Course summary

Heriot-Watt University's Interpreting and Translating MSc degree is a twin-focus programme of study which will prepare you for an exciting, international career as a professional translator and interpreter in the following languages combined with English: Chinese French German Spanish This specialist programme has been tailored to meet the needs of industry and will allow you to develop the ideal balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. At Heriot-Watt University we have the largest number of Interpreting and Translating labs of any Higher Education Institute in Europe. This ensures that all our students can gain maximum hands on experience during class time. Your learning will focus on developing a professional standard of expertise in specific areas of interpreting and translation such as: Technical and scientific translation Subtitling and audio-visual translation Use of Computer Aided Translation tools Sight translation Simultaneous interpreting Consecutive interpreting and note taking Sight interpreting You will develop these skills to the highest standard and learn about the different approaches and skillsets required from interpreters when working in distinct professional contexts such as healthcare, court and legal, educational and conference interpreting. Practice in a professional setting Our state-of-the-art language labs and suite of simultaneous interpreting booths will provide you with the ideal setting in which to perfect your translating and interpreting skills to professional standards. Our suite of interpreting booths is the largest owned by any Higher Education Institution in Europe and have been recently refurbished and modelled on those used by the United Nations, the European Union and the Scottish Parliament. Our interpreting booths and translation labs allow you to put your theoretical knowledge of language and culture into practice and develop crucial 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 put to the test in our language labs with around 15 hours of academic contact per week and through weekly mini-conferences where up to 5 languages are spoken by around 20 – 30 students and teachers. You will 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 languages pupils from across the United Kingdom. Academic and professional expertise You will be taught by a team of highly-qualified researchers, educators and practicing 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 fore-front of industry practice and ensures that you will gain practical insights into the careers of successful interpreters and translators on an almost daily basis.