Objectives
The expansion of international travel and trade has led to a burgeoning demand for translation and interpreting services. The growing complexity of international communication increasingly requires combined competencies. Recognising this need, this programme unites translation and interpreting studies to provide you with the skills and the flexibility to perform both tasks professionally in a business context. The programme is offered in English paired with Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish, according to demand. Learning from professionals and academics in a supportive environment, you will be entering one of the few programmes dedicated to the combined study of translation and interpreting. This will prepare you for a wide range of private and public sector employment, as well as for research opportunities arising in the two related fields. Professional translators and interpreters bring their real-world experience and standards into the classroom as tutors. Experienced academic staff with excellent research records help you to develop a broad understanding of the current and future challenges of translation and interpreting. Regular seminars in our Professional Aspects of Translation series - held throughout the year - provide additional insights from a range of experienced professionals. Work on the dissertation begins towards the end of the Spring semester and is normally completed over the summer.
Course description
MA/PGDip/PGCert in Business Translation with Interpreting Module overview
Compulsory Modules
Applied Interpreting Skills (language-pair specific)
This module is concerned with spoken-language interpreting between English and the chosen language in business-related settings. It provides students with the practical knowledge and skills required to perform interpreting tasks professionally and effectively in a wide variety of relevant communicative situations.
Business/Economics Translation (language-pair specific)
This module provides students with no previous experience of specialist translation in business/economics with the opportunity to reach an acceptable professional level of translation competence. It combines regular translation practice in smaller groups with lectures on the underlying principles of economics and applied economics.
Interpreting Studies
This module provides a systematic framework for understanding the major principles and challenges of interpreting, the role of the interpreter and the nature of comprehension, decision making and production processes involved in interpreting. It enables students to apply this framework to practical interpreting tasks.
Translation Issues
This module focuses on the major approaches to translation studies. It offers students the opportunity to develop a framework for analysing and discussing translation activity. The issues discussed in class are organised chronologically, examining the most recent trends in translation studies, and thematically, offering a problem-focused strand (equivalence, register, humour and so on).
MA Dissertation
This module allows students to specialise in an aspect of the programme of particular interest by writing a topic-based dissertation, doing a translation with commentary, compiling an electronic termbase with a commentary, or doing a commentary based on an interpreting assignment. Successful completion of the module requires close collaboration with a supervisor and good planning and organisation skills.
Optional Modules
In addition to the compulsory modules, you will be able to select optional modules according to your specific interests. You may, for example, add to your language portfolio through intensive study of a new language for translation purposes, extend your specialist translation expertise (subject to language proficiency), or complement your translation skills with expertise in technical writing and computer-assisted translation tools.
The Postgraduate Certificate, which is offered on a part-time basis, focuses on applied interpreting and specialist translation.
Typical entry requirements
Entry is open to English mother-tongue applicants with a good (Second class honours or equivalent) undergraduate degree or equivalent in the relevant language, and to speakers of other languages with a good undergraduate degree or equivalent in English or other relevant subject. Non-native speakers of English without a first degree in English should have at least 6.5 IELTS (7.0 in speaking and writing) or equivalent.
Programme length
9 months part-time for the PG Certificate, 9 months full-time for the PG Diploma, 12 months full-time for the MA.
