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Language and Communication Studies Courses

MA Applied Translation Studies

  • Course Code DNT2Q910201
  • Duration 2 Years
  • Attendance Part Time
  • Award Degree of Master of Arts
  • Overview
  • Why Choose Us
  • Requirements
  • Course Profile
  • Fees and Funding
  • Apply
Overview
MAATS ImageGlobalisation has broken down barriers of time and space and led to the ever greater centrality of knowledge and information. The increased contact between different linguistic communities (through migration, tourism, education, and information and media flows) has not, however, resolved the problem of linguistic and cultural barriers, quite the opposite. As language and cultural exchanges become ever more frequent and diverse, so does our need to comprehend the nature of intercultural communication and how it may best be promoted. These are the central concerns of the various MA programmes in the School of Language and Communications Studies at UEA.

New Module for 2011-12: Intercultural Communication in Practice
This module explores how students can become more effective communicators in international settings, by developing their intercultural competence. It is relevant to those wishing to pursue careers in international management and multilingual business. Invited speakers will introduce students to how intercultural communication operates in specific government and business organisations. 

In the MA in Applied Translation, we are particularly interested in the transfer of information across languages in a broad range of fields such as business, commerce, publishing, journalism and other areas of the media, science and technology. The course focuses on non-literary translation and is designed to provide an academic qualification for those intending to take up careers as in-house professional translators or who aim to work as freelance translators. It is also aimed at practising translators who would like to update their knowledge and skills or wish to gain access to teaching and lecturing. The MA provides a solid base for those wishing to pursue further postgraduate research in Translation Studies. While it is not a professional translator training programme, it equips its graduates for successful careers in a wide range of professions thanks to its significant, and distinctive, practical components.


MA Degree Programmes Postgraduate Diplomas 
(MA in Communication and Language 
Studies only)
Four taught modules assessed by coursework 
(six for Communication and Language Studies)
Six taught modules assessed by coursework
Obligatory core elements and options Obligatory core elements and options
Year Long Research Method module Two-semester 100% taught courses (no dissertation)
15,000 word supervised dissertation 
(8,000 for MA in Communication and Language Studies) 
Easter to early September
 

Multi-disciplinary environment, wide range of options from across the Faculty

Full time and Part time programmes


View Course Handbook

MAATS Course Handbook 2011-12


Why study Applied Translation at UEA?

Several factors combine to make the choice of the UEA MA in Applied Translation programme an appropriate and exciting one:

The intake of students is very linguistically diverse which enables you to learn a great deal about the systems and features of many languages beyond your own language pair: Chinese, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Malay, Mexican, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese are just some of the languages represented by recent students.

We provide you with training in technological tools for translators, especially Trados, which gives you a grounding in the tools used by most professional translators today. Students benefit from the input of a professional Translation Consultant on this module.

Our Translation Work Experience optional module is highly distinctive. It provides you with the opportunity to work on professional translation briefs for public service organisations in the UK and abroad, notably museum services.

In conjunction with the MA in Literary Translation in the School of Literature and Creative Writing, we provide a series of translation workshops each semester delivered by practising translators and academics which give you insights into both the translation profession and academic discussions about aspects of the profession.

It is also possible to participate in the editing of the Norwich Papers journal which is devoted to essays on translation.

The School provides a friendly and stimulating environment in which to study. The size of the School allows for more personal staff-student contact and individual academic support than in many larger institutions.

The James Platt Centre for Language Learning which is housed within the School provides an extensive range of language resources including live satellite broadcasts, CDs and DVDs in various foreign languages, as well as a wide variety of foreign language printed matter. These materials complement the excellent holdings of the UEA library. IT facilities are excellent throughout the University.

Research within the School itself focuses on cross-cultural communication, with all staff sharing an interest in the cross-over of language, translation and media in a multilingual framework. The different standpoints from which they approach the interaction between language and forms of communication constitute complementary and mutually enriching perspectives.


Course Content and Structure

The MA in Applied Translation is a one-year, full-time taught course but it can also be taken part-time over two years.

It is intended that this course should provide students with a high level of theoretical and practical training combined with the opportunity to maintain an interest in their chosen academic discipline. Teaching is mainly through the media of seminars and individual dissertation supervision.

The compulsory modules are: Translation in Context, Translation and Theory, and Technological Tools for Translators. Alongside these modules, you follow a research methods module and attend the translation workshops. The final module is chosen from a range which includes Translation Work Experience, Language Issues in a Global Multilingual Context, Cultural Representations and Language, and Process and Product in Translation. The final compulsory element is the dissertation which is written between the end of the second semester and the end of August.


Final Dissertation:

The dissertation is either a translation and commentary of 15,000-20,000 words altogether, or a dissertation on another topic such as translation theory, translation in specialised context(s) or case studies, in which case it is 12,000-15,000 words in length.


Course Assessment:

Assessment is on the basis of coursework which principally involves presentations and essays.


Transferable Skills and Careers:

Students who successfully complete the MAATS programme will have developed to a high level their theoretical and practical knowledge of applied translation and its concerns, learnt how to evaluate the relevance and usefulness of a range of critical approaches to their own needs and circumstances, and refined their ability to read and utilise research literature, and to participate effectively in written and oral debate.


Our students go into the translation industry but also a wide range of other professions (see our MA alumni webpages for more information).


Student Experience

Imogen Hancock, now an in-house translator in a legal translation company, comments:

‘Having just finished the MA in Applied Translation Studies I feel sad that it is all over but excited about all the possibilities it now presents me. I particularly enjoyed the practical elements of the course. The work experience module offered an invaluable opportunity to produce translations for public use, while giving me the support and linguistic supervision I needed. The whole course provided a good balance between theory and practice and a solid foundation on which I can now begin to build my career as a translator. It opened my eyes to a wide range of translation issues of which I was not previously aware. Above all the tutors made this course stand out among my other experiences of further education. Not only did they provide high quality and challenging instruction, but also a level of individual support that was refreshingly personal and attentive.’

See our MA alumni webpages for more examples.


Course Organiser
Dr Roger Baines    
Programme Specification
Course Brochure
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