MA/PgDip Translating

Our graduates have found employment as translation managers and terminologists and in publishing. Some may take up academic posts teaching translation at university level.

A number of graduates are working with International organisations in the EU including the European Commission (SCIC) as well as a range of international companies.

Career Prospects

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

Mark Prosser

I picked MA Translation because I was set on pursuing a career in translation, a field in which most employers demand a postgraduate qualification. The course offered a good combination of academic theory and useful practical information, which with lots of useful feedback both from tutors and from "real" working translators brought in from outside, was a very strong aspect of the course. The weekly keynote lectures also provided an opportunity to build up knowledge on particular specialist fields.

On leaving Salford in 1994, I landed a job with a translation agency in Lancashire (thanks to a tip-off from one of my Salford tutors). My boss was happy for me to branch out into different areas if I could attract other work, so I established contact with a number of new clients and brought in a more interesting and varied range of texts – everything from quarterly magazines for the European Commission, to advertising materials for the Paris Metro, to children's comics.

During this time I applied for a job as a junior translator with the Universal Postal Union (www.upu.int) in Berne, and was successful. Over the years, I was given increasing responsibility, and at the end of 2005 I became Head of the English Translation Service, leading a five-strong team working mainly from French to English.

In short, my year at Salford was exactly what I needed to make the transition from a highly theoretical undergraduate course to the highly practical world of work.

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.