MA in Literary Translation Studies
Degree Overview
The MA in Literary Translation Studies is aimed at students whose language combination includes English and any other language. This might be a language that you have studied formally in an academic setting, a language that is part of your cultural heritage, a “big” language or a “small” language, a modern language or a classical language; it can be a language from anywhere in the world. You do not need to be a native speaker of English but you should feel confident about translating into English from your other language(s). In recent years we have welcomed students translating from Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Welsh. Students may pursue their studies full-time or part-time and we endeavour to support and take into consideration the needs and existing commitments of part-time and commuting students.
MALTS will teach you to think critically and theoretically about translation, but it will also hone your practical translation skills. Our practising literary translators will introduce you to the "real world" of literary translation should you wish to work in the field after completing your degree. MALTS also provides excellent training for a number of other careers. Take a look at our application FAQs.
Life After MALTS
Recent graduates have gone on to work as translators and interpreters, as teachers, as university administrators, in publishing and journalism, and to doctoral study, among other destinations.
"The MALTS course at Warwick has equipped me with the skills that allowed me to better understand the unique difficulties involved in translating from a minority and non-state language such as Welsh into English. While the practical element of the course helped to bolster my confidence in my method of translating, the translation theory module informed my approach as to what translation is and can be. The various activities and events offered alongside the course made my experience at Warwick particularly memorable, from the visits from literary translators to attending the first Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. All in all, the course has made me a more imaginative and emboldened translator, which I feel is crucial, especially when translating writers who are unheard of in English."
Cari Lake, MALTS 2017-18, Welsh-English
"At the end of my year in the MALTS degree, I reflect on just how real my experience was here. Not only did we practice translation in supportive classroom environments, but there were countless opportunities to interact with literary translation in “the real world,” as well as with writers, translators, and booksellers in the local community. It was easy and inspiring to network with and receive support from practicing professional translators, many of whom are based in the region. We were always informed of and encouraged to attend conferences and events around the UK. Some of the most memorable for me were the Translation Day at the British Library, the week-long visit of Dubravka Ugrešić to Warwick, the London Book Fair, a conference on Transnational Feminism at Austin University, and of course the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Finally, the intersection of MALTS with the Department of English & Comparative Literary Studies and the Warwick Writing Programme made my year especially generative, as I got to know a phenomenal community of writers and pursued various creative writing projects, some of which I intend to continue in the next few coming years. I plan to keep writing, to establish myself (fingers crossed!) as a practicing literary translator, and to hopefully pursue a PhD in translation studies in a few years’ time. I enjoy the theoretical and academic side of translation, too. If anything, it was my year with MALTS that changed my attitude towards literary theory in general! I wish to thank the incredible Dr Chantal Wright, the University of Warwick, and the US-UK Fulbright Commission for making this year possible – it was absolutely everything I hoped it would be."
Daria Chernysheva, MALTS 2017-18, Russian-French-English
Who are we?
Dr Chantal Wright - Convenor of the MA in Literary Translation Studies
Chantal Wright is Reader in Translation as a Literary Practice in the Warwick Writing Programme and a practising literary translator. She studied at the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia and holds a PhD in Literary Translation. In 2012 she was awarded the inaugural Cliff Becker Book Prize in Translation for Tzveta Sofronieva’s collection of poetry A Hand Full of Water. She has twice been shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation: once in 2011 for Andreas Steinhöfel’s The Pasta Detectives, a book that was also awarded the 2011 NASEN Inclusive Children’s Book Award; and again in 2016 for Milena Baisch’s Anton and Piranha, which was also an IBBY 2016 UK Honour Book. Chantal Wright has been the recipient of an award from PEN American Center’s translation fund. She coordinates The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, and she is the author of Literary Translation (Routledge, 2016), the English translator of Antoine Berman's Benjamin commentary The Age of Translation, and a member of the translation team behind The Henri Meschonnic Reader.
Click here to read an interview with Chantal Wright on the Authors and Translators blog and here to access the online companion resource to Literary Translation, ‘How to Get Started in Literary Translation’ on the Routledge website.
Chantal Wright is a member of the Translators Association.
What will you be learning in MALTS?
All students take the core theoretical module Translation Studies in Theory and Practice in the autumn, a core translation workshop in the spring (there are two workshops that rotate biannually), an optional core module in a translation-relevant subject, and an elective module. There is also a compulsory dissertation and compulsory training in research methods.
Core Modules:
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Dissertation (16,000 words)
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Translation Studies in Theory and Practice
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Literary Translation and Creative (Re-)Writing Workshop or The Practice of Literary Translation
(NB: these translation workshops will generally be offered on biannual rotation, subject to availability)
Optional Core Modules:
The optional core module should be in a translation-relevant subject and may be taken anywhere within the Faculty of Arts. Examples of optional core modules include but are not limited to:
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Stylistics Workshop
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Crossing Borders
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Chinese Poetry and the Western Reader
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Small Press Publishing
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Trans/national Cultures
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Multilingualism
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Caliban's Legacy in the Caribbean
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The Lure of Italy
Optional Modules:
You may choose one optional module from the modules on offer in the Warwick Writing Programme, the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL) or another academic unit in the Faculty of Arts. Taking modules outside the home department is subject to the prior approval of both the module instructor and the MA in Literary Translation Studies Convenor.
* The modules mentioned above may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.
Teaching
Two- or three-hour weekly lectures, seminars or workshops for each module. There are two core modules (one in Term 1 and one in Term 2). Students also take an optional core module and an elective module (one in either term), attend Research Methods training and write a dissertation. For your dissertation, you may either pursue a research project or work on a literary translation with an accompanying critical reflection. You will be allocated an individual supervisor and the expectation is that you will meet with the supervisor four times beginning in Term 2. Part-time students will take their core modules and complete Research Methods training in Year 1, and take their optional core and elective modules plus write their dissertation in Year 2.
Contact Hours
You will receive 4 contact hours per week during term 1 and 2.
Class Sizes
Seminars are capped at 15 students.
Assessment
Assessment for modules typically takes the form of a 6,000-word research essay or a translation portfolio. Assessment for the dissertation is a 16,000-word research project or literary translation with critical reflection.
Skills from this degree
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Training in literary translation
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Advanced editing skills
Essential Information
How to apply
Course Code
- Full-time: P-Q3PB
- Part-time: P-Q3PBP
Duration
Full-time: 1 year
Part-time: 2 years
Entry Requirements
Minimum requirements Mid 2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in English Literature, Modern Languages or a related degree*
English language requirements Band C
IELTS overall score of 7.5, minimum component scores of two at 6.5/7.0 and the rest at 7.5 or above
*Applicants should supply a short (approximately 250 words of prose or 15 lines of poetry) literary translation into English, along with a copy of the source text and a 250-word reflection on the issues you faced while translating this text into English. Please upload your translation with y our application or as soon as possible thereafter.
International Students
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information please visit the international entry requirements page.
Location of Study
University of Warwick
Course Fees
See Student Finance
Scholarships
The University is part of a number of prestigious government Scholarship schemes, including Chevening, Fulbright,
Commonwealth and Marshall. For more information click here.
Additional Course costs
Students are expected to buy the set primary texts for each module they study.
Translation Studies in Theory and Practice has a set text that is available for purchase from the bookshop. This module typically also requires students to purchase a student theatre ticket for a performance at the Warwick Arts Centre in Term 1.
Useful Links
Banner image: Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Dan Vyleta.