London Metropolitan University

Based in one of the world's most exciting capital cities, London Met is home to a diverse community of inspiring and determined learners, teachers and innovative thinkers. It is a member of CIUTI, the world’s oldest and most prestigious international association of universities with translation and interpretation programmes (only 50 members worldwide), as well as one of the earliest Higher Education Language Partners of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.

Our Translation MA is a high-quality postgraduate programme designed to help you start or advance a career in translation. It aims to meet academic and professional standards as well as market demands of the translation industry, through a balanced and well-structured curriculum. This Master's degree has a vocational emphasis on specialist translation, focusing on areas such as law, politics, medicine, business, IT and media. You will also learn to translate different types of institutional documents (UN and EU), as well as use dedicated software to subtitle films and localise websites and software. You will also benefit from access to traineeships at the Directorate-General for Translation (European Commission). As a student of the programme you will have the opportunity to translate using the following languages paired with English (translating into your native language): Arabic, Mandarin, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

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. We offer excellent interpreting facilities, including six AIIC (Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conference) 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.

The Translation BA degree will engage you with all aspects of technical translation as well as some aspects of literary translation, focussing on practical work and the professional skills needed for a successful career in translation. This vocational degree provides excellent grounding in language, culture mediation, and translation theory and practice. Enjoy the opportunity to translate multimedia texts such as advertisements, comic strips, songs and films, as well as documents from specialist areas including finance, law, IT and medicine. We'll equip you with the transferable professional skills required in the translation industry and give you an in-depth knowledge of translation theories, methods and procedures. You'll also study interpreting skills and learn about the various techniques used in liaison interpreting within business settings. As part of the degree you'll have the opportunity to undertake a work placement where you can benefit from our links with the EU Directorate General for Translation, Moscow State University, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, the British Council and the United Nations. This Translation BA course offers English language combined with French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, German, Polish or Russian.