MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication

Entry standards

Native English speakers: a UK First or Second class honours degree in another language. Speakers of other languages: an equivalent degree in English, translation or other relevant subject.

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with 7.0 or more in writing (or equivalent) and a minimum of 6.0 in all other components (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - structure and modules

Module Titles

Compulsory modules include:

• Translating Cultures
• Interpersonal Communication

Optional modules normally include:

• Creative Writing and Professional Practice
• Intercultural Communication for Business Purposes
• Globalisation, Communication and Postmodernity
• Translation of Persuasive Texts
• Research Methods in Translation Studies
• Economics/Business Translation
• Scientific/Technical Translation
• Ab Initio Language for Translation Purposes

Module Overview

Translating Cultures

This module helps you to focus on important issues of global, national, regional and gender identities, as seen through the lens of translation activity. The module will help you to scrutinise the linguistic and cultural resources employed by translators to assimilate, channel and exploit discourses and voices in their respective environments. The focus will be on such areas as literature, tourism, politics and journalism.

Interpersonal Communication

This module helps you to understand interpersonal communication in its intercultural and cross-cultural dimension. It provides you with opportunities to analyse communication in various institutional settings, as well as to use conceptual tools in order to identify and solve communication problems that may emerge in mediated and non-mediated contexts.

Translation Issues 1 and 2

These two modules provide you with a framework for understanding important aspects of the product and the process of translation. They constitute a critical overview of significant developments in the area of translation studies and offer you the opportunity to use relevant conceptual tools when tackling specific translation tasks, as well as to reflect on your own translation activity. The issues that the modules elaborate are organised chronologically, along the lines of important milestones, and thematically, in terms of specific problems in translation.

Dissertation

This module allows you to specialise in an aspect of the programme which is particularly interesting to you by writing a topic-based dissertation. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to explore a particular translation problem that arises in instances of intercultural mediation.

Optional Modules

In addition to the compulsory modules, you will be able to select optional modules, depending on how you wish to customise your degree. You can further refine your understanding of intercultural communication in various settings (for example, business transactions) or explore issues of linguistic/cultural identity in the discourse of consumption, globalisation and constant (technological or other) mobility. Alternatively, you can focus on the cultural and ideological load of translations in such areas as advertising. Finally, there is also the option of complementing your translation skills by learning a new language for translation purposes, or taking up a practical translation module (subject to demand: Scientific/Technical Translation or Economics/Business Translation).

Subject information

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 for Translation Studies (CTS) 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.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - entry standards

Entry standards

Native English speakers: a UK First or Second class honours degree in another language. Speakers of other languages: an equivalent degree in English, translation or other relevant subject.

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with 7.0 or more in writing (or equivalent) and a minimum of 6.0 in all other components (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Planned intake

Up to 15

Start date

Programme director

• Dr Dimitris Asimakoulas

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - fees and funding

Fees

Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication (full time):

UK/EU - £5,740 
Overseas - £11,550

Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication  (part time):

UK/EU - £2,870 
Overseas - £5,775

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

Funding

Departmental scholarships are available as a contribution towards fees for some language combinations. Further details on request.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - professional context

Professional recognition

Students may join the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) or the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL) as student members.

Accreditation

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.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - teaching

Contact hours

Teaching: 10-12 hours per week
Private study: 28-30 hours per week
Dissertation: approximately 600 hours

Staff perspective

Dr Dimitri Asimakoulas

During the last few years, I have developed an interest in translation as an act of intercultural mediation and communication, with a special emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches in translation studies.

My areas of research include: humour theory in screen translation, censorship, sociological approaches to translation and the link between the broader social context and the micro-level of textual and paratextual production. Most recently I have examined the under-researched area of social movements and cycles of protest, where translation activity and translators themselves may play a key role.

What perhaps constitutes a common thread that runs through both my research and my teaching is an approach to translation as a purposeful activity done by people for people, in culture-specific situations. Translation seen this way can indeed be a very compelling object of study. It throws up significant ethical, ideological and linguistic issues.

On a personal level, and to quote the great poet John Keats on Chapman’s translation of Homer, translation seen in this light does not only become a fascinating subject to study, it also has the capacity to turn one into a watcher of the skies, opening a window to new experiences, different perspectives and personal growth.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - learning

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - graduate profile

Student Profile: Paraskevi Lagoudi

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication

The postgraduate programme at Surrey takes an approach to translation which has only developed recently. Interesting and different from my experience so far, the good reputation of the Department and the University’s geographical location consolidated my decision.

In addition to excellent organisation, our tutors are always available to discuss issues and help us to resolve any difficulties we may face. This helpful attitude, coupled with their professional expertise, highlights why I would definitely recommend Surrey to other students interested in my discipline. Specialisation in intercultural communication offers countless new opportunities, linking translation with domains that I had not imagined before, such as international business. 

After graduation, I hope that the knowledge I have acquired will lead to a job as a translator of travel literature or even in the translation department of an NGO engaging with cultural issues. Living at Surrey offers the opportunity to study in a multicultural environment and to communicate with people from different backgrounds, with different ideologies. Thanks to my postgraduate programme, I have gained knowledge in new disciplinary fields, become more open-minded and more efficient at multitasking.

A postgraduate degree from the University of Surrey is a great asset thanks to its reputation in my discipline. What is more, a year of study abroad is an asset for me as a person. Improving language skills and becoming more independent and responsible, I have widened my horizons and my social circle.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - more

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. 
• 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 have three state-of-the-art interpreting labs.
• We offer a supportive environment for learning.

Research in the Centre for Translation Studies 

CTS 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.

Research Projects

AVIDICUS–Assessing Videoconference Interpreting in the Criminal Justice System

Videoconference technology is now widely used in criminal proceedings to speed up cross-border communication, reduce costs and increase security. The emerging settings – for example, video links between courtrooms and witnesses abroad, between police stations and prisons – also involve bilingual communication and therefore require interpreters to be integrated into the videoconference setting. The project (led by CTS) aims to investigate the viability and reliability of videoconference and remote interpreting in criminal proceedings.

BACKBONE–Corpora for content-and-language-integrated learning

The Backbone project (led by the University of Tübingen) aims to compile a multilingual corpus of authentic spoken discourse in a range of cultural and professional contexts to be used for the development of language proficiency in interpreter/translator training. CTS is primarily concerned with research into the pedagogical foundations of corpus compilation/exploitation and will create a corpus of British regional and sociocultural varieties and enrichment materials for business and community interpreting contexts. The project corpora will be piloted with CTS interpreting students.

Seminars and Events 

CTS 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 CTS 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 programme 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 you 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.

MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - apply

• MA Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication - Full-time - starting September 2012