Course summary
If you have a flair and ear for languages, you may want to study and put your skills to good use in new situations and settings. With demand growing for qualified graduates, a Translation Studies MSc can open doors to a range of exciting international and national careers as well as self-employment options globally. Demand for professional translation and interpreting skills is at an all-time high. Equip yourself with the expert practical knowledge and advanced linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills to enter professional life as a translator or an interpreter and benefit from a rewarding and varied career choice. We offer a broad programme that gives greater flexibility and greater choice to tailor things around your own individual linguistic skills and, just as importantly, around your career aspirations too. Languages on offer include Arabic, French, Gaelic, German, Irish, Mandarin, Spanish and Welsh. Other languages may be offered based on demand. One of the distinguishing features is that you will have the opportunity to specialise in more than one language pairing, should you want to. This is something that could make you a more attractive candidate to a wider range of future employers. In honing your language knowledge, you will enhance your analytical skills which underpin all language work. The year is structured around two core courses and seven option courses, together with a dissertation/translation project completed in the summer term. Core courses are designed to help you to familiarise yourself with the techniques and strategies involved in translating different types of texts (expository, narrative, argumentative, vocative) and with different degrees of specialisation, in a range of subject matters (business, legal, medical) at a professional level, as well as an awareness of the key theories and approaches that have been developed in Translation Studies. You will also develop the ability to critique and engage with foundational theoretical texts. Our option courses bring you the opportunity to perfect your skills in more specialised areas such as translation technologies, liaison interpreting, inter-cultural skills and professional skills for translators; proof-reading, editing, reviewing and issues in literary translation are covered too.
Modules
Develop the intellectual and practical skills needed to translate not just the language but to convey inter-cultural understanding. Be able to negotiate and bridge cultural difference in different contexts for a variety of clients or stakeholders. Acquire practical ability to translate with the help of technology, to proofread, edit and review. You are taught by professionals in translation and interpreting with a strong career history and global research capability in translation and interpreting.
Assessment method
We use a variety of assessment methods matched to individual courses and different learning styles. The academic rigour of continuous assessments and oral examinations is accompanied by a focus on professional and practical relevance. Many of the courses are assessed by means of exercises that are designed to mirror the professional environment. Some courses are assessed by means of a portfolio of translations that students accumulate throughout the year.
How to apply
International applicants
When you are thinking about studying overseas, it is important that you understand all the costs involved and budget accordingly. It is essential to budget for your studies prior to leaving your home country and to arrange all your funding for BOTH your tuition fees and your living costs. In addition, it is important to check all immigration requirements regularly and before travelling, as they can change. Students without the necessary visa will be refused entry to the UK. You should allow plenty of time to organise your visa and ensure you are aware of all your responsibilities under the terms and conditions of your visa. Please note that the advice provided via the University is the Student Visa category of the UK's Points Based Immigration Scheme. For further information, please visit the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.
Entry requirements
Students are required to have a good 2.1 degree in one or more of the languages offered in Aberdeen’s Translation Studies. Qualifications for entry: A degree at 2.1 or above, or equivalent, in an appropriate discipline. The degree is designed for students from a range of undergraduate degree backgrounds, including; language, linguistics, communication, business studies, law or legal studies.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | Overall - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5 or above; Reading - 6.0 or above; Speaking - 5.5 or above; Writing - 6.0 or above. IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training are not accepted. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 90 | TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition: Overall - 90 with: Listening - 17 or above; Reading - 21 or above; Speaking - 20 or above; Writing - 21 or above. DI code is 0818 |
| PTE Academic | 62 | Overall - 62 with: Listening - 59 or above; Reading - 59 or above; Speaking - 59 or above; Writing - 59 or above. Online test is not accepted. |
| Institution's Own Test | Academic English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE) - Pass (valid for 1 year). Academic English Preparation Programme undertaken at other UK HEI - accredited by BALEAP and within 1 year of start of course. | |
| Cambridge English Advanced | C | Overall - 176 with: Listening - 162 or above; Reading - 162 or above; Speaking - 162 or above; Writing - 169 or above. |
To study for a postgraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write academic English fluently. These skills will allow you to understand lectures, produce high standards of written work, and perform well in examinations. We can assess your English language proficiency through a variety of means: through your nationality, through the qualifications you gained in high school, through the degree you undertook or are undertaking at university, or through a recognised English language test. Postgraduate Higher requirements are used by the Schools of Business; Divinity, History and Philosophy; Education; Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture; Law; and Social Sciences. The MSc in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management and the MSc in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience also make use of the Postgraduate Higher requirements. Please note certification must be within the two years prior to commencement of your degree programme, unless otherwise stated.
Please use the checklist at the following webpage to determine how you can meet our English language requirements:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/requirements-pg-266.php
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Republic of Ireland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| EU | £23800 | Year 1 |
| England | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £11100 | Year 1 |
| International | £23800 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Tuition fees given are at the full-time rate. The part-time fee rate for taught postgraduate programmes is 50% of the relevant full-time fee rate.
Sponsorship information
Eligible self-funded international Masters students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Visit our Funding Database to find out more and see our full range of scholarships: www.abdn.ac.uk/study/funding/. The University of Aberdeen provides an Alumni Discount Scheme: The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Provider information
University of Aberdeen
Directorate of External Relations
King's College
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX