Conference Interpreting MA

The MA in Conference Interpreting (MACINT) aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills for a career in conference interpreting.

Students will offer one of two profiles, reflecting the two distinct profiles of practising conference interpreters.

Profile 1:  students who have English as their native language (A language) and two passive foreign languages (C languages). These students will be trained in both types of interpreting out of both C languages into their A language.

Profile 2: designed for students with Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish as their native language (A language) and English as an active foreign language (B language), or English as their native language (A language) and Arabic, Chinese, French, German or Spanish as an active foreign language (B language). These students will be trained in both types of interpreting in both directions (i.e. B-A and A-B).

The taught component of the MA combines 75 credits of conference interpreting courses (consecutive and simultaneous interpreting) with 45 credits of research-oriented courses. The dissertation (60 remaining credits) is written on a research project or a specific interpreting assignment (interpreting plus critical analysis). The programme prepares students for a professional career as a conference interpreter, developing the range of linguistic, specialist and technological skills required in the work place.

• To equip students with the knowledge and advanced interpreting skills for a career in conference interpreting
• To provide specialist training in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
• To provide a gradual transition into the professional world through practical, real-life interpreting tasks
• To provide guidance on professional conduct and ethics
• To enable students to reflect critically on their own and others' interpreting practice
• To equip students for further study and research

For full-time students:

Semester One

Consecutive Interpreting I (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Simultaneous Interpreting I (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Research Methods in Translation and Interpreting Studies I

Interpreting Studies

Semester Two

Consecutive Interpreting II (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Simultaneous Interpreting II (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Research Methods in Translation and Interpreting Studies II

Professional Development for Conference Interpreters

MA Dissertation

For part-time students:

Semester One

Consecutive Interpreting I (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Interpreting Studies

Research Methods in Interpreting Studies I

Semester Two

Consecutive Interpreting II (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

For part-time students:

Semester One

Simultaneous Interpreting I (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Semester Two

Simultaneous Interpreting II (B/C1 - A and C2 - A or A -B)

Professional Development for Conference Interpreters

Research Methods in Interpreting Studies II

MA Dissertation

Students on MACINT benefit from the close collaboration between Manchester and the Interpretation Service at the United Nations in Geneva, with places for students to spend a week at the UN in Geneva shadowing staff interpreters and working in a dummy booth, as well as an annual visit from a UN staff interpreter to Manchester. We are also in contact with the Directorate-General for Interpretation and Conferences at the European Parliament and have received visits from the Directorate-General for Interpretation at the European Commission. These contacts are part of developing links for pedagogical assistance for MACINT students, involving workshops from EU interpreters and visits by MACINT students to the European Commission and Parliament. In addition, MACINT staff have close links to the freelance interpreting market and organise workshops with guest speakers on professional development topics.

Academic entry qualification overview:

An Upper Second class Honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in a relevant subject. Applicants must demonstrate (i) native or near-native competence in English and native or near-native competence in Arabic, Chinese, French, German or Spanish, or (ii) native competence in English and degree-level competence in two from French, German or Spanish. Holders of degrees in non-language related fields will also be considered but need to demonstrate the required language competence. Relevant professional experience will be considered on an individual basis if appropriate.

Applicants to the programme must pass an aptitude test to secure an unconditional offer of a place.

The application deadlines for testing are as follows:

• 16 December 2012 for testing on 23-25 January 2013
• 28 February 2013 for testing on 25-27 March 2013
• 19 May 2013 for testing on  10-14 June 2013 

We reserve the right to limit the second round of testing to specific languages, e.g. if large numbers of candidates have already passed the first round of testing for certain language combinations. Details of the aptitude test are available on the MACINT website: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/ctis/ma/macint/

English language:

Students whose first language is not English must submit either:

• an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher overall, with a score of 7.0 in the writing component
• a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (internet-based test) or higher overall, with a score of 5.5 in the TWE component (or 25 in the writing component for internet-based test)
• a Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 70 or higher overall, with a score of 70 in the writing component.

Applications will not be considered complete without a copy of one of the above.

Only students working in the following combinations need apply: English-Arabic, English-French, English-German, English-Mandarin Chinese, English-Spanish.

Application for the programme is via the online application form. This can be accessed by visiting our how to apply section on the main University website.

Before applying, applicants should read all the information available regarding the proposed MA programme. When completing the application form, they must read the associated guidance notes and follow the instructions provided.

The following must be enclosed:

• Two academic references,
• Photocopies of degree certificates and official transcripts of previous study,
• Evidence of English language ability (see specific requirements in section 2 above).

If any documents are in a language other than English, applicants will need to provide official translations.

Entry to the programme will be restricted to those applicants who achieve a satisfactory level of performance in the Interpreting Aptitude Test (see specific requirements in section 2 above). Applicants are therefore recommended to apply as soon as possible.

If their application is successful, they will be made either:

• A conditional offer of a place (for example, if they have not already completed their current programme of study or have yet to satisfy the English language requirements).
• An unconditional offer 

On receipt of an offer, applicants should inform the Postgraduate Office as to whether they wish to accept the place, this is done via the online system. If there are conditions attached to the offer, they will need to let us know as soon as they have been satisfied and provide the necessary documentation.

Applicants to the MA in Conference Interpreting must pass an aptitude test to secure an unconditional offer of a place on the programme. The dates for the tests are as follows:

Round 1: 23-25 February 2013 for completed applications by 16 December 2012. 

Round 2: 25 - 27 March 2013 for completed applications by  28 February 2013.

Round 3:  10-14 June 2013 for completed applications by  19 May 2013. 

We reserve the right to limit the third round of testing to specific languages, e.g. if large numbers of candidates have already passed the first two rounds of testing for certain language combinations. Details of the structure of the aptitude test are available on the MACINT website: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/ctis/ma/macint/

For both rounds of testing, applicants will not be permitted to sit the aptitude test if they have not yet achieved the requisite results in the IELTS or equivalent examination, i.e. at least 7.0 overall and 7.0 in writing. It is strongly recommended that candidates do not submit their application for the MA programme until they have secured the required IELTS/TOEFL/Pearson scores. Applicants who fulfil the English-language requirement and meet the deadlines above will be invited to register online for their aptitude test, paying a fee of £50 to cover the cost of testing. They will then be notified of their allocated test slot. Tests can be taken remotely via video link or in person in Manchester. All test candidates will receive written feedback on their test performance. For candidates who take up a place on the MA programme in September 2012, the £50 test fee will be refunded from the tuition fees.

The MACINT degree is devised to train students with aptitude for Conference Interpreting in an intensive and highly individualised manner.

Contact hours with CTIS staff will involve a mixture of seminars with students studying all five languages on the MACINT degree (Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish) and language-specific tutorials focusing on your particular language combination. In the Professional Development for Conference Interpreters unit, students will also have the opportunity to work as part of a team of interpreters at a number of simulated multilingual conferences. As a result of the technology involved in simultaneous interpreting, class sizes are small which allows for intensive contact with teaching staff. In addition to class contact hours, e-learning provision provides students with the support and feedback required between classes, as well as allowing them the possibility for tracking their progress. Guided self-study sessions in small groups are an essential part of the MACINT degree. These sessions encourage self-reflexive learning and also nurture peer assessment and feedback skills. As a result of the expertise of CTIS staff, students will also be taught conference interpreting on the basis of research carried out in skill and expertise acquisition in Interpreting Studies. In addition, teaching and learning is informed by current research in Interpreting Studies on issues as diverse as cognitive processing and the social and ethical role of the interpreter.

MACINT is designed as a specialised postgraduate qualification in Conference Interpreting. Course units in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting complement one another and teaching and learning is informed closely by the research-led components. As the modules in MACINT are progressive (e.g. Consecutive Interpreting II builds on skills learnt and settings covered in Consecutive Interpreting I), with structured self-study forming an integral part of the course design, students are able to track their progress clearly as the programme develops.

Assessment on MACINT takes two forms: (1) assessed coursework and (2) end-of-unit examinations. The theoretical units (Interpreting Studies, Research Methods I and II) are assessed entirely by coursework, with two tasks spaced throughout the semester, enabling students to critically reflect on the material covered in class and receive formative feedback. Assessment in the practical interpreting modules is weighted towards end-of-unit examination, assessed by a panel of internal and external examiners, reflecting the task and professional practice of conference interpreting. However, coursework assessment is also integral to the practical interpreting units. This takes the form of an interpreting portfolio to track student progress throughout the semester, alongside other tasks such as compilation of a glossary-based terminology and interpreting performance in multilingual conferences.

The facilities for the MACINT degree are internationally competitive. Students benefit greatly from the state-of-the-art simultaneous interpreting conference room which was installed in summer 2009.  This includes simultaneous interpreting booths with interpreting consoles and integrated teaching software from leading simultaneous interpreting equipment manufacturer, Televic. This is the same equipment used at international organisations such as the European Parliament.

We also offer a Melissi digital self-study lab which provides excellent resources for group study and individual practice. This lab allows students to edit and use a wide range of multimedia materials. Additionally, the digital recording systems make it easier to record and monitor performance, both for consecutive interpreting and simultaneous interpreting exercises.

The John Rylands University Library (JRUL), on the doorstep of the Samuel Alexander Building, boasts one of the best stocked libraries internationally for Translation and Interpreting Studies literature. It also holds subscriptions to leading international journals in the field of interpreting such as Interpreting and The Translator. In addition, students have access to the most comprehensive abstracting service in Translation and Interpreting Studies, Translation Studies Abstracts (TSA), via John Rylands University Library.

Career opportunities as conference interpreters for MACINT graduates are very promising in two markets in particular: international organizations and the freelance market. High profile international organizations are very interested graduates who have completed a dedicated postgraduate qualification in Conference Interpreting, such as MACINT. In 2009, the European Commission launched a recruitment drive for native English speakers, predicting a serious shortage of interpreters. According to the European Commission, the demand for mother-tongue English translators is fuelled by the facts that (1) English has replaced French as the lingua franca of the EU's civil service; (2) many native-English interpreters were recruited from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s after the UK and the Republic of Ireland joined the EU. As these interpreters reach retirement age, they cannot be replaced at the same rate because English-speaking countries are not producing enough interpreters. This situation is likely to get worse over the next 10 years, with the EU also facing increased competition from UN bodies for top interpreters.

The freelance interpreting market is also continuing to grow, particularly in terms of rising demand for qualified conference interpreters in Chinese and Arabic-speaking countries. As these languages are predominantly required in combination with English, graduates of programmes in the English-speaking world, such as MACINT, seem best positioned to meet that demand.

A postgraduate qualification in Conference Interpreting also provides students with highly developed research, analytical and summarizing skills, excellent public speaking skills and an advanced understanding of mediation between cultures and languages. These transferable skills can be used in a variety of different job profiles.

School of Arts, Languages and Cultures

See: About us

Telephone: +44 (0)161 306 1259

Email: MASALC@manchester.ac.uk

Website: www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/tis/postgraduatetaught/taught/