Master of Arts - Translation Studies

The global Language Services industry is growing at an impressive rate; two of the top five providers, SDL and RWS, are based in the United Kingdom, and there are many large- and medium-sized providers headquartered in the US, Europe and Asia. Wherever you are based, there is no better time to enter the industry and this innovative MA is ideal for those looking to embark on, or develop, careers as professional translators.

This programme is designed to cover the list of competences required by professional translators published in 2017 by the European Master’s in Translation network. Students work closely with translation agencies, freelancers and other stakeholders to ensure that the syllabus prepares them for professional employment in the growing translator industry.

Translation practice is at the heart of the programme, and students will undertake extensive practical and specialised translation in your chosen language pair(s). The school also offers training in state-of-the-art translation technology and the opportunity to study another foreign language at beginners, intermediate or advanced level. The MA also provides excellent preparation for further study at PhD level.

The programme is available to students who are proficient in English and one of the following languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese or Russian. The industry standard is for translators to work into their mother tongue: the faculty can accommodate all language pairs in both directions except Mandarin, where the faculty can offer English to Mandarin but not Mandarin to English.

The University of Birmingham is a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and of the Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland. They are also part of the SDL University Partner Program, which allows us to allocate SDL Studio Freelance licences to our students for the duration of their studies and to award a free license to the top two students studying translation technology each academic year for use after they graduate. Finally, it is also a member of the Association of Translation Companies, which enables the school to work closely together with a number of translation companies to support the new generation of language services industry professionals.