MA Translation and Interpreting Studies

This course unit aims to familiarise students with professional practices in the creative and heritage industries and to provide them with a grounding in key theories, methods and issues in research on the translation of literature, theatre texts, museum texts, films, television and video games. The range of topics covered in this course unit may include:

• Introduction to translation in the creative and heritage industries
• Issues pertaining to culture and language use, particularly in literary and audiovisual translation
• Fundamentals of literary translation
• Fundamentals of subtitling

Students taking this course unit are required to engage in a range of practical projects and to complete recommended reading assignments to inform their practice.

Translation tutorials provide specific guidance to students for their translation work from any language into English or from English into any other language. Students are normally expected to translate into their first or strongest languages.

This unit provides conceptual foundations and practical skills for Translating for the Creative and Heritage Industries 2, which examines translation in these and other areas in greater depth.

• To understand the specific characteristics of translating for the creative and heritage industries, with particular emphasis on translating literature and audiovisual media
• To develop the knowledge and skills required for producing functionally adequate translations of a range of creative and heritage industry texts
• To enhance students’ professional translation competence with analytical skills
• To offer students an overview of contemporary theory and professional practices in the creative and heritage industries
• To develop abilities in a broad range of vocational and transferable skills including information gathering, the development of individual resourcefulness and time management, analytical thinking, as well as sustaining and presenting a logical argument
• To develop students’ independence of thought, intellectual curiosity and a critical approach to evidence, theories and concepts

• Demonstrate a firm grasp of the metalanguage used to discuss and analyse creative and heritage industry texts
• Understand how linguistic issues can affect translation decisions, connecting theory with practice as well as micro-linguistic choices with wider issues
• Advanced understanding of key relevant theoretical questions in literary/media/cultural studies and an ability to assess their relevance to translation
• Comprehensive understanding of a wide range of research issues and methods in the fields of literary, heritage and audiovisual translation

•  Analyse creative industry texts
•  Evaluate translation choices using appropriate concepts and metalanguage
•  Critically assess relevant academic literature
•  Develop and sustain a coherent argument in appropriately lucid and scholarly term

• A comprehensive understanding of the working of literary, heritage and audiovisual texts
• The ability to subject language to close scrutiny in the context of the creative and heritage industries
• Evaluate your own decisions and the decisions of others with reference to linguistic as well as cultural/social/political concerns
• Select and synthesise literature to back up an argument

•  Structure ideas clearly and present a well-structured analysis or argument
•  Adhere to guidelines and present a professionally written product
•  Plan and carry out written assignments to a strict deadline
•  Develop technological skills required for the processing and editing of digital file

Assessment task:

1. Critical analysis of translation - 50%

2. Translation/subtitling task - 50%

Resit assessment:

If only one assessment task has been failed, that task will be resat.  

If both tasks have been failed, Assessment 2 will be resat. 

The following list is indicative only. A specific course reading list will be provided to students.

Boase-Beier, Jean (2006) Stylistic Approaches to Translation, Manchester: St Jerome.

Díaz-Cintas, Jorge and Aline Remael (2021) Subtitling: Concepts and practices, London: Routledge.

Pérez-González, Luis (2014) Audiovisual Translation: Theories, methods and issues, London: Routledge.

Pérez-González, Luis (ed.) (2018) Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation, London: Routledge.

Washbourne, Kelly and Ben Van Wyke (2018) The Routledge Handbook of Literary Translation, London: Routledge.

Wright, Chantal (2016) Literary Translation, London: Routledge.