Find out more about our Translation and Transcultural Studies PhD.

P-Q3PG

PhD

3-4 years full-time;
Up to 7 years part-time

3 October 2022

Modern Languages and Cultures

University of Warwick

Our approach centres on cultures of, and in, translation. We are interested in how translation is theorised and practised in artistic, political, and social contexts and in different media. We also use translation as an analytical and interdisciplinary tool to illuminate processes of migration, displacement, cultural production, transfer, language policy and intellectual histories.

Before you arrive, you will be matched to one or more of our expert supervisors and during the course. You will meet with them frequently for guidance on the conceptualisation, research and writing of your Dissertation. This will include reading and discussion of draft material.

You will also be expected to participate in the research culture of the School, for example by attending research seminars.

This programme comprises two distinct routes: (i) a theoretical/academic route and (ii) a practice route. The theoretical/academic route involves demonstrating a significant and original contribution to knowledge in the field of Translation Studies.

The practice route advances knowledge principally by means of practice – by the submission of a translation – but also by requiring the student to demonstrate a critical awareness, informed by relevant scholarship in Translation and Transcultural Studies, of the issues – stylistic, cultural, sociological and/or ideological, among others – involved in the translation of the work and to display this critical awareness in the form of a translation commentary.

The two elements of the PhD should nonetheless form an organic whole. The practice route is distinct from a standard scholarly PhD in that significant aspects of the claim for the doctoral requirement of an original contribution to a significant field of knowledge are demonstrated through the translation. The accompanying commentary demonstrates doctoral levels of contextual knowledge and powers of analysis and argument, displaying the same intellectual discipline as a traditional PhD.

Teaching and learning

Doctoral students prepare a dissertation of 80,000 words, in accordance with their chosen route (as above). Progress reviews take place at regular interval, normally in every year of study.

Staff working in Translation and Transcultural Studies at Warwick have expertise in a wide range of research areas, including:

• Cultural translation and transculturalism
• Memory and transcultural studies
• Literary translation
• Sociolinguistics
• Self-translation in multilingual contexts
• Gender and feminist translation studies
• Sociology of translation
• History of publishing

The close link between translation and transcultural studies and the language sections (Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Hispanic Studies) strengthens the cultural approach to translation, seen as cultural exchange and transfer, and is one of our distinctive research aspect.

Proposals framed in cultural, social and political contexts in other languages, and not based primarily on linguistic/textual comparative analysis, could be considered depending on topics and approaches within staff research expertise.

Full details of our research interests are listed on the School of Modern Languages and Cultures website.

You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.

Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.

Explore our School of Modern Languages and Cultures Research Directory where you will be able to filter by your chronological, geographical, linguistic and disciplinary interests.

You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.

An Honours degree (a 2.i or First) and normally a Merit or Distinction in an MA with specialisation in an appropriate subject, including Modern Languages, Translation Studies, English Literature, Classics, and Creative Writing.

Applicants may also be considered who can demonstrate compelling evidence of advanced translation experience through significant publication and associated professional recognition and an awareness of the critical requirements of translation practice in an academic environment.

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

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