Interpreting

Course overview

The Interpreting MA is a vocational course grounded in theory and practice and specifically set up to train professional interpreters. The course offers you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the theoretical and professional frameworks of interpreting applied to a range of interpreting types: Public Service Interpreting and Conference Interpreting. Remote Interpreting (telephone and video-conferencing) is embedded in the course.

In the most recent (2015-16) Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 100% of graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months.

A key part of the course is a work placement during which you will perform live interpreting tasks under supervision and shadow professional interpreters at work. The course offers a wide range of language combinations paired with English: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese. Further language combinations with English may also be available, such as Arabic, subject to demand, staff expertise and availability. In the past we have offered Romanian, Dari and Lithuanian.

Students on the course benefit from excellent interpreting facilities. Our Interpreting Suite is equipped with six AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conference) standard soundproof booths, each with audio and video digital recording facilities. The Interpreting Suite facilities are the same as those used in Brussels for the European Commission and each booth is equipped with broadband and audio-visual digital recording. Conference Guest Speakers and events are filmed and stored on our virtual platform, so that students can revisit the events.

Students will also benefit from the use of our virtual platform to access teaching materials and documentaries, presentations for conferences and recordings of mock conferences. They will be able to chat and exchange their views in forums on the virtual platform, which is accessible from any computer with an internet connection. They will also be able to present their written assessment via the virtual platform, from a computer with an internet connection.

Course structure

Students complete six core modules and a Dissertation or Research project of 15,000 words. The modules are:

• The Interpreter's Skills and Tools
• Interpreting Theories and Research for Interpreters
• Conference Interpreting module 1
• The Interpreter's Professional Environment and Work Placement
• Public Service Interpreting (health or legal option)
• Conference Interpreting module 2

Career opportunities

Career prospects for graduates are excellent, with many proceeding to work as in-house or freelance interpreters and typically finding positions in translation and interpreting agencies; international, European and national organisations and bodies; Local Authorities, Hospitals, The Police, Immigration Services and Refugee and Asylum organisations. Chartered Institute of Linguists. Students who pass the PSI module with 60% automatically get accreditation for the DPSI, interpreting and sight translation tasks.