students can expect between ten and 12 hours of classroom-based study per week, plus time spent on preparatory reading, independent study and research, preparation of assignments.

The dissertation is 60 credits and an estimated 600 hours of study. There are four two-hour research method seminars guiding students through the process of writing a dissertation, plus individual supervision sessions.

All taught modules are in term 1 and term 2 (January – April). Term 3 is dedicated to the dissertation (and completion of assignments from term 2 modules).

Core modules
-Principles and practice of translation theory (15 credits)
-Translating children’s literature (15 credits)
-Subtitling (15 credits)
-Translating crime fiction (15 credits)
-Translating science fiction and fantasy (15 credits)

Elective modules - choose three:
-Principles of screenwriting and the translation of screenplays (15 credits)
-Creating and managing intellectual property (15 credits).
-Dubbing and voice over (15 credits)
-Translation project management (15 credits)
-Translating multimodal texts (comics, graphic novels, manga, video games) (15 credits)
-International publishing case studies (20 credits)

Dissertation - 60 credits
-Dissertation option A (discursive/research)
-Dissertation option B (extended translation with critical introduction and analysis)

Career prospects

The degree is designed to produce graduates who are fit for the market, either working in translation agencies / companies or as a freelancer, addressing the need for properly trained and highly qualified translation experts.

Career options come in a wide range of jobs in the translation industry, ranging from self-employed translator, staff translator or localisation expert to editor, researcher or project manager.

Recent graduate destinations include: video game testing and localisation at Testronic Laboratories; video game translation at Sega; Dubbing, subtitling and voice over at VSI London; translation at the World Health Organisation; project management at Maverick Advertising and Design and at Deluxe Media Europe; freelance translator creative and literary texts.

The degree also lays the foundation to continue to a research degree / doctoral study in any area of translation studies. Currently, graduates from the course are pursuing doctoral study at City, specialising in crime fiction translation.

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This MSc is designed to provide first-class training in audiovisual translation and accessibility to the media. The programme offers you the opportunity to develop your translation and language skills, to deepen your understanding of the workings of language as an essential tool of communication and to gain vital experience in the rapidly developing areas of audiovisual translation and translation technology.

Degree information

By focusing on the translation of audiovisual programmes, you'll be equipped with the skills needed for professional work in the translation industry and for research in translation studies. You'll practice translation in specific language pairs and will become conversant with industry standard subtitling software and computer-based translation technology which have been transforming the way in which professional audiovisual translators work.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of five core modules (90 credits), two optional modules (30 credits) and a dissertation/report (60 credits).

Core modules
-Language & Translation
-Translation Technology
-Accessibility to the Media
-Translating for Voiceover & Dubbing
-Subtitling

Optional modules - students choose two optional modules from the list below:
-Language & Automation
-Localisation
-Professional Skills for Translators
-Scientific & Technical Translation
-Medical Translation

Part-time students take optional modules in year two.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 12,000-words consisting of either an annotated translation or a critical discussion of a theoretical aspect of translation.

Teaching and learning
The degree programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, interactive practical seminars, practical translation assignments and hands-on experience with a wide range of translation tools and technology. Assessment is carried out through essays, project work, take-home translation assessments and in-class tests.

Careers

Most students find challenging and rewarding work within the translation industry on completion of the degree. Some are working as in-house and freelance translators, while others are active as project managers and translation tools experts in companies such as SDL International, Expedia, Hogarth, TransPerfect, SDI-Media, VSI and Deluxe to name but a few. In addition, the MSc is designed to serve as a basis for a Translation Studies PhD.

Employability
Audiovisual translation is a dynamic and rapidly developing profession, which calls for linguistically talented people with a clear understanding of the issues involved in cross-cultural transcoding and who are able to utilise the latest computer-based tools.
On completion of this MSc, you will be well placed for a fast-track progression in your chosen career. We aim to make you highly attractive to employers within the translation industry and the world of audiovisual communications. In addition, the skills acquired through taking this MSc will be highly relevant if your aim is to establish yourself as a freelance translator.

Why study this degree at UCL?

Located in the heart of London, UCL is excellently placed to offer opportunities for networking and to establish professional contacts. At UCL we prepare you for the professional world by performing different roles within the translation workflow, by translating a wide variety of audiovisual programmes, and by specialising in areas such as subtitling, subtitling for the deaf and the hard-of-hearing, audio description for the blind and the visually impaired, dubbing and voiceover.

We organise a wide range of activities which offer you a unique opportunity for informal contact with professional translators, translation agencies and leading academics. We also work closely with industry partners to ensure that the programme possesses the maximum professional relevance.

You will enjoy working with a team of renowned academics and professional translators, which has gained an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research.

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Summary

The MA in Audiovisual Translation is an internationally leading course in its field, recognised by the European Commission as a European Masters in Translation.

This international leading programme addresses the growing demand for translators with skills in translating audiovisual texts. It covers a range of areas, including subtitling, accessibility (subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing, audio description and live subtitling), multimedia localisation, dubbing and voice-over for films. The programme is open to bilingual students wishing to work between different languages, but it also welcomes monolingual English-speaking students.

This programme places significant emphasis on accessibility in the media and offers a grounding in translation theory and research methods. Through your work with dedicated software and high-tech industry-standard equipment, you will equip yourself with the skills necessary to enter the professional market and the knowledge to pursue further research in this field.

You will be taught by staff who are experts in their field and influence the policies of organisations such as OFCOM. They will bring their professional experience into the classroom, meaning you will always be benefiting from the most up-to -date research and practice.

Roehampton’s location in London means you are ideally situated, as the city has established itself as one of the main centres for translation in the world. Work placements opportunities are also available on the course; in addition to putting the skills you have learnt on the course into practice, you'll also learn valuable new ones, build a strong CV and make vital industry contacts.

Content

This course covers the theoretical and the practical aspects of audiovisual translation. During the course you will address the main theoretical issues shaping translation today and understand how these theories relate to the practice of translation. You will also explore the broad range of approaches to translation, including, but not limited to: linguistic, socio-linguistic, cultural, cognitive, descriptive, gender and postcolonial. You will also gain the practical skills of translation you will require for a career fit for the 21st century. You will learn how to subtitle, to translate for dubbing and voiceover, and/or to provide captioning for the deaf and the hard-of-hearing.

IT skills are central to a translator's work, so we offer a module on ‘Translation Tools’ that will familiarise you with some of the tools you will be using in your professional life. These include terminology databases, translation memory tools, and other computer assisted translation systems.

Other optional modules currently include ‘The Localisation of Video Games’, where you will examine the principles and practices of localisation in the area of multimedia interactive entertainment software. You will gain the practical experience of working with the various types of materials that make up the localisation process, including in-game, user interface, interactive subtitles, online help, voice-over, manuals, packaging, graphics files and official websites.

You will complete your MA with a dissertation, which allows you to apply your understanding, knowledge, analytical, conceptual and personal skills to an in-depth investigation of a translation-related topic.

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Do you want to equip yourself with all the technology and strategies you need to become a fully-fledged professional translator? This course will introduce you to techniques and technology that will significantly develop your own personal translation skills to competently deliver professional literary, technical, and audio-visual translation.

Our hands-on training includes working with native speakers of your chosen language and becoming familiar with the latest technologies used by professionals in their everyday work. You'll also learn aspects of the business side of the translation profession to actively access the translation industry.

Our course is offered with the combination of English and one of Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. You can be a native or near-native speaker of any of these languages, as you learn to translate to and from both languages. You work with native speakers in developing your ability to move accurately and quickly between your chosen language and English.

This course gives you the tools to confidently deal with the translation specific genres like journalistic, promotional, medical- scientific, academic, technical and literary.

Areas of special study include:
-Principles of Translation
-Technologies of Translation I &II and Post editing
-Audio visual translation
-Subtitling
-Intercultural Communication
-Translation Portfolios

We are one of the largest and most prestigious language and linguistics departments in the world, a place where talented students become part of an academic community in which the majority of research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014), placing us firmly within the top 10 departments in the UK and ranked among the top 150 departments on the planet according to the QS World University Rankings 2016 for linguistics.

If you want a global outlook, are interested in human communication, and want to study for a degree with real-world practical value in a world-class department, welcome to Essex.

Our expert staff

Our lecturers are skilled interpreters and translators, experienced in training students with the necessary skills for professional practice. We maintain excellent student-staff ratios with capped language-specific seminars.

Specialist facilities

-24-hour self-access to our translation lab dedicated to translation students
-Use specialist software such as SDL Trados Studio 2015, (in preparation of Trados Certification) MemoQ, Memosource and machine translation for technical translation, WinCaps Qu4ntum for Subtitling.
-Use our professional recording studios to video record interpreting mock and real test.
-Weekly multilingual interpreting conferences, field trips and workshops led by internationally renowned experts from the industry
-Our Languages for All programme offers you the opportunity to study an additional language alongside your course at no extra cost
Latin American Scholarship (including Caribbean)
-Our £4,950 Latin American Scholarship is available for this course, if you're from Latin American or the Caribbean.

Your future

The exponential growth of the translation industry and high demand for highly qualified translators and post-editors make it an ideal time to study translation. Our course will enable you to become fully fledged translators (including audio-visual translation), post-editors and proof-readers with a good knowledge of the business aspect of this art.

We work with the University’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we also offer supervision for PhD and MPhil. We offer supervision in areas including language acquisition, language learning and language teaching, culture and communication, psycholinguistics, language disorders, sociolinguistics, and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.

Our graduates are successful in a wide variety of career paths. They leave Essex with a unique set of skills and experience that are in demand by employers.

Example structure

-Principles of Translation and Interpreting
-Translation Portfolio I (Italian) (optional)
-Audiovisual Translation
-Technologies of Translation
-Translation Portfolio II (Italian) (optional)
-Technologies of Translation II and Post Editing
-Subtitling: Principles and Practice
-Intercultural Communication: communicating across languages and cultures
-Dissertation

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A member of CIUTI, this vocational course is designed specifically for starting or advancing a career in translation, and covers specialist translation areas including law, politics, medicine, business, IT, media, subtitling and localisation.

It also includes work placement opportunities to give you a career headstart.

More about this course

The MA Translation is a member of the Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI) - an international association of universities and institutes with translation and interpretation programmes.

Designed specifically for starting or advancing a career in translation, the course is open to qualified graduates and translators seeking a professional qualification in specialised translation to enhance their career.

The programme aims to equip students with the required knowledge and skills to succeed in the industry, where the need for qualified translators able to communicate complex, specialised material has never been greater. The course has a vocational emphasis on specialist translation, focusing on areas such as law, politics, medicine, business, IT media, subtitling and website and software localisation and translation of institutional documents.

You will have the opportunity to translate using the following languages paired with English (translating into mother language): Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

One of the strong features of the course is the work placement with reliable employers in the translation industry. The course also benefits from strong links with international organisations (EU and UN).

Here's a selection of translation technology software used in our courses:
-SDL Trados Studio
-SDL MultiTerm
-Wordfast Anywhere
-Crowdin - Localization Management Platform
-Memsource - The Translation Platform

Students are assessed via a variety of methods including translations, commentaries, essays, portfolios, work placement report and the MA dissertation.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2016/17 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:
-Characteristics of Specialised Texts (core, 20 credits)
-Independent Research Project (core, 30 credits)
-Independent Translation Project (core, 30 credits)
-The Translator and the Specialised Text (core, 20 credits)
-The Translator and the Translation Process (core, 20 credits)
-Translation Tools and the Translator (core, 20 credits)
-Work Placement (core, 20 credits)
-Subtitling (option, 20 credits)
-Translating for International Organisations (option, 20 credits)
-Website and Software Localisation (option, 20 credits)

After the course

This course is an excellent preparation for career opportunities in translation agencies, EU and international institutions, multinational companies, news corporations, government bodies or work on freelance basis.

A substantial built-in part of the course is the work placement, which is an opportunity to gain hands-on professional experience with one of the many translation service providers in the UK and, whenever possible, with the UN and the EU. These placements may lead to longer-term work opportunities for our graduates.

Some of our students also go on to further advanced study (PhD).

Moving to one campus

Between 2016 and 2020 we're investing £125 million in the London Metropolitan University campus, moving all of our activity to our current Holloway campus in Islington, north London. This will mean the teaching location of some courses will change over time.

Whether you will be affected will depend on the duration of your course, when you start and your mode of study. The earliest moves affecting new students will be in September 2017. This may mean you begin your course at one location, but over the duration of the course you are relocated to one of our other campuses. Our intention is that no full-time student will change campus more than once during a course of typical duration.

All students will benefit from our move to one campus, which will allow us to develop state-of-the-art facilities, flexible teaching areas and stunning social spaces.

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This challenging and exciting programme will introduce you to key methods and approaches in translation studies, specialising in the processes and practices of audiovisual translation.

You’ll work between English and one or two languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. You’ll also have the chance to study modules informed by research taking place at our Centre for Translation Studies on topics such as computer-assisted translation, machine translation, interpreting and genre analysis.

Leading researchers work alongside contracted practitioners to equip you with a range of practical skills, as well as a solid understanding of the principles that underpin audiovisual translation. It’s an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills to launch an exciting career in a growing industry.

Specialist facilities

We have excellent facilities and resources to support your studies. Our Electronic Resources and Information Centre (ERIC) supports all of our translation programmes, complete with 59 high-spec PCs and a wide range of specialist software for translation and subtitling.

The Centre for Translation Studies is also constantly compiling and updating very large corpora of texts in digital form so you can analyse source texts and produce more idiomatic translations. If you want to try your hand at interpreting, you will have the option to do so in our state-of-the-art conference suites.
This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months, or as a Postgraduate Diploma qualification.

Course Content

You’ll focus on computer-assisted audiovisual translation throughout this programme using a wide range of professional software tools. In addition to the processes and practices of professional audiovisual translation, core modules will introduce you to essential concepts in translation studies

In addition you’ll choose optional modules specialising in translation from one or two languages, while you can also choose from modules informed by the research of our experts in key areas such as computer-assisted translation, machine translation or genre analysis. You’ll also complete a summer project by the end of the programme in September, which could take the form of extended translations, a dissertation or subtitling project.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules each year.

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Summary

This programme aims to address the growing demand for translators with skills in translating technical texts.

The programme will familiarise you with the sociocultural, linguistic and technical dimensions that characterise specialised multilingual material. Through working with dedicated software and high-tech industry standard equipment, you will learn the skills you need to enter the professional market and gain the knowledge to pursue further research in this field.

There is a particular emphasis on learning translation tools (in particular SDL Trados) and on localisation, especially for video games. This programme is not limited to specific language pairs. You can work into and out of English and another language of your choice.

You will be taught by staff who are leaders in the field of translation and whose work has influenced organisations such as OFCOM. They work closely with industry and bring in key professionals in the field to teach and give talks, thus helping you to make vital industry contacts.

Roehampton boasts state-of-the-art language labs with cutting-edge translation software, including SDL Trados, Swift and WinCAPS. The lab also features a training suite and an open access area where you can work independently.

In recent years our graduates have found work with a broad range of organisations including: media companies and broadcasters such as the BBC, France TV, and RTVE; subtitling companies such as IMS, Deluxe, ITFC; and translation and localisation providers including Pole To Win, London Translations and JF Traduções e Interpretações.

As a Specialise Translation student you will become a member of the Centre for Research in Translation and Transcultural Studies, which promotes excellence in research into translation-related areas including language learning, audiovisual translation, accessibility to the media and other areas of translation.

Content

This course covers the theoretical and the practical aspects of specialised translation. In the compulsory module ‘Technical and Scientific Translation’ you will practice your skills in translating highly specialised documents into your chosen language. During the course you will also address the main theoretical issues shaping translation today and understand how these theories relate to the practice of translation.

IT skills are central to a translator's work so the compulsory module ‘Translation Tools’ will familiarise you with some of the translation tools you will be using in your professional life. These include terminology databases, translation memory tools, and other computer-assisted translation systems. You will be taught how to carry out efficient documentation and make appropriate use of research tools in solving technical and scientific translation problems.

You could also study ‘The Localisation of Video Games’ where you will examine the principles and practices of localisation in the area of multimedia interactive entertainment software. Other optional modules currently include ‘Subtitling: Concepts and Practice’, where you will explore the techniques of subtitle synchronisation using specialised software. MA students will also undertake a dissertation, which will provide you with the ideal opportunity to undertake an in-depth investigation of a translation-related topic that is of interest to you.

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Why take this course?

This well-established programme is a practical, accredited course designed for language graduates and practicing translators, which offers a formal qualification in translating between English and any of a range of languages. It has a strong practical orientation, embracing technology and research skills that are highly relevant to translation as a career.

You can study this as a campus-based or distance learning course.

What will i experience?

On this course you can:

Specialise in translation between English and your choice of language from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian or Spanish
Balance your study between translation skills, technological competence and the acquisition of theoretical methodologies
Follow a programme accredited by the European Masters in Translation network

What opportunities might it lead to?

The MA Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth is an accredited member of the European Masters in Translation Network, and the University is also a member of the OPTIMALE translator training network funded by the Erasmus lifelong learning scheme of the European Commission.

The course includes a strong practical element, as well as a careers element, which enables those who wish to become professionals to understand the basics of staff, agency and freelance translation work.

This course is accredited by European Masters in Translation. The EMT is a partnership project between the European Commission and higher-education institutions offering master's level translation programmes. The project has established a quality label for university translation programmes that meet agreed professional standards and market demands.

Module Details

Our campus programme combines the opportunity for traditional classroom-based teaching, with the flexibility of distance learning. A student can complete the programme (excluding the dissertation) through classroom delivery. Alternatively, they can widen their option choices by selecting one or more units from the distance learning and supervised unit ranges.

A full time student will do one core unit and one option in each teaching block, plus their dissertation. A part time student will do a core unit in each teaching block of year one and an option unit in each teaching block of year two (plus their dissertation).

Core units

Critical Approaches to Specialised Translation:
For the theoretical strand of this unit, students will be introduced to a series of concepts and theoretical frameworks in linguistics and translation studies. This unit makes substantial use of task-based learning in order to help the students to learn to apply these concepts and frameworks to the analysis of translations by other people and to their own translation practice.

Dissertation:
Students have the choice to complete a 15,000 word dissertation on a translation related topic or an extended translation and commentary. (Taken once core unit and options have been passed)

Options: 2 of the following:

Translation Technologies and Subtitling:
This unit is designed to provide students with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with software tools which are relevant and in use in the professional world of translation. It will cover both the theory and the practice of glossary development, translation memory/machine translation usage and subtitling.

Technical Communication:
This unit is designed to develop students’ ability to communicate technical information effectively to specific audiences. It will examine a range of factors that can influence the effectiveness of communication and provide strategies to overcome communication problems

Translation Project:
The Translation Project provides an opportunity for students to produce an extended translation in a domain of their choice. Students will be required to address a range of practical and professional issues, including market demand, time and resource management and billing, and reflect critically on them.

Professional Portfolio:
The Professional Portfolio is designed as a unit which allows students to profile their studies in a way which is academically or professionally important to them on the basis of previous professional experience, a work placement or internship, or any specific interests they may have in translation.

Professional Aspects of Translation:
This course will provide students with tools to maximise their employability in the sector and to enhance their professional business skills.

Please note: Specialised Translation workshops will run on campus depending on student numbers. Students will join the Distance Learning workshop variant of this unit if numbers for a specific language pathway are low on campus.

Programme Assessment

Full time study is one full academic year, consisting of a taught programme from October to June and a research programme, in which the dissertation is written from June to September. Part time students study for a period of two years. Their dissertation is written in the summer period of the second year of study.

The distance learning programme will provide you with online learning materials for the units. These will be supported by asynchronous online discussion with the tutors responsible for the various course units and with other students on the course. You will also be able to communicate with your tutors on a one-to-one basis (e.g. by email, Skype or telephone).

You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will oversee your work throughout the process and you will be encouraged to start thinking about your dissertation from the start of the course and submit a series of interim documents.

Assessments include translations, essays and projects. All translation-related assessments provide the opportunity to practise your translation skills and simultaneously to reflect on this practice. Other assignments will evaluate your technical expertise, research skills, ability to read critically and grasp of the principal theoretical concepts relating to translation.

Student Destinations

Graduates of the MA Translation Studies work in a variety of translation-related roles, in the UK and abroad. The course can enhance a specialism that students already have, or can help develop the relevant knowledge and skills for the profession. It is quite common to begin one's in-house career as a project manager, co-ordinating translation commissions before moving on to work as a translator. Quite a few of our graduates also go into freelance translation. A number of our graduates go on to pursue further research in translation.

Read less

Why take this course?

This well-established programme is a practical, accredited course designed for language graduates and practicing translators, which offers a formal qualification in translating between English and any of a range of languages. It has a strong practical orientation, embracing technology and research skills that are highly relevant to translation as a career.

You can study this as a campus-based or distance learning course.

What will i experience?

On this course you can:

Specialise in translation between English and your choice of language from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian or Spanish
Balance your study between translation skills, technological competence and the acquisition of theoretical methodologies
Follow a programme accredited by the European Masters in Translation network

What opportunities might it lead to?

The MA Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth is an accredited member of the European Masters in Translation Network, and the University is also a member of the OPTIMALE translator training network funded by the Erasmus lifelong learning scheme of the European Commission.

The course includes a strong practical element, as well as a careers element, which enables those who wish to become professionals to understand the basics of staff, agency and freelance translation work.

This course is accredited by European Masters in Translation. The EMT is a partnership project between the European Commission and higher-education institutions offering master's level translation programmes. The project has established a quality label for university translation programmes that meet agreed professional standards and market demands.

Module Details

Our campus programme combines the opportunity for traditional classroom-based teaching, with the flexibility of distance learning. A student can complete the programme (excluding the dissertation) through classroom delivery. Alternatively, they can widen their option choices by selecting one or more units from the distance learning and supervised unit ranges.

A full time student will do one core unit and one option in each teaching block, plus their dissertation. A part time student will do a core unit in each teaching block of year one and an option unit in each teaching block of year two (plus their dissertation).

Core units

Critical Approaches to Specialised Translation:
For the theoretical strand of this unit, students will be introduced to a series of concepts and theoretical frameworks in linguistics and translation studies. This unit makes substantial use of task-based learning in order to help the students to learn to apply these concepts and frameworks to the analysis of translations by other people and to their own translation practice.

Dissertation:
Students have the choice to complete a 15,000 word dissertation on a translation related topic or an extended translation and commentary. (Taken once core unit and options have been passed)

Options: 2 of the following:

Translation Technologies and Subtitling:
This unit is designed to provide students with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with software tools which are relevant and in use in the professional world of translation. It will cover both the theory and the practice of glossary development, translation memory/machine translation usage and subtitling.

Technical Communication:
This unit is designed to develop students’ ability to communicate technical information effectively to specific audiences. It will examine a range of factors that can influence the effectiveness of communication and provide strategies to overcome communication problems

Translation Project:
The Translation Project provides an opportunity for students to produce an extended translation in a domain of their choice. Students will be required to address a range of practical and professional issues, including market demand, time and resource management and billing, and reflect critically on them.

Professional Portfolio:
The Professional Portfolio is designed as a unit which allows students to profile their studies in a way which is academically or professionally important to them on the basis of previous professional experience, a work placement or internship, or any specific interests they may have in translation.

Professional Aspects of Translation:
This course will provide students with tools to maximise their employability in the sector and to enhance their professional business skills.

Please note: Specialised Translation workshops will run on campus depending on student numbers. Students will join the Distance Learning workshop variant of this unit if numbers for a specific language pathway are low on campus.

Programme Assessment

Full time study is one full academic year, consisting of a taught programme from October to June and a research programme, in which the dissertation is written from June to September. Part time students study for a period of two years. Their dissertation is written in the summer period of the second year of study.

The distance learning programme will provide you with online learning materials for the units. These will be supported by asynchronous online discussion with the tutors responsible for the various course units and with other students on the course. You will also be able to communicate with your tutors on a one-to-one basis (e.g. by email, Skype or telephone).

You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will oversee your work throughout the process and you will be encouraged to start thinking about your dissertation from the start of the course and submit a series of interim documents.

Assessments include translations, essays and projects. All translation-related assessments provide the opportunity to practise your translation skills and simultaneously to reflect on this practice. Other assignments will evaluate your technical expertise, research skills, ability to read critically and grasp of the principal theoretical concepts relating to translation.

Student Destinations

Graduates of the MA Translation Studies work in a variety of translation-related roles, in the UK and abroad. The course can enhance a specialism that students already have, or can help develop the relevant knowledge and skills for the profession. It is quite common to begin one's in-house career as a project manager, co-ordinating translation commissions before moving on to work as a translator. Quite a few of our graduates also go into freelance translation. A number of our graduates go on to pursue further research in translation.

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This programme focuses on computer-assisted translation to give you valuable experience of the localisation, project and terminology management tools that are used in professional practice. You’ll also work with students specialising in a wide range of languages to produce multilingual translation projects.

You can specialise in translation between English and one or two languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. In addition, you’ll be able to choose from optional modules informed by the research of our experts on topics such as audiovisual translations, machine translation and genre analysis.

You’ll be taught by both leading researchers and contracted practitioners through our Centre for Translation Studies, to equip you with a good knowledge base and practical skills to launch an exciting career.

Specialist facilities

We have excellent facilities and resources to support your studies. Our Electronic Resources and Information Centre (ERIC) supports all of our translation programmes, complete with 59 high-spec PCs and a wide range of specialist software for translation and subtitling.

The Centre for Translation Studies is also constantly compiling and updating very large corpora of texts in digital form so you can analyse source texts and produce more idiomatic translations. If you want to try your hand at interpreting, you will have the option to do so in our state-of-the-art conference suites.
This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months, or as a Postgraduate Diploma qualification.

Course Content

You’ll focus on computer-assisted translation throughout this programme using a wide range of professional software tools. A core module will run throughout the year developing your skills through multilingual group projects, which also give you valuable experience of translation project management.

You’ll study another core module introducing you to approaches and research methods in translation studies, then choose optional modules to build your specialist written translation skills between English and one or two languages of your choice. You could also choose from any of the research-led optional modules exploring topics such as audio-visual translation or genre analysis.

Throughout the year, you’ll be sharpening your skills and developing your theoretical and practical understanding of translation. You’ll showcase this in your summer project, which you’ll hand in by the end of the course in September.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll take fewer modules in each year and study over a longer period. If you take the PGDip, you’ll study the same content but without completing the summer project.

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Develop high-level interpreting and translation skills on this challenging degree, where you’ll use state-of-the-art technology to gain the knowledge base and practical skills to succeed in the language services industry.

You’ll gain essential skills in interpreting, active listening and note-taking, then build on this foundation by practicing specialised consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in our conference suites. At the same time, you’ll deepen your understanding of translation theory and practice. You can also choose from optional modules informed by the leading research of our staff such as genre analysis, corpus linguistics, computer-assisted translation and machine translation.

Contracted practitioners and leading academics come together in our Centre for Translation Studies. Recognised by the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), this exciting programme will prepare you to succeed in a competitive and rewarding sector.

Centre for Translation Studies

We have excellent facilities and resources to support your studies. Our conference suites are equipped with single and double interpreter booths, and a video link to practice remote interpreting. The Electronic Resources and Information Centre (ERIC) will be the centre of your translation work, complete with 59 high-spec PCs and a wide range of specialist software for translation and subtitling.

The Centre for Translation Studies benefits from close links with organisations such as the Institute for Translation and Interpreting as well as the EU and UN (in Geneva and Vienna). This programme is regulated by a Memorandum of Understanding between the University and the Directorate General for Interpretation and Conferences of the European Parliament – a testament to our success in training conference interpreters.

It’s a great opportunity to prepare for a career in the language services industry in a city that’s full of cultural and linguistic diversity.

Course Content

Throughout the year you’ll be introduced to the key methods and approaches in translation studies in a core module. If English is not your first language, you’ll also take another core module to help you improve your skills in working in the language.

In your first semester you’ll also begin to develop interpreting skills and work on specialized translation in your chosen language. You may continue with translation in the following semester, while you’ll build on your interpreting skills by practicing simultaneous and consecutive and bilateral interpreting.

In either semester, you can choose optional modules on topics like public speaking and genre analysis in translation. You’ll also complete a summer project by the end of the course in September, which could be either a dissertation or two extended pieces of translation work.

All translation modules are offered INTO English, though for some languages we also offer a FROM English module. Because this is the bidirectional version of the course, you’ll train to interpret both ways between one foreign language and English.

Please see our admissions web pages for a list of available language pairs.

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Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study Professional Translation at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

The MA in Professional Translation MAPT (previously Translation with Language Technology) is an integrated programme designed to turn entrants with proven excellence in foreign languages into successful and marketable professional linguists.

Key Features of MA in Professional Translation

The MA in Professional Translation belongs to the European Master's in Translation Network which currently has 64 members throughout Europe with Swansea University being the only EMT member in Wales.

At the core of the MA in Professional Translation lies advanced translation work on general, administrative and technical text types, and training in industry-standard Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. Part 1 of the Professional Translation degree also includes opportunities to develop specialised skills in Public Service Interpreting, audiovisual translation, machine translation (MT) and software localization, terminology management, video making or digital publishing, while in the Translation Work Experience module students form simulated translation companies, working with local translation businesses, and undertake real commissions to professional standards and deadlines.

These different skills come together in a choice of Part 2 projects: either two Extended Translations of the student’s choice, or an academic Dissertation, or a 13-week Internship in a translation company, in the UK or abroad.

Course Content

Part One – Full-time Professional Translation students take three 20-credit (10 ECTS) modules in each of two academic semesters, while part-time students can distribute the same work flexibly over four semesters. There are three compulsory modules: Foundations of Translation and Interpreting, Translation Tools, and one Advanced Translation module from the range of language pairs listed above. Professional Translation students then choose three optional modules. These include: a second Advanced Translation module, History and Theory of Translation, one or two modules in Interpreting, Translation Technologies, Audiovisual Adaptation (subtitling, dubbing, audio description), Terminology Management, Translation Work Experience, or (subject to numbers) Video and Documentary Making, or Visual Communication and Media Design. There is also the option to study a new language intensively (French, German, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish), or to pick up again at intermediate level a language (French, German, or Spanish) not studied since secondary school.

Part Two - An individual project of 60 credits (30 ECTS) which full-time Professional Translation students undertake over the summer (by 15 September), while part-time students have up to a further year. The project can take three forms:

- Two Extended Translations with commentary. These are chosen by the Professional Translation student and offer the opportunity to develop domains of specialisation. At least one must be technical and must be performed using a major CAT tool; or

- Dissertation (15,000-20,000 words). This can be, for instance, on a topic in Translation Studies, a comparison of two or more published translations, terminology research in a specialised domain, or an investigation into aspects of translation technology. The dissertation offers excellent preparation for PhD work, but can also be a valuable indicator of professional expertise (e.g. in terminology or CAT tools); or

- Internship (13 weeks full time, part time pro rata). This is the most vocational option and can be undertaken either in the UK or abroad. We make our extensive list of professional contacts available to students but they must make their own application to companies and pass admissions tests. A successful internship may turn into a first job.

Modules

Modules on the MA in Professional Translation include:

Foundations of Translation and Interpreting
Advanced Translation
Translation Tools
Translation Technologies
Translation Work Experience for MA Students
Terminology Management
Beginners' Language
Intermediate Language
Extended Translations
Translation/Interpreting Internship

Student Quote

“After graduating from Swansea University with a First Class Honours BA Translation degree, I decided to study the MA in Professional Translation (previously Translation with Language Technology) and I also set up a translation business, Veritas, with a fellow graduate. Our business was successful from the outset, and we have experienced high rates of growth year on year. Veritas has won numerous awards, including the HSBC International Business Award in 2010, and we work with companies such as the British Red Cross, Nokia and the NHS. We now employ 9 members of staff and are still growing rapidly. Companies love to work with us, as they can see our passion for language and communication with other cultures. For me, it was a dream to study near the sea, and I loved Swansea so much that I made it a permanent home for my family”.

Rachel Bryan, Professional Translation, MA

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