Translation and Professional Language Skills

Entry requirements

You should have a bachelor’s honours degree or international equivalent, typically a 2:1 or above.

To apply for this course you should have mother tongue competence in English.

We may make an offer based on a lower grade if you can provide evidence of your suitability for the degree.

If your first language is not English but within the last 2 years you completed your degree in an English speaking country you may be exempt from our English language requirements.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Prepare yourself for a career in specialist language work including translation, editing and précis-writing.

If you're interested in working as a professional linguist or working with the written word to provide translations and specialised language services, this course is an excellent option.

With a growing demand for highly trained speakers of English in the UK and abroad, this specialist master's will equip you to set up your own freelance business, or work in-house for an international organisation or language service provider.

Unlike other courses of its kind, ours covers a wide variety of skills, including editing, revision, précis-writing and proofreading. Employers and agencies have told us they’re looking for these services, so having the right skills will place you in a strong position for securing work. You'll have the opportunity to gain skills in public service and commercial interpreting, and you will learn about setting up your own translation business.

In some cases, we can arrange external translation training. This may be in international organisations, such as the EU and UN, or an independent translation agency, and will give you first-hand experience of the workplace and valuable contacts for building your career.

The course is taught by qualified tutors. While some have worked for international organisations, others have developed their careers as freelance linguists. All bring extensive experience to the classroom to give students invaluable advice.

Language pathways

• French
• French and German
• French and Italian
• French and Russian
• French and Spanish
• German
• German and Spanish
• Italian
• Italian and German
• Italian and Spanish
• Russian
• Russian and Italian
• Russian and Spanish
• Spanish

Gain key skills

You'll leave with:

• a proven ability to work with varied and challenging texts, providing a strong foundation for working at an international level
• experience of working to deadlines and using style guides
• relationships with potential employers and colleagues from your external training
• access to our close-knit alumni network of linguists who work in international organisations, private bodies and independent agencies
• evidence of translation skills, including the dissertation you'll complete at the end of the taught part of the course

Training opportunities

Through our extensive network of contacts, we try to organise external training for all students with the language services of international organisations, government departments or translation companies.

These training opportunities provide an invaluable insight into the work of professional linguists and are highly valued by employers. However, they are not compulsory or guaranteed.

Our students have previously undertaken training with:

• the United Nations
• institutions of the European Union
• the Council of Europe

Graduate prospects

We have an excellent reputation for training professional translators, editors and précis-writers. This course draws on that expertise and extends into new and specialised areas of language work where there is a great demand for highly trained linguists with English as their first or 'A' language.

Our graduates have gone on to work for the following organisations:

• Amazon.com
• Etymax Translation Bureau, London
• European Central Bank
• European Commission
• Google
• International Atomic Energy Agency
• International Committee of the Red Cross
• International Court of Justice
• International Maritime Organization
• International Telecommunications Union
• International Union of Railways (UIC)
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• United Nations in Geneva, Vienna and New York

Associations and resources

By studying this course, you will be able to access a number of tools and online resources to support your learning. These include:

• Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) - CIOL representatives will host a presentation (either on-campus or online) giving tips on how to start your career as a linguist, updates on CIOL activities and membership options. You will also get free access to The Linguist, CIOL’s publication
• Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI) - This course is recognised by CIUTI for its quality and relevance. You will have access to the latest developments in the interpreting and translation professions
• Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) - You will have access to the only UK-based independent professional membership association for translators, interpreters and all those involved in supplying language services
• National Network for Interpreting (NNI) - Use of educational resources available on the NNI website
• National Network for Translation (NNT) - You will have access to national and regional events, and other related activities
• XTRF - You will be able to make use of XTRF, a cutting-edge translation management system (TMS) used by many translation agencies. TMSs like XTRF play a crucial and expanding role in the translation industry, so building your understanding of how they work could give you an advantage over other translators.

Fees and funding

View available funding opportunities.

Select the language pathway that you are interested in from the available list.