Course summary
Develop your career as a professional translator through our flexible and industry ready MA in Translation Studies. Join our global community of translators to discover the art of translation at one of the world’s top 100 Modern Languages departments. The global Language Services industry is growing at an impressive rate; two of the top five providers, SDL and RWS, are based in the United Kingdom, and there are many large- and medium-sized providers headquartered in the US, Europe and Asia. Wherever you are based, there is no better time to enter the industry and our innovative MA is ideal for those looking to embark on, or develop, careers as professional translators. Our programme is designed to cover most of the list of competences required by professional translators published in 2022 by the European Master’s in Translation network. We work closely with translation agencies, freelancers and other stakeholders to ensure that our syllabus prepares you for professional employment in the growing translator industry. You will have the option to take Professional Development and Project Management modules which have been designed to enable you to develop the skills to stand out as you embark upon a career in translation. As part of our links with industry we also offer talks from professionals and mentoring, as well as advertising internship opportunities. Translation practice is at the heart of the programme, and you will undertake extensive practical and specialised translation in your chosen language pair(s). We also offer training in state-of-the-art translation technology and the opportunity to study another foreign language at beginners, intermediate or advanced level. The MA also provides excellent preparation for further study at PhD level. The programme is available to students who are proficient in English and one of the following languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Russian. The industry standard is for translators to work into their mother tongue: we can accommodate all language pairs in both directions except Mandarin, where we offer English to Mandarin but not Mandarin to English. We are a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and of the Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland. We are also part of the SDL University Partner Program, which allows us to allocate SDL Studio Freelance licences to our students for the duration of their studies and to award a free license to the top two students studying translation technology each academic year for use after they graduate.
Modules
You will study four core modules: Theoretical and Analytical Skills; Translating for Business; Translation Technology; Specialised Translation. You will also choose two optional modules from a range that may include: Multimodal Translation; Professional Development; Contemporary Translation Theory; Languages for All.
Assessment method
The University of Birmingham offers flexible routes of study for this programme: Accelerated Route* (programme code 011D): Complete your studies in 18 months (Complete a module every 2 months and your final project over 6 months). October start only. Standard Route (programme code 8914): Complete your studies in 30 months (Complete a module every 4 months and your final project over 6 months). October, February or April starts available. *Only students following the accelerated route are eligible for Government loans All MA students will need to complete 6 modules, followed by a final project.
Entry requirements
The language into which you intend to translate should be the language in which you have mother tongue competence, or alternatively your language of habitual use. In the latter case, you may be asked to provide evidence of proficiency. It will normally be necessary to have training to degree level in the language(s) from which you intend to translate. If you do not hold a degree in your ‘second’ language, you may be asked to provide other evidence of proficiency (equivalent to at least level C1 on the Common European Framework for Languages). If you do not hold a languages or humanities-related degree, you may be asked to provide evidence of relevant work experience. International applicants will normally be required to provide evidence of English language competency. Language pairings we can accommodate are: Arabic to English and English to Arabic, French to English and English to French, German to English and English to German, Greek to English and English to Greek, Italian to English and English to Italian, Mandarin to English and English to Mandarin, Polish to English and English to Polish, Portuguese to English and English to Portuguese, Russian to English and English To Russian, Spanish to English and English to Spanish. We are also able to offer a pathway through the programme for those working in other languages.
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
For more detailed information on available funding and fees for postgraduate courses please visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/fees-funding
Provider information
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT