The aim of this page is to list MA and MSc translation and interpreting courses available outside Europe and link them to posts (most are guest posts on this blog) describing former students’ experiences of their master’s programmes. I hope this information will help future students choose whether a master’s degree is the right path for them and which programme would suit them best.
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 and “Is It Worth It for You To Do an MA in Translation Studies?” by Gwenydd Jones.
If you have studied an MA or MSc 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 have missed out vital information, please get in touch.
This page is 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 below is correct as universities often change the details to suit demand or close some courses down.
Details of university courses in Europe can be found here. I have also compiled a list of distance-learning courses. For a comprehensive list of translation and interpreting courses worldwide, please see this page provided by Lexicool.
Australia
Master of Interpreting and Translation Studies (MITS) – Monash University, Melbourne
Languages: Monash is NAATI accredited for Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. The languages taught are subject to demand every year.
Conference Interpreting Languages: English with Chinese, French, Indonesian, Japanese or Spanish. All are NAATI approved.
Two streams are offered:
1. Translation only
Languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish
Duration: three semesters, February and July entry.
2. Combined translation and interpreting
Languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish
Duration: three semesters, February entry.
For more information on studying at Monash, please read Nicola Thayil’s review.
Master of Arts in Japanese Translation and Interpreting – University of Queensland, Brisbane
Languages: English and Japanese
The course provides training in four main aspects: interpreting theory and practice; translation theory and practice; public speaking and job-specific research; and ethics and business skills.
The programme is listed in the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) Schools Directory.
Duration: two years (full-time)
United States
MA in Translation – Kent State University, Institute for Applied Linguistics, Kent, Ohio
Languages: Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish
Core course requirements include documents in multilingual contexts, translation theory and practice, terminology and computer applications for translators and the following translation fields: literary and cultural; commercial, legal and diplomatic; scientific, technical and medical; software localisation; case study in translation; and an elective course.
Duration: two years
For more details of studying at Kent State University, please see Victoria Chavez-Kruse’s review on this blog and this review published on ATA’s The Savvy Newcomer blog.
Master of Arts in Conference Interpretation (MACI) – Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, California
Languages: English and Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish
The MACI prepares students to become simultaneous and consecutive conference interpreters in a wide variety of fields (technical, politics, economics, science etc.). They become experts in the theory and practice of conference interpreting and also in cross-cultural communication and understanding. Conference interpreting skills are developed in language-specific classes.
Access to internships and career opportunities is also provided during the course. Students are also given opportunities to practise at public venues, conferences and in some of the MIIS courses.
Option of adding on a 14-unit specialisation in localization management.
Duration: full-time (two years)
Master of Arts in Translation (MAT) – Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, California
Language combinations: English and Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish
The MAT prepares students to translate a wide variety of fields (legal, technical, medical, politics, economics, science etc.). They become experts in translation theory and practice and also in cross-cultural communication and understanding. Translation techniques are developed in language-specific coursework into and out of their chosen languages. Students also learn how to use CATs.
Access to internships and career opportunities is also provided during the course.
Option of adding on a 14-unit specialisation in localization management.
Duration: full-time (two years)
Master of Arts in Translation and Interpretation (MATI) – Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, California
Language combinations: English and Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish
The MATI prepares students to become both simultaneous and consecutive conference interpreters and translators in a wide variety of fields (legal, medical, technical, politics, economics, science etc.).
Language-specific courses focus on improving students’ skills in both interpreting and translation into and out of their chosen languages. They also have an opportunity to learn how to use CATs.
Access to internships and career opportunities is also provided during the course.
Option of adding on a 14-unit specialisation in localization management.
Duration: full-time (two years)
For more details about the MATI, please see Deepti Limaye’s review on this blog and Erin Teske’s MIIS: A Day in the Life on ATA’s The Savvy Newcomer blog.
Master of Arts in Translation and Localization Management (MATLM) – Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, California
Language combinations: English and Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (EN into PT only), Russian, Spanish
The MATLM course provides training in three areas: translation, technology and business management.
The translation component focuses on developing students’ translation skills and their language and cultural proficiency.
The technology component focuses on translation memory (TM) and machine translation (MT), terminology management, software (CATs), etc.
The business management component focuses on project management, multilingual marketing, international business strategy, etc.
Access to internships and career opportunities is also provided during the course.
Duration: full-time (two years)
MS in Translation – New York University (NYU), School of Professional Studies, New York City, New York
Language combinations: Chinese into English (on-site in New York City); English into Spanish; French into English; Spanish into English (online)
The degree focuses on legal and financial translation and software localisation
Duration: 12-15 months (full-time) or up to five years (part-time)
Distance learning available: Yes, for three language combinations
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
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
Distance learning available: Yes (full-time)
Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Interpreting – University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Two pathways: conference or public service interpreting
Languages: English and Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish (other languages may be available on request)
Modules include consecutive and simultaneous interpreting and several professional practice forums.
Duration: eighteen months (full-time); part-time available
Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Translation – University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Two pathways: translation or localization project management
Languages: English and Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish (other languages may be available on request)
Modules include translation skills, translation for specific domains, translation studies, intercultural communication, CAT tools, translation studies and several professional practice forums.
Duration: eighteen months (full-time); part-time available
For more details on studying this course, please see Sarah Caudil’s review on ATA’s The Savvy Newcomer blog.
Master of Arts in Translation – University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
The final exam tests students’ ability to translate literature, business or technical texts, depending on their specialisation. The programme also includes a thesis or final project.
Duration: one year (two semesters of 4-5 courses each + thesis/final project in summer) or two years (three semesters of 3 courses each + final semester for thesis/project)
For details of the course written by a former student, please read Jocelyn Langer’s review in ATA’s blog for newcomers to the profession, The Savvy Newcomer.
Master of Arts in Translation and Interpreting Studies – University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
The programme focuses on the intercultural and linguistic aspects of translation and interpreting.
Duration: one year (two semesters of 4-5 courses each + thesis/final project in summer) or two years (three semesters of 3 courses each + final semester for thesis/project)
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
Distance learning available: Yes (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
Distance learning available: Yes (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
Distance learning available: Yes (two to five years)
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.
Photos by: 1) Free-Photos; 2) Jacqueline Wales; 3) David Mark, all from Pixabay
