Interpreting

Entry requirements

For native Chinese speakers, you will typically need a strong upper second-class honours degree or international equivalent in any subject.

For non-native Chinese speakers, you will typically need a strong second-class honours degree or international equivalent in Chinese Studies (or similar), or completion of a full undergraduate or postgraduate programme at a prestigious Chinese institution.

Non-native Chinese speakers who have not completed a Chinese/Mandarin bachelor's may be required to demonstrate proficiency through a translation test.

Non-traditional qualifications/routes may also be considered.

For applicants who are currently completing a degree, we understand that their final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades they achieve during their studies.

We will consider applicants whose interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements. We may make these applicants an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so the applicant would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of their degree.

We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing details of your relevant qualifications:

• Evidence of significant, relevant work experience. For native Chinese speakers: the work experience should be relevant to English language used at a professional level (eg international sales, marketing). For non-native Chinese speakers: work experience should be relevant to Chinese language (eg working as a translator or for a company using Chinese). A translation test may be used to determine proficiency.
• A relevant postgraduate qualification.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This degree is for applicants with a high level of English and Mandarin proficiency who are not afraid of a challenge. The MSc Interpreting builds a highly versatile portfolio of skills that provide an entryway into the world of professional interpreting and related fields such as international business. Native English students may have an undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies or experience working in China for example, while native Mandarin speakers might have come from a variety of undergraduate disciplinary backgrounds while having developed an advanced level of English.

Students will be trained bi-directionally in consecutive, simultaneous, and liaison interpreting working with native experts in English and Mandarin. Through exercises such as shadowing, mock conferences, simulated interpreting exercises and live field trips, you will learn the techniques and develop the skills necessary for professional interpreting work. In addition, the course engages with content such as the basics of business management, international affairs, training in the use of augmented-intelligence technologies, trauma-informed methodologies, models of communication, and text-based translation.

As essential participants in cross-cultural and multilingual interactions, interpreters can be found at every level of global society. More than just linguistic intermediaries, interpreters interface with a broad range of scenarios, from grief counselling in the medical field to the highest level of international diplomacy between world leaders through institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Interpreters represent not only the most proficient experts in multiple languages, but also those who develop a unique multidisciplinary understanding and ability to perform under extremely high-pressure conditions.

While traditional interpreter training has focused mainly on interpreting skills, our programme takes things one step further by directly engaging with the secondary competencies which are often displayed by experienced interpreters but are seldom taught systematically at postgraduate level. By offering training in areas such as psychometrics and negotiation, the MSc Interpreting curriculum branches into subjects that build students' understanding and confidence across a range of parallel fields.

The structure of the course allows for students to specialise in different directions in the second semester as their understanding of their future career goals continues to develop with the help of their personal tutor. Some will prefer to choose to major exclusively in interpreting disciplines, while others may wish to branch out into audiovisual translation or lay a foundation for PhD study and a career involving academic research.

Information for international students

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Fees and funding

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.