Interpreting – MA

Why study this course?

The Interpreting MA prepares you for work mainly as a professional conference interpreter for international organisations and the private market. Languages offered include English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Spanish. You’ll benefit from work placements, site visits and dummy booth practice at the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the International Maritime Organisation and the United Nations (Geneva and Vienna). It’s suitable for translators and linguists new to the field but would also benefit practising interpreters without formal qualifications.

More about this course

The Interpreting MA is a vocational master’s course grounded in theory and practice, specifically set up to train professional interpreters. The course offers you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the theoretical and professional frameworks of interpretation applied to a range of interpreting types including public service interpreting, conference interpreting and remote interpreting (telephone and video conferencing).

We offer excellent interpreting facilities, including six AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence) standard soundproof booths, each with audio and video digital recording facilities. The interpreting suite facilities  are the same as those used in Brussels for the European Commission and each booth is equipped with broadband and audio-visual digital recording. You’ll also benefit from the use of our virtual platform to access teaching materials and documentaries, presentations for conferences and recordings of mock conferences.

A key part of the course is a work placement during which you’ll perform live interpreting tasks under supervision and shadow professional interpreters at work. The course offers a wide range of language combinations paired with English: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Japanese. Further language combinations with English may also be available, such as Arabic, subject to demand, staff expertise and availability. In the past, we have offered Romanian, Dari and Lithuanian.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:

Consecutive interpreting (A into English or C2 into English) (core, 20 credits)

Consecutive interpreting (English into A, or C1 into English) (core, 20 credits)

Interpreting Theory and Interpreting Assignment Preparation Strategies (core, 20 credits)

Public Service Interpreting (core, 20 credits)

Simultaneous interpreting (A<>English , or C1 and C2 into English) (core, 20 credits)

The Interpreter’s Professional Environment (core, 20 credits)

MA Research Project (option, 60 credits)

Where this course can take you

Career prospects for graduates are excellent, with many proceeding to work as in-house or freelance interpreters and typically finding positions in translation and interpreting agencies; international, European and national organisations and bodies; local authorities, hospitals, the police, immigration services and refugee and asylum organisations.