MA/PgDip Translating for International Business

Graduates can expect to pursue careers as professional linguists, either as freelance translators and interpreters, or in a translation department or company. Some graduates have developed careers in publishing and as translation managers and terminologists. A number of graduates of this course are working with international organisations in the EU including the European Commission (SCIC) as well as for a range of international companies such as SAP, Volkswagen, Alcatel, KPMG and Siemens.

Alumni Profile

Ros Mendy (nee Woolner)

When choosing an MA course I was looking for a translation course with a focus on practical translation. This course let me study both German and French translation and also offered seminars run by practicing translators.

As part of the course I did a work placement in the Language Services department at Shell and ended up working there for a while after the course ended, covering for one of their permanent staff who was on maternity leave. My work there involved translating from German, French and Portuguese, placing jobs with freelance translators and checking translations.

I have also worked as an in-house translator for FT.com (the online service of the Financial Times) and for a company that published computer games magazines. I went freelance in 2004 after moving to the West Midlands and became a qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) in 2005. I now coordinate the West Midlands Group of ITI (see www.iti-wmg.org.uk).

The MA course at Salford taught me a lot about how to approach a translation task and gave me plenty of practice and feedback, which meant that I was confident enough to start working as a full-time translator as soon as I finished the course. Through the course I also made several useful contacts – other translators and interpreters who now pass work on to me and to whom I can send work I am unable to take on myself.

Industry Links

You will benefit from regular professional contributors (keynote lectures, business practice seminars and specialised translation seminars) and opportunities for translation placements, either in the context of the Graduate Placement Scheme or with long standing professional partners in the EU. Previous speakers and host companies have included European Commission, Manchester City Council Translation and Interpreting Service, Lloyd International and UN Vienna.

You will benefit from our close relations with professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Linguists, the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), CILT (The National Centre for Languages) and the North West Translators’ Network. Our prominence in the field of translation and interpreting is reflected in our key roles in the National Network for Translation and the National Interpreting Network, both funded by the Higher Education Funding Council’s Route’s into Languages initiative.

Further Study

Research activity is organised and supported within the Centre for Translation and Interpreting, which offers opportunities for postgraduate research.   

The centre includes one of the largest clusters of translation and interpreting specialists in the UK and brings together the language expertise and scholarship of experts in literary, social and political theory to foster an interdisciplinary approach to translation and interpreting.

We welcome applications from students wishing to work towards research degrees in a number of areas of Translation and Interpreting, for more information.