Five reasons to study for a masters in translation and interpreting at Surrey

Our postgraduate courses in translation and interpreting provide you with a wealth of personal, professional and academic opportunities. Here are the top five reasons why you should choose the University of Surrey for your translation masters.

1. Tailor your course to your interests

Throughout your course, you’ll study core modules as well as choose from a diverse range of optional modules, meaning you can tailor your studies to your academic and career goals, focusing on the areas of interpreting and translation you’re most interested in. You’ll be able to study topics such as translation and interpreting technology, business aspects of language service provision (in collaboration with Surrey Business School) and specialised translation and interpreting. We also have a suite of modules which explore linguistic, cultural and multimodal aspects of translation and interpreting.

2. Boost your employability with practical modules

Our internationally recognised MA courses in translation and interpreting have a strong practical component. They are designed to meet current market needs, as well as help you develop the entrepreneurial, professional and linguistic skills you need for your future career. You will practise translation and interpreting in language-specific groups taught by professional translators and interpreters, simulating real-life scenarios and covering subject areas ranging from business and the law, to science and technology. Guest speakers at the Centre for Translation Studies seminar series will help you gain further insight into the industry. You can also benefit from our virtual internships, which will enable you to collaborate with language service providers and create a professional engagement portfolio – ready to show potential employers once you graduate.

3. One of the longest-running courses in the world

Surrey’s MA Translation is one of the longest-running translation programmes in the world. Drawing on over 30 years of experience in translator education, our MA programmes focus on professional translation and will prepare you for a career in the language service industry. As a member of EMT, CIoL, ITI, TAUS and ELIA, we continue to be committed to the highest standards of professional excellence. Through links with industry, varied and innovative modules and a supportive learning environment, we actively encourage our students to develop a portfolio of translation specialisation and to engage with professional standards, translation quality and resourcing.

4. Work with specialist software and resources

Surrey’s Centre for Translation Studies has an enviable range of first-class facilities set in a purpose-designed building at the heart of campus. You’ll learn to work with computer-assisted translation software and advanced corpus tools and resources, all of which are used by professionals in the field. This includes free 24/7 access to software such as SDL Trados Studio, SDL MultiTerm, Matecat, Smartcat ,WinCaps, Dragon Speaking, and Sketch Engine. You’ll also have access to two cutting-edge conference interpreting suites which are equipped with ISO-approved double interpreting booths, as used by international institutions for simultaneous interpreting; portable interpreting equipment used for museum or factory tours; and a two-way and multipoint video conferencing system you can use to simulate remote or distance interpreting.

5. Graduate ready for a range of careers

As a translation and/or interpreting graduate and qualified language professional, you’ll be able to take advantage of global employment opportunities. Despite a challenging international economic climate, globalisation opens up new markets and creates demand for multilingual translation services in order to exchange knowledge and communicate with clients. Our recent graduates have successfully pursued careers at international organisations, government bodies and private companies, working as in-house and freelance translators and interpreters, language service provision managers, project managers, localisation specialists, transcreation specialists and recruitment consultants. Some of our students also decide to stay on and do a PhD so that they can follow an academic career.

Discover more about the postgraduate courses in languages, communication, translation and interpreting on offer at Surrey.