Translation and Interpreting

Overview

Why choose this course

The Translation and Interpreting offered by the University of Surreyhas a strong practical component to suit the needs of the translation and interpreting market today, enabling you to develop a professional CV as you study. We’re one of the UK’s top translation and interpreting research centres, with more than three decades of experience in postgraduate education and research training.

We focus on exciting and newly developing areas of the discipline, such as translation and interpreting technologies, distance/remote interpreting, hybrid modalities of interpreting, machine translation, translation process research, translation as intercultural mediation, corpus-based translation, audiovisual translation and multi-modality studies.

The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) has developed an ambitious new research programme on the responsible integration of human and automated approaches to translation and interpreting. This programme informs our teaching and future-proofs your career in this evolving industry..

What you will study

Our internationally-recognised MA combines translation and interpreting studies with a strong focus on technology. This allows graduates to meet the demands of the global market and current challenges for the language industry and work environment.

We offer Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish paired with English (languages subject to availability and/or demand). Other languages may be available upon request, subject to a minimum number of students.

You'll develop skills in translation and interpreting (consecutive, dialogue interpreting and sight translation), delivered on-site and remotely via audio/video link. Lectures enable you to understand, discuss and justify translation and interpreting-related decisions.

Practical modules are taught by experienced professional interpreters and translators, simulating realistic scenarios and covering a variety of specialisms (e.g. business, legal, scientific, technical, medical domains). Our range of optional modules will focus on the creative, technological, business and research dimensions of translation and interpreting, allowing you to customise your learning experience according to your own strengths, personal tastes and career ambitions.

To conclude your MA, you can choose between a topic-based dissertation, an extended translation/interpreting project and analytical commentary, or a work placement plus a critical report.

During your studies, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate academic and professional excellence by winning prizes. These include the following:

• RWS Campus Top Student Award (two Trados licenses)
• Project management training (one free-of-charge place in the Pro PM Training and Certification Programme)
• Professional Engagement Portfolio Prize
• Best Dissertation in Translation and Interpreting Prize.

Career prospects

Local and international companies from the language industry who have an active interest in Surrey graduates come to our Centre for Translation Studies. They explain what current and future opportunities they have, providing a chance for you to engage with them directly and kick-start your career in an informal, friendly atmosphere.

Our emphasis on professional development means that you will be well-equipped to begin work as a freelance or in-house translator or interpreter, or as a project manager for business, international organisations and public bodies.

The language services industry continues to grow despite a challenging international economic climate. Globalisation and technological innovation open up new markets and create novel demands for multilingual interpreting services to exchange knowledge and communicate with clients. As an MA Translation and Interpreting graduate and qualified language professional, you will be able to take advantage of global employment opportunities.