Below is a non-exhaustive list of some distance-learning master’s degree courses in translation and/or interpreting.
Other pages on this blog provide details of campus-based university courses in Europe and in the rest of the world.
For a comprehensive list of translation and interpreting courses worldwide, please see this page provided by Lexicool.
You might also find the following blog posts useful if you’re weighing up the pros and cons of further studies:
Does an academic background really make a difference? by Caroline Alberoni
The (un?)importance of translation-specific degrees to translation by Joseph Lambert
The Benefits of an MA in Translation by Lucy O’Shea
Is an MA in Translation worth the Investment? by Marion Rhodes
Is It Worth It for You To Do an MA in Translation Studies? by Gwenydd Jones
Where possible, I have provided links to reviews of these courses on this blog or elsewhere. If you’ve studied an MA or MSc in translation and/or interpreting and would like to write a guest post, I would be delighted to hear from you. You can find more details on writing for this blog here.
Similarly, if you notice any errors or think I’ve missed out vital information, please get in touch.
These pages are a work in progress and will be updated on a regular basis to include more courses and details. Please visit the university websites for up-to-date information on their MA and MSc programmes, language combinations and application dates. I cannot guarantee that all the information provided on the MA pages is correct as universities often change the details to suit demand or close some courses down.
Master in Technical Communication and Localization – University of Strasbourg, France
The TCLoc combines a master’s degree with an international Tekom professional level ‘Technical Communicator’ certificate.
Besides technical communication and localisation, students study web tools and languages, visual communication, professional writing, project management, and new techniques and technologies.
Duration: one year or 17 months
MA in International Technical Communication – Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Flensburg, Germany
Languages: German and English
The master’s programme focuses on the connection between technical writing and technical translation. Consequently, four aspects of technical communication are studied: technical content, linguistic form, technical medium and work processes.
Students must write their dissertation in the last semester.
Duration: three semesters (full-time), five semesters (part-time following the online classes)
Master Fachübersetzen Wirtschaft Deutsch/Polnisch – University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany
Language combination: German and Polish
Duration: four semesters (part-time with some classroom phases at weekends)
Master’s Degree in Specialised Translation – Universidad de Córdoba, Cordova, Spain
Language combinations: Spanish and English, French and German
This is a distance-learning course with three optional modules that focus on legal and financial translation, science and technical translation, and humanities (tourism and advertising) and literary translation. It provides training in the latest techniques and tools and promotes research into the subject.
Duration: one year
Máster en Traducción Especializada – Universidad San Jorge, Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza, Spain
Language combinations: Spanish or Catalan and English
This master’s degree is offered in conjunction with Universidad de Vic-Universidad Central de Cataluña and it is taught via a virtual campus. It focuses on the following: scientific and technical translation; audiovisual communication; translation of literature; legal and financial translation; and business interpreting.
Duration: two years (one year by agreement)
MA in Medical and Healthcare Translation – Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
Language combination: English-Spanish
This online course provides specialised translation for translators wishing to work in the medical and health sector for publishing houses, pharmaceutical laboratories, international organisations, hospitals and so on.
Duration: one year (full-time)
Please see the review in Spanish by Natalia Pérez Ramos on this blog for more details of this course.
rpreting Research – Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
This degree allows students to focus on research into translation or interpreting. Core courses teach theory and methodology. Students also learn the essential skills they need for the translation market.
MA in Translation Studies (Distance Learning) – University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Language combinations: between English and Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Other combinations may be possible.
The programme aims to improve students’ translation skills, introduce them to translation technologies and give them a solid foundation in professional contexts. Training in theory and research methods also helps prepare those students wishing to pursue a PhD.
The course includes six core modules: introduction to translation studies; translation technology; contemporary translation theories; research methods in translation studies; translation and language pedagogy or multimodal communication; and professional contexts of translation.
Duration: 30 months (part-time)
MA/Diploma in Translation – University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Language combinations: English and Czech, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
This is an e-learning programme and no on-campus attendance is required, although students of the programme can visit to attend translation talks and seminars if they wish. Students can access e-books and e-journals in the library to help them with their studies.
An online discussion group provides students with an opportunity to support each other and talk through any problems they encounter. Tutors can also provide support by Skype, email or phone.
To gain an MA, students must complete the diploma part of the course (with an average mark of 50% or above) and write a dissertation. The diploma comprises six taught units, three compulsory and three optional. The dissertation is either an annotated translation of a previously untranslated text or research on translation theory or an aspect of translation.
The university is a corporate member of the ITI and an institutional member of the ATA.
Duration: one year (full-time) or two or three years (part-time)
Please read the review by Emma Mandley for more details of this course.
MA in Translation – The Open University, United Kingdom
Languages: English and Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish
The 180 credits needed to gain the qualification are divided equally between translation theory and pratice, translation in practice and extended transaltion project/dissertation.
The Open University is a corporate member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI).
Duration: 2-6 years
Please read the review by Luke Hubbard for more information about this course.
MA in Translation Studies (DL) – University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Language combinations: English and Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Spanish.
Distance-learning course starting in September or January.
Duration: two years (part-time)
For more information on what to expect from this distance-learning MA, please read Katie Louise Ward’s review on her blog and Louise Souter’s post on this one.
MS in Translation – New York University (NYU), School of Professional Studies, New York City, New York, United States
Language combinations: English into Spanish; French into English; Spanish into English
The degree focuses on legal and financial translation and software localisation. Only three language combinations are available for distance learning.
Duration: up to five years (part-time)
For more details on studying this course, please see Samantha Lisk’s review on ATA’s The Savvy Newcomer blog.
MA in Translation and Interpreting – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States
Languages: Arabic, French, German and Spanish (core faculty languages). Other languages may be available.
The programme offerd by the Center for Translation Studies comprises coursework focusing on the foundations, and translation and interpreting practice. The requirements for the campus-based and online courses are the same and take the same time to complete.
Duration: full-time on campus and online
Master of Arts in Interpreting – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Language combinations: English to Spanish; Arabic, French, German, Russian and Spanish to English
This is a 30-credit MA that can be studied on campus or online.
Duration: two to five years
Master of Arts in Translation (Professional Track) – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Language combinations: English to Spanish; Arabic, French, German, Russian and Spanish to English
This is a 30-credit MA that can be studied on campus or online.
Duration: two to five years
Master of Arts in Translation (Research Track) – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Language combinations: English to Spanish; Arabic, French, German, Russian and Spanish to English
This is a 30-credit MA that can be studied on campus or online. It is targeted at students interested in a career in academia.
Duration: two to five years
Please see the Translation-related Courses page of the Links & Tips for Translators & Interpreters section for more online translation courses that are not master’s degrees.
Disclaimer: I try to update the MA pages as often as I can. However, some of the information about available courses and their content may no longer be valid. Neither is this an exhaustive list of all the translation and/or interpreting master’s degrees on offer in the countries mentioned.
1st photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash; 2nd by congerdesign from Pixabay
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