MRes Translation and Interpreting Studies
University of Surrey
Key Information
Campus location
Guildford, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 21,500 / per year *
Application deadline
01 Jul 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* full-time UK students: £10,400| part-time UK students: £5,200/year; overseas students: £10,750/year
Introduction
Why Choose This Course
This unique and innovative course is the first of its kind in the UK. You'll get in-depth, systematic research training in translation and interpreting, and customized preparation for our PhD. Alternatively, you can take this course as a stand-alone MRes degree.
We&rsquo centers one of the UK&rsquo's top translation research centres, with more than three decades of experience in postgraduate education and research training. We focus on exciting and newly developing areas of the discipline, such as translation and interpreting technologies, machine translation, translation process research, translation as intercultural mediation, corpus-based translation, audiovisual translation, and multi-modality studies.
The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) has developed an ambitious new research program that will place you at the very heart of future developments. This program informs our teaching and provides a strong focus on the responsible integration of human and machine translation and interpreting.
What You Will Study
By studying an MRes Translation and Interpreting Studies degree at Surrey, you’ll join our internationally recognized Centre for Translation Studies. We combine leading research expertise with professional relevance, providing you with the skills to thrive in either academia or industry.
You’ll explore modules on translation and interpreting research, and challenge assumptions in stimulating debates, especially on the role of the human translator in the era of increasing translation automation and in contexts of diverse, rapidly evolving technology-enhanced multilingual services. You will also discuss current ideas and research with your peers, our doctoral students, and teaching staff.
Our range of optional modules will let you specialize in your area of interest, while also developing your analytical skills. You'll take on evidence-based, interdisciplinary research relevant to the world today, giving you a competitive edge as you enter the workplace or pursue further study.
During your studies, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate academic and professional excellence by winning prizes. These include the following:
- RWS Campus Top Student Award (two Trados licenses)
- Project management training (one free-of-charge place in the Pro PM Training and Certification Program)
- Professional Engagement Portfolio Prize
- Outstanding Translation and Interpreting Studies Dissertation Prize.
Professional Development
You will enjoy regular seminars and workshops with professionals and academics and gain advanced knowledge in fast-developing areas, including machine translation, Natural Language Processing for translation/interpreting, and hybrid workflows in translation/interpreting. These are also areas you will be able to explore in great depth in the MRes Dissertation in Translation and Interpreting Studies project, which is longer than a typical MA dissertation.
You will gain further insights into the industry from the external guest speakers we invite to our Centre for Translation Studies seminars and workshops, such as:
- Professional translators and interpreters
- Subtitlers and audio describers
- Professionals working in public services, companies, and international organizations
- Representatives of professional translator and interpreter associations
- Translation and interpreting researchers.
By placing greater emphasis on analytical and research skills, this program prepares you to work as a language analyst or market researcher, or in positions focusing on strategic development and research and development in the translation industry.
Admissions
Curriculum
Academic Year Structure
The taught part of the program is divided into eight 15-credit modules. A 15-credit module is indicative of 150 hours of learning. The hours of learning comprise contact hours, guided learning, and private study.
Our course has two compulsory modules, and you must select another two optional modules. The compulsory modules are Principles and Challenges of Translation and Interpreting and Academic Research Methods. These can be combined with two optional modules from the available pool of options:
- Audiovisual Translation
- Business Management in Translation, Interpreting and Technologies
- Introduction to Computational Thinking for Translators, Public Service Interpreting Trends and Issues
- Smart Technologies for Translation
- Translation as Human-Computer Interaction
- Translation for the Creative Industries
- Writing and Re-writing for Translators.
Your module choice depends on the emphasis you wish to place on technological, organizational, or creative/community outreach aspects of various types of translation and interpreting.
If you are a full-time student, you will take the compulsory modules Academic Research Methods and Principles and Challenges of Translation and Interpreting in Semester 1. You can then distribute your optional modules either by frontloading Semester 1 with one more option or by taking your two options in Semester 2.
If you choose to study part-time, you will take the compulsory modules Academic Research Methods and Principles and Challenges of Translation and Interpreting in Semester 1 of your first year. You can distribute the two remaining options across the three remaining semesters.
You will complete your degree with an MRes in Translation and Interpreting Studies Dissertation (120 credits), to be submitted at the beginning of September.
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability, student demand, and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programs based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45, 75, or 120 credits, and additionally for some masters dissertations, 90 credits.
The structure of our programs follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each program. These are all outlined in the program specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Year 1
Full-time
- Academic Research Methods
- Introduction to Computational Thinking for Translators
- Principles and Challenges of Translation and Interpreting
- Translation as Human-Computer Interaction
- Writing And Rewriting For Translators
- Audiovisual Translation
- Business and Management in Translation
- Interpreting And Technologies
- Public Service Interpreting - Trends And Issues
- Smart Technologies For Translation
- Translation For the Creative Industries
- Dissertation (MRES Translation And Interpreting Studies)
Part-Time
- Academic Research Methods
- Introduction to Computational Thinking for Translators
- Principles and Challenges of Translation and Interpreting
- Translation as Human-Computer Interaction
- Writing And Rewriting For Translators
- Audiovisual Translation
- Business and Management in Translation
- Interpreting And Technologies
- Public Service Interpreting - Trends And Issues
- Smart Technologies For Translation
- Translation For the Creative Industries
Year 2
Part-Time
- Dissertation (MRES Translation And Interpreting Studies)
Timetable
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. The part-time timetable is based on the full-time one, so classes will run on any teaching day. View our Code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF).
Translation studies seminars take place on Wednesday afternoons – attendance is optional but strongly encouraged.
Please note that our practice-based classes are normally provided by professional translators or interpreters and we may sometimes have to reschedule classes to accommodate professional commitments.
Career Opportunities
We offer career information, advice, and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University. Our graduates have lifetime access to Surrey Pathfinder, our online portal for appointment and event bookings, jobs, placements, and interactive development tools.
91 percent of our School of Literature and Languages postgraduate students go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes survey 2023, HESA).
Our course is designed to make you internationally competitive if you plan to pursue a PhD or an academic career. It will also equip you with advanced research skills that may stand you in good stead if you wish to pursue a career as a researcher or analyst in the language industry. You can take the MRes as a stand-alone course or as a preparation for a three-year PhD in Translation and Interpreting.
The language services industry continues to grow despite a challenging international economic climate. Globalization has opened new markets and created a demand for multilingual translation and interpreting services to exchange knowledge and communicate with clients.
Globalization requires new research into translation, interpreting, and multilingual communication in a wide range of novel and emerging contexts on an unprecedented global scale. As a graduate of our MRes in Translation and Interpreting Studies course and a qualified language professional, you’ll be able to take advantage of global employment opportunities.
Facilities
Program Tuition Fee
English Language Requirements
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