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Translation Studies at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Open days

22May
The University of Edinburgh - Postgraduate Online Learning Open Days
Postgraduate

Course summary

Offering students the opportunity to focus on two languages, in addition to English, the University of Edinburgh is the ideal place to study translation. Our one-year, full-time taught Masters programme will enhance your practical skills in, and theoretical understanding of, translation as an activity. It can also be completed part-time over two years. How you will learn The programme combines:

  • core courses
  • optional courses
  • research training
  • practical translation
  • a dissertation
It is taught through a combination of:
  • seminars
  • workshops
  • tutorials
  • student-led presentations
  • written exercises
What you will gain Across all our activities, we encourage critical thinking on language use and translation and an understanding of the factors which impact on the discipline. We will introduce you to key concepts in translation theory and show you how to apply them in translation practice. This will help you sharpen important professional skills, such as:
  • undertaking research
  • thinking and writing analytically
  • understanding texts in different genres and how to translate them
  • writing commentaries and essays to deadline
  • developing oral and visual presentation techniques
  • using a range of resources
The programme will also broaden your understanding of issues relating to translation, such as gender, institutional power relations, colonialism, and religion. Languages We offer a wide variety of languages, from Arabic to Norwegian, with the opportunity to focus on two of them, in addition to English. Community A member of the RWS Campus-Trados Academic Partner Program, our MSc draws on the expertise of research-active teaching staff from across the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, as well as experts in Translation Studies and visiting speakers. You will be part of an international community of students and a friendly, close-knit department with an excellent PhD programme, its own seminar series, and good links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), and with many industry and cultural partners in the city of Edinburgh. We are an official Higher Education Language Partner of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and a member of APTIS (Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland), which aims to improve the quality of translation and interpreting teaching in British and Irish universities. We also partner with IPCITI (The International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting). The University of Edinburgh library holds some two million borrowable volumes and subscribes to the 'Bibliography of Translation Studies'. Translation and technology We closely follow the developments in ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI, and how they might influence the teaching of translation. We also look to the language service industry and professional associations to understand how translators use generative AI and what opportunities and challenges these technologies might pose for linguists in the future. Given the rapid technological development, the focus of our option course Technology and Translation in the Workplace has shifted over the past few years to include the field of machine translation. The Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools we are using, for example, RWS Trados, now not only include translation memory systems, but also incorporate machine translation as a standard component. We are also exploring browser-based CAT tools where machine translation is a feature, and we examine the impact of these technologies on the workflow and on the role of the translator. In our teaching, we currently cover ChatGPT, mainly in relation to the ethical and legal issues it poses (for example, data usage or transparency) with a view to incorporating other technologies as and when they become relevant.

Modules

See our website for detailed programme information.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for individual programmes vary, so please check the details for the specific programme you wish to apply for on our website. You will also need to meet the University’s language requirements.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

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Additional fee information

Tuition fees vary between degree programmes. Find the specific fees for your chosen programme on our website.
Translation Studies at The University of Edinburgh - UCAS