Program Overview
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sustainable-energy-systems-management-msc sustainable-energy-systems-management-pgdip systemic-practice-family-therapy-msc systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgcert systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgdip systemic-psychotherapy-msc teaching-english-speakers-other-languages-applied-linguistics-msc translation-ma violence-terrorism-security-ma violence-terrorism-security-pgdip youth-justice-msc youth-justice-pgdip zero-carbon-engineering-pgcert Share Facebook Linkedin Email Undergraduate 2025 MA | Postgraduate Taught Translation Apply now Register Interest Entry year Academic Year 2026/27 Entry requirements 2.2 Attendance 3 years (Part-time) 1 year (Full-time) Places available TBC (Part Time) TBC (Full Time) Overview Course content Modules Entry requirements Careers Fees and funding Apply The MA Translation aims to: • Enable students to develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of the prevailing theories and practices of translation through intellectual and interactive enquiry and advanced translation practice; • Provide grounding in the field of Translation Studies, defined as theory and practice, that will enable students both to undertake independent research and/or work as professional translators; • Encourage sophisticated intellectual enquiry and debate with fellow students, academics and professional practitioners, drawn from a range of relevant backgrounds, through interrogation of theoretical models and analysis of practice-based work; • Encourage students to develop professional translation skills and learn to theorise within the context of the discipline and their own practice; • Provide students with a good knowledge of the translation market place; • Foster a dynamic and innovative approach to translation as a mode for understanding the socio-political and cultural complexities posed by the movement of peoples and the demands of multi-lingual and multicultural organisations and societies; • Equip students to use their writing talents to the best of their ability, and to develop as independent translators and self-reflective lifelong learners. Translation highlights Professional Accreditations Students who complete the elective module Principles in Community Interpreting are eligible for the award of an OCN Level 4 certificate in Principles of Community Interpreting. Career Development Graduates can pursue careers in a range of areas where translation skills are required, e.g. academic, creative writing, translation and interpreting industry, public policy, business and commerce, journalism and diplomacy. The programme includes specialist training in translation technologies and offers opportunities for work experience.
Key Program Features
Translation highlights
Professional Accreditations
Students who complete the elective module Principles in Community Interpreting are eligible for the award of an OCN Level 4 certificate in Principles of Community Interpreting.
Career Development
Graduates can pursue careers in a range of areas where translation skills are required, e.g. academic, creative writing, translation and interpreting industry, public policy, business and commerce, journalism and diplomacy. The programme includes specialist training in translation technologies and offers opportunities for work experience. Graduates are also equipped for taking up doctoral study.
Internationally Renowned Experts
You will be taught by staff with research profiles of international standing, with a wide and diverse range of interests in translation and interpreting studies, including digital and media contexts, literature, travel writing, international development, theatre and performance, hermeneutics and translation theory, histories, education, religious texts, landscape and place, museums, archives, subtitling, audio-description and accessibility. In REF 2021, over 99% of Queen’s research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. The School hosts several large research projects across all the language areas, funded by the AHRC, the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, and Horizon 2020.
Student Experience
The Centre for Translation and Interpreting is a vibrant international, multilingual and multicultural research community. MA students thrive in a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere, developing close associations with teaching staff and our large cohort of PhD students through shared classes and weekly seminars with renowned visiting speakers.
Career Opportunities
Career Development
Graduates can pursue careers in a range of areas where translation skills are required, e.g. academic, creative writing, translation and interpreting industry, public policy, business and commerce, journalism and diplomacy. The programme includes specialist training in translation technologies and offers opportunities for work experience. Graduates are also equipped for taking up doctoral study.
Internationally Renowned Experts
You will be taught by staff with research profiles of international standing, with a wide and diverse range of interests in translation and interpreting studies, including digital and media contexts, literature, travel writing, international development, theatre and performance, hermeneutics and translation theory, histories, education, religious texts, landscape and place, museums, archives, subtitling, audio-description and accessibility. In REF 2021, over 99% of Queen’s research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. The School hosts several large research projects across all the language areas, funded by the AHRC, the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, and Horizon 2020.
Student Experience
The Centre for Translation and Interpreting is a vibrant international, multilingual and multicultural research community. MA students thrive in a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere, developing close associations with teaching staff and our large cohort of PhD students through shared classes and weekly seminars with renowned visiting speakers.
The Translation Studies department at Queen's has been more than helpful for me. I left my undergraduate degree feeling deflated, and that this was simply the next step of my journey into a career. The staff have encouraged me every step of the way, helping me realise my potential as more than just doing alright, and helping me with any opportunities which may enhance my academic abilities. Each one of them does a fantastic job and I can't rate them high enough.
Program Curriculum
Course Structure
The degree is structured to allow students to deepen their understanding of key aspects of translation theory and/or choose to concentrate on more practice-based activities. Delivered through a combination of seminars, workshops, guided private study, a programme of visiting speakers, and appropriate professional practice, the structure of the degree will enable students to work towards both of these objectives, or to focus more intensively on one of them. In addition to the elements for which they are enrolled, students are encouraged to audit as many other elements of the programme as they wish, including multiple language-specific translation workshops. Students may enrol on a full-time (1 year) or part-time (3 years) basis. Part-time students typically complete one or two modules per semester. Full-time students typically complete three modules per semester. The MA Translation is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points) and a 15,000 word research or practice-based (translation and commentary) dissertation (60 CATS points). Students must pass all taught modules before proceeding to the dissertation.
Course Details
Core Modules Theory and Practice of Translation (core, compulsory) The purpose of this core module is to introduce you to the main practices and underlying principles of translation. The course examines a variety of perspectives: translation as textual, cognitive, literary, social and political activities that impact the wider context in which they take place. It is based on the assumption that theory and practice are mutually sustaining in that considerations of theory enable the translator and interpreter to make sense of the decisions that he or she takes at every moment throughout his or her practice. It invites you to think critically and reflectively about the community of translators that you aspire to join (or to which you may already belong), and to engage with the complexity and implications of the choices translators have to make on a daily basis. The module also introduces scholarly approaches to translation, inviting and enabling you to develop your own research interests related to any aspect of translation. Business of Translation (core, compulsory) This module is intended to introduce the student to the business world of professional translation, either as a freelancer or as an in-house professional. The course is designed to assist students in establishing themselves as professional translators in today’s international marketplace by introducing them to relevant business practices. Preparation for Dissertation (core, compulsory) Dissertation (core, compulsory) As an independent research project conducted with the support of a member of academic staff as supervisor, the dissertation provides the space for you to explore your own research interests in real depth. Students are free to choose any topic they wish, provided it tackles translation-related issues in some way and may follow a traditional research or practice-as-research approach. Past topics have included: the translation of fictional languages in The Lord of the Rings; an empirical analysis of attitudes towards translation in Polish-owned small businesses in Northern Ireland; media accessibility in Oman; the translation of songs in Disney films; translating Lorca's poetry through song.
Modules
Audio-Visual Translation (elective) This module introduces you to the translation of audio-visual media including film, television, and live performance. In a combination of interactive seminars and practical workshops, you will have the opportunity to engage with modalities such as subtitling, dubbing and audio description. This module seeks to promote the development of a critical understanding of both the theoretical and practical issues involved in translating for various audio-visual media and relating to accessibility. Literary Translation (elective) This module introduces you to the principal issues involved in the translation of literature, especially prose fiction, lyrics and poetry, and ways in which scholars, writers and translators have approached the reading and translation of literary and creative texts. The course aims to introduce ways of translating a range of different texts and genres; to reinforce the importance of reception and circulation; to discuss the role of translation in world literature; and to consider the systems in which literature is produced, translated and ‘consumed’. It will also discuss ways to begin publishing literary translations. Principles of Community Interpreting (elective) The module introduces you to the core issues and principles of community interpreting. The module is taught intensively in Semester 2, is highly practical and assessment includes the production of a portfolio. Students who successfully complete the module are eligible for the award of a OCN Level 4 certificate in Principles of Community Interpreting. Technical Translation (elective) This module introduces you to the main practices and underlying principles of technical translation, specifically legal, scientific and medical texts. It will cover discussion of relevance and usability theories, the identification of terms and terminology, information mining, research techniques and commercial practice. Translating for Performance (elective) What does the translator do in the theatre? What are the opportunities for creativity in theatre translation? What does it mean to work for the stage rather than the page? This module introduces you to the techniques and issues of translation for performance, as well as to ways in which new translators can promote their own work to professional companies. Meaning, Sense, Translation (elective) This module introduces you to key issues in translation theory concerning semiotics and hermeneutics, or ways in which meaning is made and interpreted. Key topics include Peirce's typology of signs, iconicity, indexicality, symbolicity, conceptualisation and evaluation, event schemas, participant roles, construal, grammar as imagery, and metaphor.
What Else Will I Do?
You will also have the opportunity to attend weekly 2-hour language-specific workshops, where students work with a tutor on practical translation tasks with a range of text types. Our Guest Seminar Series features renowned scholars and practitioners, providing students with an opportunity to become familiar with a range of translation research topics and professional experiences. Students are also encouraged to audit all classes to make the most of the available teaching, classroom experiences, and recommended readings.
People teaching you Dr Abdel-Wahab Khalifa Senior Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting SAEL Email: a.khalifa@qub.ac.uk Dr Kathleen Kaess Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting (Education) SAEL Email: kathleen.kaess@qub.ac.uk Dr Sarah Eardley-Weaver Lecturer SAEL Email: s.eardley-weaver@qub.ac.uk Professor David Johnston Professor of Translation and Interpreting SAEL Email: d.johnston@qub.ac.uk Professor Piotr Blumczynski Professor of Translation and Interpreting SAEL Email: p.blumczynski@qub.ac.uk Professor Sue-Ann Harding Professor of Translation and Intercultural Studies SAEL Email: S.Harding@qub.ac.uk
Admission Requirements
How to Apply
Apply using our online Queen's Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply .
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study. Queen's University Belfast Terms and Conditions .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 15,200/year (international)
Tuition Fees
| Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | £7,700 |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | £7,700 |
| England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | £10,400 |
| EU Other 3 | £23,000 |
| International | £23,000 |
1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
More information on postgraduate tuition fees .
Additional course costs
There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Financial Aid & Funding Opportunities
A range of funding options may be available to students enrolling at Queen's University Belfast. Explore all options early — many scholarships have deadlines months before programme start.
- University Scholarships: Queen's University Belfast may offer merit-based, need-based, or programme-specific scholarships for postgraduate students. Contact the international or financial aid office for current awards.
- Government Scholarships (): National governments often fund outbound and inbound student mobility. Check your home country's government scholarship schemes (e.g., national student loan bodies, ministry of education awards).
- International Scholarships: Major funders include: Commonwealth Scholarships, Fulbright (USA programmes), Chevening (UK), Erasmus+ (Europe), DAAD (Germany), Campus France, Australia Awards, and many more.
- Employer Sponsorship: Professionals returning to study may negotiate tuition sponsorship with their employer, particularly for MBA or executive programmes.
- Graduate Assistantships / Fellowships: Some universities offer funded research or teaching assistant positions that include a stipend and partial or full tuition waiver.
- External Foundations: Rotary Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Ford Foundation, and many discipline-specific bodies fund postgraduate study globally.
- Payment Plans: Flexible instalment plans may allow you to spread tuition payments across the academic year.
About Queen's University Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Botswana, Botswana
Visit the university profile page to learn more about this institution.
University Profile- Start Date 2017-09-26
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)
