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Translation and Professional Language Skills at University of Bath - UCAS

University of Bath

Degree level: Postgraduate

Translation and Professional Language Skills (Taught)

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Open days

5Feb
University of Bath - Postgraduate Virtual Open Day
Postgraduate
4Jun
University of Bath - Postgraduate Virtual Open Day
Postgraduate

Course summary

Gain the sought-after skills you need for a career in specialist language work on this practical and respected master’s course. Our MA Translation and Professional Language Skills course prepares you to work as a professional linguist at a high level. During the course, you'll develop the skills required for a range of roles in international organisations and language service providers. You'll mostly work with the written word to develop proficiency in specialised language services, such as:

  • translating
  • editing
  • proofreading
  • précis-writing (a type of summary writing used by the United Nations). This is only available on course pathways that include French, Spanish or Russian
Through your core units, you’ll advance your editing, revision, and proofreading abilities. These are often the key areas of expertise sought by employers and agencies in the industry. You can then complement these foundational skills with optional units in specialisms like public service interpreting, public speaking, and translation technology; and even learn how to set up and run your own language services company. Bath has longstanding links with international organisations like the United Nations and European Union. We make use of these links to keep our programmes up to date with the professional world and to set up external training opportunities where possible. Language choices
  • French
  • French & German
  • French & Italian
  • French & Russian
  • French & Spanish
  • German
  • German & Spanish
  • Italian
  • Italian & German
  • Italian & Spanish
  • Russian
  • Russian & German
  • Russian & Italian
  • Russian & Spanish
  • Spanish
Learn from experts in the field You’ll learn from highly experienced tutors who work, or have previously worked, as professional linguists in various settings. This will allow you to benefit from their wealth of experience, contemporary knowledge, and industry networks. Use specialist facilities Depending on your choice of optional units, you will have access to our professional-grade interpreting labs and on-campus TV studio. These are equipped with interpreter consoles and microphones, interpreter booths, and online conference facilities. Access to these labs is exclusive to students studying interpreting units. Gain important career skills On completion of this course, you'll leave with:
  • a proven ability to work with varied and challenging texts, providing a strong foundation for working at an international level
  • experience of working to deadlines and using style guides
  • contacts and relationships with potential employers from career-focused talks and/or external training
  • access to our close-knit alumni network of linguists who work in international organisations, private bodies and independent agencies
  • evidence of translation skills, including the dissertation you'll complete at the end of the taught part of the course
  • a greater level of intercultural awareness, which is important for working in an international role
You'll also have the opportunity to attend talks or extracurricular units to enhance your core learning. These will cover various topics such as law, economics and current affairs. In addition to this, we regularly invite speakers and trainers from the course’s professional network to deliver career-focused talks and additional training sessions. Graduate Prospects Our MA Translation and Professional Languages Skills course is vocational and has an excellent international reputation. Many of our graduates have gone on to a range of careers in specialist language work. Others have used the transferable skills gained to pursue further study, or careers in teaching, publishing, and design. Recent graduates have gone on to work for:
  • European Central Bank
  • United Nations
  • GCHQ
  • International Atomic Energy Agency
  • International Court of Justice
  • Expedia
  • Healthline
  • Wine & Spirit Education Trust

Assessment method

  • Coursework
  • Dissertation
  • Examinations
You are expected to spend approximately 35 hours per week studying, with around 10 of those hours being structured classes. This will be made up of a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, and tutorials. You will work as an individual and as part of small groups.

Entry requirements

You should have a bachelor’s honours degree or international equivalent, typically a 2:1 or above. To apply for this course you should have mother tongue competence in English and degree-level competence in one or two foreign languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish or Russian). Candidates will complete aptitude tests for translating and editing to assess their suitability for the course. We may make an offer based on a lower grade if you can provide evidence of your suitability for the degree. If your first language is not English but within the last 2 years you completed your degree in an English speaking country you may be exempt from our English language requirements.

English language requirements

View English language requirements

https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-2025/taught-postgraduate-courses/ma-translation-and-professional-language-skills-full-time-french/#entry-requirements

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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 can be found on our web pages and are liable to increase annually. UK and Islands fees are regulated by the UK government and are subject to parliamentary approval. For all other fees, you should budget for an increase of up to 8% for every further year of study. For information on tuition fees visit our web pages: https://www.bath.ac.uk/topics/tuition-fees/
Translation and Professional Language Skills at University of Bath - UCAS