Course summary

Overview This joint master’s programme has been designed to meet the needs of the international interpreting and translation industries. You’ll master the skills and techniques of translating and interpreting to a professional standard and will develop the ideal balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. You’ll learn relevant transferable communication skills, including the skills of summarising, abstracting, note-taking for interpreting purposes and public speaking. You’ll be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with other professionals in the field, including colleagues and clients. You’ll master IT skills that are relevant to the work of a professional interpreter and will be able to use specialised databases. Each course will equip you with highly employable expertise and skills in interpretation and translation. You’ll have the opportunity to choose one optional course – including international politics and organisations, intercultural communication in the workplace, translation technologies and subtitling. This will allow you to customise your learning and develop specific interpreting and translating interests. Your interpretation and translation dissertation will allow you to engage in an independent in-depth critical examination of a particular topic that falls within the scope of Translation and Interpreting Studies, which is of interest to you. You’ll benefit from the industry relevance of the programme, which will set you up for life after graduation. Upon completion, you’ll be equipped with the transferable skills and qualities necessary to become a professional interpreter and translator in a variety of professional contexts. Beyond the subject-specific knowledge and skills, you’ll also be given the opportunity to learn and practice transferrable skills such as presentation, communication and ICT skills. Expertise You will be taught by a team of highly qualified researchers, educators and practising professionals who bring knowledge, expertise and guidance to the classroom. This blend of academic and professional expertise helps our programme maintain its position at the forefront of industry practice and ensures that you will gain practical insights into the careers of successful interpreters and translators on an almost daily basis. Your learning environment The MSc Interpreting programme uses state-of-the-art language labs and interpreting booths which will provide you with the ideal setting to develop your interpretation and translation skills to professional standards. Our labs are equipped with state-of-the-art Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) software packages, digital resources for translating and interpreting, as well as student-centred study facilities. Our suite of interpreting booths has been recently refurbished and modelled on those used by the United Nations, the European Union, and the Scottish Parliament. Our booths and labs will allow you to put your theoretical knowledge of language and culture into practice and develop important, real-world technical experience with industry-standard software such as TRADOS, a computer-aided translation memory tool and WinCAPS, the professional subtitling tool. The ability to master these tools is essential for all modern translators and interpreters. Your practical interpreting and translating skills will be developed through a combination of practice seminars, lectures, masterclasses, workshops and virtual classes delivered by our external partners. You’ll also have the chance to fine-tune your conference interpreting skills on a larger scale at the annual Heriot-Watt University Multilingual Debate. This is a formal debate between two multilingual teams which is watched by thousands of school-aged language pupils from across the United Kingdom.