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Key information

Our MSc Interpreting course is one of the most established and respected interpreting degrees of its kind in the UK and offers professional standard training in Chinese, French, German and Spanish.

Level
Postgraduate Taught
Delivery type
Full Time, Part Time
Degree qualification
MSc
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September

Our specialist programme is designed for those who want to work as professional interpreters. During the master’s programme, you’ll develop knowledge and critical awareness of the requirements of interpreting in a range of professional contexts, including those of conference interpreting, liaison interpreting, public service interpreting and interpreting for business contexts. 

You’ll learn relevant transferable communication skills, including the skills of summarising, abstracting, note-taking for interpreting purposes and public speaking. You’ll be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with other professionals in the field, including colleagues and clients. You’ll master IT skills that are relevant to the work of a professional interpreter and will be able to use specialised databases. 

Each course will equip you with highly employable expertise and skills in interpreting. You’ll have the opportunity to choose one optional course – including international politics and organisations, intercultural communication in the workplace, translation technologies and subtitling. This will allow you to customise learning and development goals to your specific interpreting interests. Your dissertation will allow you to engage in an independent in-depth critical examination of a particular topic that falls within the scope of Translation and Interpreting Studies. 

You’ll benefit from the industry relevance of the programme, which will set you up for life after graduation. Upon completion, you’ll be equipped with the professional skills and qualities necessary to become an interpreter in a variety of professional contexts. Additionally, you will develop transferable skills that will help broaden your career horizons. Beyond the subject-specific knowledge and skills, you’ll also be given the opportunity to learn and practice transferrable skills such as presentation, communication and ICT skills. 

Your student experience

You will be taught by our team of highly qualified experts from the fields of interpreting practice, linguistics, research and education.  

Our academic and professional expertise helps our programme maintain its position at the forefront of industry practice and means that you’ll gain practical insights into the careers of successful interpreters on a daily basis.  

Go Global

With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.

Inter-Campus Transfer

Some of our Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes are eligible for Inter-Campus Transfer. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for further information.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

Mandatory September

  • Skills for Interpreting
  • Liaison and Public Service Interpreting
  • Translation and Interpreting Studies

Optional September

  • International Politics and Organisations
  • Business Communication 1: Communication in the Workplace
  • Intercultural Communication in the Workplace
  • Translation Technologies
  • Subtitling

Mandatory January

  • Conference Interpreting
  • Research Methods
  • Introduction to the Translation and Interpreting Professions
  • Liaison Interpreting for Business

Mandatory May

  • MSc Dissertation

Fees and funding

/ intake tuition fees
StatusFull TimePart Time
UK£10,528£5,264
International£21,192£10,596
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Scholarships and bursaries

Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View details

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

Strand A (one language)

Our minimum entry requirements satisfy both:

  1. Native / near-native command of English plus native / near-native command of Chinese, French, German, or Spanish
  2. An honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject that demonstrates clear languages proficiency, preferably in the chosen study language. We can also consider other language experience such as translating or work experience with other languages.

Strand B (two languages)

Our minimum entry requirements satisfy both:

  1. Native / near-native command of English plus an excellent command of two from French, German, Spanish or Chinese.
  2. An honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject that demonstrates clear languages proficiency, preferably in the chosen study languages. We can also consider other language experience such as translating or work experience with other languages.

Entrance tests

Suitable applicants will be invited for interview and to undertake a short test.

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

Employability

Recent graduates from our interpreting and translation degrees have progressed to the following careers:

Potential career paths

  • In-house translator
  • Freelance conference interpreter
  • Founder of translation and interpreting agency
  • Courtroom interpreter
  • National Health Service interpreting head

Student life

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