PhD in Literary Translation Studies (2025 Entry)
Find out more about our Literary Translation Studies PhD degree at Warwick
The PhD in Literary Translation Studies allows you to choose between a research and a practice-based pathway through your degree. Focus your research on the history, philosophy, theory or practice of translation, or produce a substantial literary translation accompanied by a critical reflection.
Course overview
The PhD in Literary Translation Studies offers a choice between a research- and a practice-based pathway through your degree. The research pathway allows doctoral students to focus critically on a topic related to translation history, theory, methodology, practice or philosophy. The practice-based pathway involves the production of a substantial literary translation accompanied by a critical reflection.
Further information on the PhD in Literary Translation Studies is available on the Warwick Writing Programme website.
Teaching and learning
The structure of the PhD
Over 3 or 4 years (full time) or up to 7 years (part time), you will write a research or practice-based thesis:
A. Research pathway
Research theses will be 80,000 words in length and will typically investigate a topic related to the history, theory, practice, methodology and/or philosophy of translation.
B. Practice-based pathway
The practice-based pathway is distinct from the standard research pathway in that significant aspects of the claim for the doctoral requirement of an original contribution to the field of knowledge are demonstrated through the translation. Practice-based theses will consist of two parts, which should nonetheless form an organic whole:
i) a translation into English (this might be a translation of a novel; a novella; a collection of short stories; a collection of poetry; a work of literary non-fiction – the definition of literary non-fiction including but not restricted to memoir and travel writing; a work of scholarly writing, e.g. philosophy, critical theory, political thought).
ii) a critical reflection requiring the student to demonstrate awareness, informed by relevant scholarship in Translation Studies and any other pertinent scholarly fields, of the issues – stylistic, cultural, sociological, ideological and/or philosophical, among others – involved in the translation of the work. The thesis will be between 80,000 and 100,000 words, comprising the two related parts, translation and critical reflection. The ratio between the translation and reflection components will vary but the creative part will in all cases be the longer; the standard ratio of translation to critical reflection is 70:30. Variations on the 70:30 ratio may be negotiated – usually by translators of poetry or shorter fiction such as a novella or a short story collection. The translation should be undertaken during the period when the student is enrolled as a doctoral student at Warwick, i.e. a translation completed prior to the student’s enrolment in the PhD programme would not fulfil the requirements of the degree.
Teaching
Each student will have one or two supervisors, at least one of whom will be among the teaching staff of the Warwick Writing Programme. Co-supervision that involves a member of another unit in the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures, the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures or another academic unit in the Faculty of Arts may be appropriate.
You will meet with your supervisors, together or separately, at least once a month during the teaching year (if full time) or twice a term (part time). These meetings should normally be in person but may sometimes be conducted remotely when convenient to both parties. You will also have a personal tutor, whose role is pastoral. There is no taught component of this degree, but each student is invited to a one-to-one meeting with our subject librarian to explore resources for his or her project.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. An MA (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline, with a final mark (or predicted final mark) of 65 or above.
We recognise that practising literary translators applying to the practice-based pathway may have come to the profession from a background outside literary studies and/or modern foreign languages and/or the broader humanities and that previous degrees may not necessarily be in a “relevant” subject. Professional experience will therefore be taken into account in the assessment of an applicant’s suitability for the programme where an applicant comes from an academic background outside the arts and humanities.
For the practice-based pathway, a sample of translated work should accompany all applications.
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band C
- Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.5 with a maximum of two component scores at 6.5 or 7.0 (or equivalent).
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Our research
Areas for PhD supervision include:
- Historical fiction
- Memoir
- Screenwriting
- Hybrid writing
- Poetry
- Creative nonfiction
- Contemporary literature and cultural studies
- Adaptation
- Genre fiction
- Translation history and philosophy
- Translation methodology, practice and sociology
- Stylistic approaches to translation
Find a supervisor
Find your supervisor and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.
It is recommended that you approach your preferred supervisor before submitting your application. Our supervisors include Tim Leach, Maureen Freely, David Morley, Gonzalo C. Garcia, Nell Stevens, Lucy Brydon, Dragan Todorovic and Jodie Kim.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.Link opens in a new window
Learn about our research proposal guidance on the Warwick Writing Programme websiteLink opens in a new window.
Research proposals
For the practice-based pathway, a sample of translated work should accompany all applications.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Find your research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
Warwick Writing Programme
Welcome to the Warwick Writing Programme, an internationally acclaimed writing programme that attracts writers and literary translators from across the globe. If you join us, you will immerse yourself in contemporary and experimental narratives, including screenwriting, literary translation, gaming, creative non-fiction, spoken word, and fieldwork.
We foster and maintain excellent creative industry links and networks to enable our students to achieve their career ambitions. We are the home of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.
Our teaching staff of novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, screenwriters and literary translators includes A.L. Kennedy, Tim Leach, Nell Stevens, Maureen Freely, Gonzalo C. Garcia, David Morley, Lucy Brydon, Dragan Todorovic, and Jodie Kim.
Find out more about us on our website.
Our courses
How to apply
The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 will open on 2 October 2024.
For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.
How to apply for a postgraduate research course
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About the information on this page
This information is applicable for 2025 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.