Translation and Professional Language Skills

Entry requirements

You should have a bachelor’s honours degree or international equivalent, typically a 2:1 or above.

To apply for this course you should have mother tongue competence in English and degree-level competence in one or two foreign languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish or Russian).

Candidates will complete aptitude tests for translating and editing to assess their suitability for the course.

We may make an offer based on a lower grade if you can provide evidence of your suitability for the degree.

If your first language is not English but within the last 2 years you completed your degree in an English speaking country you may be exempt from our English language requirements.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Gain the sought-after skills you need for a career in specialist language work on this practical and respected master’s course.

Our MA Translation and Professional Language Skills course prepares you to work as a professional linguist at a high level.

During the course, you'll develop the skills required for a range of roles in international organisations and language service providers. You'll mostly work with the written word to develop proficiency in specialised language services, such as:

• translating
• editing
• proofreading
• précis-writing (a type of summary writing used by the United Nations). This is only available on course pathways that include French, Spanish or Russian

Through your core units, you’ll advance your editing, revision, and proofreading abilities.These are often the key areas of expertise sought by employers and agencies in the industry.

You can then complement these foundational skills with optional units in specialisms like public service interpreting, public speaking, and translation technology; and even learn how to set up and run your own language services company.

Bath has longstanding links with international organisations like the United Nations and European Union. We make use of these links to keep our programmes up to date with the professional world and to set up external training opportunities where possible.

Learn from experts in the field

You’ll learn from highly experienced tutors who work, or have previously worked, as professional linguists in various settings. This will allow you to benefit from their wealth of experience, contemporary knowledge, and industry networks.

Use specialist facilities

Depending on your choice of optional units, you will have access to our professional-grade interpreting labs and on-campus TV studio. These are equipped with interpreter consoles and microphones, interpreter booths, and online conference facilities. Access to these labs is exclusive to students studying interpreting units.

Gain important career skills

On completion of this course, you'll leave with:

• a proven ability to work with varied and challenging texts, providing a strong foundation for working at an international level
• experience of working to deadlines and using style guides
• contacts and relationships with potential employers from career-focused talks and/or external training
• access to our close-knit alumni network of linguists who work in international organisations, private bodies and independent agencies
• evidence of translation skills, including the dissertation you'll complete at the end of the taught part of the course
• a greater level of intercultural awareness, which is important for working in an international role

You'll also have the opportunity to attend talks or extracurricular units to enhance your core learning. These will cover a range of topics such as law, economics and current affairs.

In addition to this, we regularly invite speakers and trainers from the course’s professional network to deliver career-focused talks and additional training sessions.

Training opportunities

Where possible, we use our extensive network of contacts to organise external training opportunities. These are often with the language services of international organisations, government departments or translation companies.

These opportunities can provide you with invaluable insights into the work of professional linguists and are highly valued by employers. However, they are not compulsory or guaranteed. Your language combination and your progress on the course will be considered when matching you with potential training opportunities, along with any other relevant information.

If you do undertake additional training, you will be able to hone your skills as a linguist by carrying out authentic tasks and receiving direct feedback from experts in the field.

Our students have previously undertaken training with many organisations, including:

• the United Nations
• institutions of the European Union
• the Council of Europe

Graduate Prospects

Our MA Translation and Professional Languages Skills course is vocational and has an excellent international reputation.

Many of our graduates have gone on to a range of careers in specialist language work. Others have used the transferable skills gained to pursue further study, or careers in teaching, publishing, and design.

Recent graduates have gone on to work for:

• European Central Bank
• United Nations
• GCHQ
• International Atomic Energy Agency
• International Court of Justice
• Expedia
• Healthline
• Wine & Spirit Education Trust

Fees and funding

View available funding opportunities.

Select the language pathway that you are interested in from the available list.