MSc Interpreting and Translating

Overview

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)

September 2024 entry

The deadline for applications from UK students is 30 August 2024. For EU and overseas applicants, we guarantee to consider applications submitted by 2 August 2024.

Professional recognition

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.