Compulsory Modules

Audiovisual Translation Issues 

In this module you will learn about the various forms of audiovisual translation such as subtitling, dubbing, voice-over and audio description, their development, their major challenges, as well as their overall relationship to translation. 

Applied Linguistic Principles 

Drawing on pragmatic models of communication, this module will help you to develop an understanding of how verbal language and other modes of communication are used for the creation and comprehension of meaning. 

Either 

Intralingual Audiovisual Translation (Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing: SDH) 

In this module you will learn how to produce intralingual subtitles in order to meet the needs of SDH viewers. The focus will be on acquiring skills for analysing the various components of audiovisual materials (speech, sound, text) from the SDH viewer’s perspective, developing strategies for transferring audio information to written form and learning to create effective monolingual subtitles using professional subtitling software. 

Or 

Audio Description (AD) 

In audio description, additional narrative is inserted in films, TV programmes or theatre performances to describe actions, body language and other essential details in order to increase the comprehension and enjoyment of audiovisual contents for blind and partially sighted people. In this module you will learn how to produce effective audio descriptions, using professional AD software. 

Interlingual Audiovisual Translation (language pair-specific) 

In this module you will learn how to produce subtitles in other languages for feature and documentary films, TV series, and so on. The focus will be on acquiring skills for analysing the various components of audiovisual materials (speech, sound, text), developing strategies for transferring audio information to written form and learning to create effective subtitles using professional subtitling software. 

Dissertation 

You will have the opportunity to specialise in an aspect of the programme of particular interest by writing a topic-based dissertation, or carrying out a subtitling/audio description project with commentary. Successful completion of the module requires close collaboration with a supervisor and good planning and organisation skills. 

Optional Modules 

In addition to the compulsory modules, you will be able to select optional modules according to your specific interests. The modules on Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and Audio Description for the blind and partially sighted may be taken as options. 

You may also add to your language portfolio through intensive study of a new language for translation purposes, extend your specialist translation expertise (subject to language proficiency and demand), or complement your skills in audiovisual translation through the study of other aspects of translation and creative writing.

Why study in the Centre for Translation Studies? 

You will be taught by both academic staff and experienced practising professionals in a supportive and welcoming atmosphere. 

Our academic staff enjoy international reputations in their particular field and bring the insights of their research work into the classroom. You will be challenged to think and develop your own ideas. 

Our extensive team of tutors – professionals who work as translators, interpreters, subtitlers and audio describers – bring their knowledge of the marketplace, its conditions and expectations to practice-based classes in which interaction and feedback are the keys to progress. 

Our students of translation, interlingual subtitling and interpreting take part in practice-based classes in language-specific groups for which assignments are set throughout each semester. You will get individual feedback on a regular basis from an expert tutor in your chosen language pair throughout the academic year. 

Postgraduate students are fully integrated in the life of the Centre and benefit from being part of a larger community in the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences. Research students enjoy the use of a dedicated postgraduate research room.

Links with Professional Associations 

The Centre for Translation Studies is proud of its active links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL). The Centre is a corporate member of the ITI and supports its activities by contributing to courses in continuing professional development. By working together with the ITI and the CIoL, the Centre is keen to promote all branches of translation and interpreting and to work towards establishing and maintaining the highest possible standards.

Strengths of the Centre for Translation Studies 

• We combine state-of-the-art teaching methods with up-to-date insights from translation and interpreting research 
• Our programmes are taught by a combination of academic staff and practising professionals 
• We maintain close relations with the profession: CTS has forged close links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting and the Chartered Institute of Linguists and has an extensive network of visiting professionals 
• We place equal emphasis on translation/ interpreting theory and practice 
• Our programmes prepare you for the professional market as well as research; we help you to develop the professional skills required to start a career in your chosen field of translation/ interpreting or research 
• We offer regular language pair-specific practice throughout the academic year, taught in small groups for the entire duration of the taught programme 
• Our programmes enable you to study according to your specific interests; each programme combines a range of compulsory modules with a variety of options 
• We provide excellent academic support facilities 
• We use state-of-the-art professional translation software; our software includes translation memory, terminology management, subtitling and audio description software and is accessible 24/7 
• We offer a supportive environment for learning

Research in the Centre for Translation Studies 

The Centre for Translation Studies enjoys an international reputation for its scholarship and research across a range of areas in translation and interpreting studies. 

Founded in 1982, the Centre offers a full portfolio of programmes from undergraduate through Masters to doctoral level. The Centre is staffed by scholars who are actively involved in the national and international research scene. Colleagues regularly participate in international conferences, give invited lectures, publish in peer-reviewed journals, produce edited volumes on topical themes with leading publishers, and write monographs.

Seminars and Events 

The Centre for Translation Studies regularly organises a varied programme of international events. 

A two-day seminar on ‘Audio Description for Visually Impaired People: Towards an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda’, sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Studies, was initiated and hosted by CTS. It provided an interdisciplinary framework for dialogue and future research and brought together thirty participants from eight countries.

 ‘Translation and Opposition’ was an international one-day event organised by CTS, under the auspices of the publisher Multilingual Matters Ltd. The aim of the event was to bring together specialists from various institutions in the UK and other European countries to discuss and debate the conflictive aspects of translation. 

The 21st anniversary of Surrey’s MA in Translation was marked with an event entitled ‘The Translator as Professional and Scholar: Challenges and New Horizons’. Guests included a senior representative of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, and over 70 students from both undergraduate and postgraduate CTS programmes.

The Royal Embassy of Norway in London sponsored a two-day International Translation Symposium hosted by Centre for Translation Studies staff. 

‘In So Many Words: Language Transfer On The Screen’, an international conference on audiovisual translation, was co-hosted by CTS and the Hispanic Research Centre at the University of Roehampton. 

Linking Academic Disciplines 

The European and International Studies Research Centre (EISRC) was created in 2007 to link the different research groups focusing on these subjects at the University of Surrey. 

The aims of the EISRC are: 

• To promote collaboration and mutual support through research mentoring and monitoring, internal peer review of grant applications and book proposals/draft articles 
• To organise conferences and to stimulate multidisciplinary grant bids and other forms of cooperation 

Members of the EISRC attract funding from a wide range of sources including the AHRC, the ESRC, the British Academy and the EU, and many are regarded as experts in their field. 

The management committee comprises: Susan Breau (Law), Chris Flood (Politics), Colin Grant (Sociology) and Margaret Rogers (Centre for Translation Studies) – with accountability to the Associate Deans for Research in the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences and the School of Law. 

Translation Studies 1+3 Taught Masters Leading to PhD 

This route enables a single combined application for study on a taught Masters programme with further study for a research degree. The initial application should include details of the proposed taught Masters programmes and the broad area of the proposed future research. Offers for the 1+3 programme will include progression criteria that will be applied at the end of the taught element, usually in the form of an overall percentage and a minimum performance in the dissertation. This pathway is primarily intended for the MA in Translation Studies but can be considered for other programmes. 

English Language Support 

Mastery of English is vital for success in our translation and interpreting programmes. The Department’s Intensive Academic English courses are available for students who begin their degree programmes in the autumn. 

These pre-sessional classes are available in four- to ten-week sessions between July and September as well as from October to June. The University sometimes asks for completion of our ten-week pre-sessional programme as a condition of entry.

Support is also available to our students throughout the academic year in study skills and academic writing. You will receive individual attention from our experienced and friendly staff to help you get the most from your degree programme.