Explore our Translation and Cultures taught Master's degree.

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P-Q910

MA

1 year full-time;
2 years part-time

30 September 2024

Modern Languages and Cultures

University of Warwick

Are you looking for a MA in Translation and Cultures offering a rigorous academic grounding in the theoretical and practical study of translation? Warwick will provide you with the knowledge and critical skills to become a successful intercultural mediator. This exciting Master's degree will enhance your theoretical awareness and your practical skills to help you grow professionally, opening up opportunities for a career in the language industries or further research. We are corporate members of the Institute of Translation and InterpretingLink opens in a new window in the UK, the Chartered Institute of Linguists,Link opens in a new window the Globalization and Localization AssociationLink opens in a new window and the Association of Translation CompaniesLink opens in a new window.

Are you interested in becoming a successful communicator between different languages, nations or cultures? This exciting course draws on cutting-edge academic research by a team of experts in translation, transnational and transcultural studies.

You will develop a rigorous theoretical understanding of translation and intercultural communication, with the opportunity to produce your own translations and analyse existing translations and to reflect about the critical and technological skills required for the language industry and the translation profession.

The interdisciplinary programme examines translation between English and Chinese (standard Mandarin), French, German, Italian and Spanish in a cultural context. You will be taught by leading scholars in Translation and Transcultural Studies and benefit fro regular visits by translation professionals and industry representatives. On this MA degree you will undertake research skills training and a final Dissertation, in which you can choose to specialise in a research topic or to produce an original translation from a variety of genres and an analytical commentary.

After graduating, you will be well qualified to seek out work within linguistic and intercultural mediation, in the growing sector of language industry and the translation profession, or to apply for further study or applied research, including our Warwick’s own PhD programme in Translation and Transcultural Studies.

This is a taught MA with a significant research component in the form of a compulsory Dissertation. A Supervisor who is an expert in the field will support you in writing the Dissertation.

The core Translation Portfolio includes provision for group tutorials and peer-to-peer feedback alongside scheduled teaching in a mixed workshop/seminar format.

From 1 to 30 for seminar teaching; individual supervision for the dissertation component.

The course will involve, on average, 35 hours of work per week, typically comprising 4 hours of seminar teaching, 1 hour of lectures, up to 1 hour of tutoring and 29 hours of independent study over Terms One and Two.

A complete suite of extracurricular activitiesLink opens in a new window including research seminars, masterclasses and industry-relevant workshops with guest professionals are also organised throughout the academic year. See our 2023/24 schedule as an example of the activities that take place.

In Term Three, which is focused on the Dissertation, you will work closely with your supervisor through one-to-one supervision meetings.

All our PG students can do an additional language for free at the Language CentreLink opens in a new window, subject to availability.

Modules are assessed by written assignments, consisting of essays, translations and/or analytical commentaries on translations, comparative analysis, professional development plans as well as by portfolio in the case of some core and option modules. Students will also submit an approximately 15,000-word final Dissertation.

Since 2020, the School offers the Susan Bassnett Prize for the best dissertation in Translation Studies.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject, e.g. a single or combined Honours Undergraduate degree in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Translation Studies, or another Humanities subject.

You will need to provide proof of high-level competence in spoken and written English and in at least one of the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish.

Knowledge of a third language amongst the ones mentioned above is valued, but not required.

Language competence

You will need to indicate your level of competence in the language(s) other than English (UG degree level or equivalent to C1 in the CEFR); if formal evidence cannot be provided, you will be assessed individually by the School.

If your first language is not English, or if you have not been taught entirely in English (equivalent to a UK qualification), you will need to provide formal evidence of the following English language requirements.

• 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.

In all cases, we require one academic reference confirming your Undergraduate performance and your suitability for this course.

Deadline

The deadline for applications for our taught postgraduate courses is the 15 July immediately preceding commencement of study.

Deposit

Please also note that offer holders for the MA in Translation and Cultures may be asked to pay a fees depositLink opens in a new window to secure their place.

Translation across Cultures: Concepts and Theories

The module seeks to familiarise students with key theoretical concepts in contemporary Translation and Transcultural Studies, explored through case studies across a range of text types in translation; it also provides an overview of the development of Translation Studies as a discipline. Students will be given the opportunity to explore how translation theory relates to translation practice and to the study of translation across a range of text types, as well as reflecting on their own positionality as researchers and practitioners in Translation Studies. 

Translation Portfolio

This module introduces the principles of translation, with a particular focus on the challenges that translators encounter in their practice. It offers you the opportunity to translate texts in different genres, and to analyse your own translation strategies.

In the general lectures, you will explore the theoretical challenges that different literary and media genres (such as poetry, short stories, children's literature, news, audiovisual and advertising) typically pose to the practice of translation. Crucially, in the language-specific seminars and through independent study, you will engage in the practice of translation and write a commentary analysing your own approach and translation strategies.

Critical Skills for the Translation Profession

This module introduces you to current professional practices in the language industry from a critical perspective. As well as becoming familiar with language industry demands, emerging job profiles, translation competence models, the role of technology, market requirements and the need to specialise, you will develop a reflexive stance towards translators’ position within the current job market. Crucially, you will acquire the necessary analytical skills to assess ethical dilemmas and the challenges and opportunities of translation as a sustainable profession.

Research Skills in Modern Languages

What are the skills needed to be a researcher in your particular branch of Modern Languages? What are the standards and expectations for presenting your research in the field and beyond? How do these research skills reach beyond academic work to equip you for other professional contexts?

This module addresses the basic principles and procedures at the heart of advanced research in all areas of Modern Languages. You will become familiar with key research resources in your field and will learn how to evaluate and apply the materials available to you. You will also learn how to position your own research and writing within a broader scholarly landscape.

Specialised Translation Skills

This module supports students in the development of practical specialised translation skills that are essential for language professionals. Departing from functionalist and text-based methods applied to translation, the module fosters a reflective and critical approach to the analysis of source texts and translation situations that will allow students to design, develop and evaluate specialised translation decisions.

Dissertation

Through a combination of independent research and targeted support and feedback sessions, the final dissertation (15,000 words) will help you produce a coherent and logically argued piece of writing that demonstrates knowledge of and critical ability in a chosen area, commensurate with the accomplishment of an MA degree. You will choose one of three models: (a) extended translation with commentary, (b) comparative analysis of existing translations, or (c) research dissertation on a chosen topic related to your own interests.

• Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling and Global Media
• Translation, Technology and Automation
• Trans/national Cultures
• Multilingualism and Global Cultures
• Translation and Transcultural Encounters between China and the West
• The Practice of Literary Translation (Offered by SCAPVC)

Read more about the optional modules offered on the School of Modern Languages website.Link opens in a new window

You can also choose other optional modules offered in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures and even in the Faculty of Arts and wider University, subject to availability.

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

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