MSc Interpreting and Translating
The course
- Delivery
- Full-time, Part-time, Per course
- Course type
- Taught
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Entry date
- September
Heriot-Watt University is home to the most established Interpreting and Translating Masters degree programme in Scotland and offers teaching in Chinese, French, German and Spanish in state-of-the-art facilities.
Language and Communication
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Contact
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Overview
September 2023 entry
The deadline for applications from Scottish and RUK students is 31st August 2023. For EU and overseas applicants, we guarantee to consider applications submitted by 1st August 2023.
MSc Interpreting and Translating
Heriot-Watt University's MSc Interpreting and Translating is a twin-focus degree which prepares you for a career as a professional translator and interpreter in one or two of the following languages combined with English:
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Spanish
This degree has been tailored to meet the needs of the international interpreting and translation industries. The courses help you develop the ideal balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
Professional skills
Studying MSc Interpreting and Translating at Heriot-Watt University will give you access to our excellent facilities, which include professional-standard translation and interpreting labs.
You will be taught by professional interpreters and translators and your learning will focus on developing a professional expertise in areas such as:
- Technical and scientific translation
- Subtitling and audio-visual translation
- Use of Computer Aided Translation tools
- Sight translation
- Simultaneous interpreting
- Consecutive interpreting and note taking
You will develop these skills to a proficient standard and learn about the different approaches and skillsets required from interpreters when working in distinct professional contexts such as healthcare, court and legal, educational and conference interpreting.
Professional-standard classrooms
Our state-of-the-art language labs and suite of simultaneous interpreting booths will provide you with the ideal setting in which to perfect your translating and interpreting skills to professional standards.
Our suite of interpreting booths has been recently refurbished and modelled on those used by the United Nations, the European Union and the Scottish Parliament.
Our interpreting booths and translation labs allow you to put your theoretical knowledge of language and culture into practice and develop crucial real-world technical experience with industry-standard software such as TRADOS, a computer aided translation memory tool and WinCAPS, the professional subtitling tool. The ability to master these tools is essential for all modern translators and interpreters.
Your practical interpreting and translating skills will be developed through a combination of practice seminars, lectures, masterclasses, and workshops and virtual classes delivered by our external partners. In addition to regular practice seminars in your chosen language combinations, you will attend mock conferences throughout semester 2 to practice simultaneous interpreting, relay, event chairing and public speaking for a real audience including your lecturers and peers.
You will fine-tune your conference interpreting skills on a larger scale at the annual Heriot-Watt University Multilingual Debate. This is a formal debate between two multilingual teams which is watched by thousands of school-aged languages pupils from across the United Kingdom.
Academic and professional expertise
You will be taught by a team of highly-qualified researchers, educators and practising professionals who bring knowledge, expertise and guidance to the classroom.
This blend of academic and professional expertise helps our programme maintain its position at the fore-front of industry practice and ensures that you will gain practical insights into the careers of successful interpreters and translators on an almost daily basis.
Industry links: an international network
By studying on our MSc Interpreting and Translating programme you will gain access to an ever-growing international network of employers who recognise the high standard of skills and expertise of Interpreting and Translating graduates.
These industry links help us offer students our SWATI Day (Starting Work as a Translator or Interpreter), an industry-focussed conference event which brings key figures from industry to Heriot-Watt University for a day of professional guidance and networking.
Our graduates are given access to exclusive internship opportunities with organisations such as IAMZ, the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza in Spain, which gives four MSc students with a proficient level of Spanish the opportunity to take up partly European exchange-funded 3 month Simultaneous Interpreting placements in Spain.
Graduate destinations
Our hands-on, professional standard experience of interpreting and translating is the ideal preparation for industry and ensures that our graduates are widely sought after and respected across the industry.
Many recent graduates of this programme have gone on to build successful careers in areas such as:
- In-house translator
- Freelance conference interpreter
- Founder of translation and interpreting agency
- Courtroom interpreter
- National Health Service interpreting head
Recent Interpreting and Translating graduates have also been equipped with the transferable skills and qualities necessary to build successful careers as project managers, copywriters, editors, media specialists and educators.
Language combinations
In the practical translating and interpreting courses students opt for one of two ‘strands', corresponding to their chosen languages:
Strand A
Study of English + one other language from Chinese, French, German or Spanish. Students work in both directions between English and their other chosen language.
Strand B
Study of English + two foreign languages from French, German, Spanish, or Chinese. Students on this strand work from the two chosen languages into English.
Programme duration
- Full-time: 12 months/9 months (MSc/PG Diploma)
- Part-time: 24 months/21 months (MSc/PG Diploma)
Professional recognition
Heriot-Watt University's MSc Interpreting and Translating is regarded as one of the strongest degree programmes of its kind by many within the industry. This is reflected in our professional membership of Conférence Internationale permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI) a multinational organisation of universities which is dedicated to upholding a standard of excellence in the teaching of interpreting and translating. CIUTI recognition is a guarantee that the course content, teaching and examinations are conducted at the highest standard. It is a mark of quality which is recognised by major international employers of interpreters and translators.
Our training efforts are backed up by SCIC, the Directorate-General for Interpretation of the European Commission, through a cooperation agreement. This cooperation translates into virtual classes, pedagogical assistance missions and training for trainers delivered by SCIC trainers, as well as study visits to Brussels.
Go Global
Some of our Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes are eligible for Inter-Campus Transfer. Please contact goglobal@hw.ac.uk for further information.
Course content
- Semester 1 (Sep-Dec): 60 credits (4 taught courses)
- Semester 2 (Jan-April): 60 credits (4 taught courses)
- Semester 3 (May-Aug): 60 credits (MSc dissertation)
Semester 1
- Skills for Interpreting
- Translation Practice 1
- Translation and Interpreting Studies
Plus one from the following options:
- Subtitling
- Translation Technologies
- Liaison and Public Service Interpreting
- International Politics and Organisations
- Business Communication
- Intercultural Communication in the Workplace
- Business Communication 1: Communication in the Workplace
Semester 2
- Conference Interpreting
- Translation Practice 2
- Research Methods
- Introduction to the Translation and Interpreting Professions
Semester 3
- Masters Dissertation - 60 credits
For the MSc dissertation, students can choose one of these three options:
- Research dissertation (12,000 words): completion of an original research study.
- Translation and Commentary Dissertation: students in one of the programmes with translation can work on the translation of a text of +/- 6,000 words that has not been translated before following an invented brief, and commentary (+/- 6,000 words) of the strategies applied underpinned by relevant theories and/or theoretical models.
- Interpretation and Commentary Dissertation: students in a programme with interpreting can choose this option, which includes transcribing an interpretation performed by the student of between 20-30 minutes, and commentary (+/- 6,000 words) of relevant features depending on the mode, setting, communicative encounter, and analytical focus, which will be underpinned by relevant theories and/or theoretical models.
Course descriptions
Translation Practice 1
Semester 1 (mandatory)
The course helps students to develop mastery of the skills and techniques of translating to professional standards through study of a number of text types and genres and practice in translating these text types and genres. Transferable skills (e.g. the ability to work in a team) which are crucial in professional translation contexts are also developed.
Translation and Interpreting Studies
Semester 1 (mandatory)
The course covers the major theoretical areas in Translation and Interpreting Studies, as well as various models of text processing and translating and interpreting. The course also looks at the relevance and applicability of this to the practical concerns of the translator/interpreter.
Conference Interpreting
Semester 2 (mandatory)
Includes language-specific workshops to practise consecutive and simultaneous interpreting following a set programme of appropriate speeches as well as miniconferences at which students participate as speakers, as well as practise their simultaneous and consecutive interpreting.
Translation Practice 2
Semester 2 (mandatory)
The course further enhance mastery of the skills and techniques of translating to professional standards through study of a number of text types and genres and practice in translating these text types and genres. The course also helps learners develop a number of key transferable skills (e.g. revising, abstracting, editing, summarising, proof-reading) which are important in professional translation contexts and non-translation-related situations.
Entry requirements
Strand A
- Native / near-native command of English plus native / near-native command of Chinese, French, German, or Spanish.
- Good degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
Strand B
- Native / near-native command of English plus an excellent command of two from French, German, Spanish, Arabic or Chinese.
- Good degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
Entrance tests
Suitable applicants will be invited for interview and to undertake a short test.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English must provide evidence of their English language ability. This must be IELTS 7.0, or equivalent, with at least 6.5 in all components.
Fees
| Status | Full-time | Part-time | Per course |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | £8320 | £4160 | £1040 |
| Overseas | £18520 | £9260 | £2315 |
Footnotes
- 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. Find out more about tuition fees.
- Fee per course (module). Refer to the Course Content to see how many courses comprise the full programme.
- Overseas includes applications from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in the UK. Read more about the application process for EU nationals.
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 our full range of postgraduate scholarships.
Additional scholarship information
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