Gain the sought-after skills you need for a career in specialist language work on this practical and respected master’s course.
Our MA Translation and Professional Language Skills course prepares you to work as a professional linguist at a high level.
Throughout the course, you’ll develop the skills required in a number of roles within international organisations and language service providers. You'll mostly work with the written word to provide translations and specialised language services, such as:
- editing
- proofreading
- précis-writing (a type of summary writing used by the United Nations). This is only available on course pathways that include French, Spanish or Russian
Through your core units, you’ll advance your editing, revision, and proofreading abilities. According to many employers and agencies, they seek these key areas of expertise in people they recruit.
You can then complement these fundamental skills with optional units in specialisms like liaison interpreting, public speaking, the use of translation technology, and even how to set up and run your own language services company.
Bath has longstanding links with international organisations like the United Nations and European Union. We make use of these links to keep our programmes up to date with the professional world and to set up external training opportunities where possible.
Watch our recent webinar about this course
Learn from experts in the field
You’ll learn from highly experienced tutors who work, or have previously worked, as professional linguists in various settings. This will allow you to benefit from their wealth of experience, contemporary knowledge, and industry networks.
Use specialist facilities
Depending on your choice of optional units, you will have access to our professional-grade interpreting labs and on-campus TV studio. These are equipped with interpreter consoles and microphones, interpreter booths, and online conference facilities. Access to these labs is exclusive to students studying interpreting units.
Gain important career skills
On completion of this course, you'll leave with:
- a proven ability to work with varied and challenging texts, providing a strong foundation for working at an international level
- experience of working to deadlines and using style guides
- contacts and relationships with potential employers from career-focused talks and/or external training
- access to our close-knit alumni network of linguists who work in international organisations, private bodies and independent agencies
- evidence of translation skills, including the dissertation you'll complete at the end of the taught part of the course
- a greater level of intercultural awareness, which is important for working in an international role
You’ll also have the opportunity to study a number of extracurricular units to enhance your core learning. These will cover a range of topics, including law, economics, and globalisation.
In addition to this, we regularly invite speakers and trainers from the course’s professional network to deliver career-focused talks and additional training sessions.
Training opportunities
Where possible, we use our extensive network of contacts to organise external training opportunities. These are often with the language services of international organisations, government departments or translation companies.
These opportunities can provide you with invaluable insights into the work of professional linguists and are highly valued by employers. However, they are not compulsory or guaranteed. Your language combination and your progress on the course will be considered when matching you with potential training opportunities, along with any other relevant information.
If you do undertake additional training, you will be able to hone your skills as a linguist by carrying out authentic tasks and receiving direct feedback from experts in the field.
Our students have previously undertaken training with many organisations, including:
- the United Nations
- institutions of the European Union
- the Council of Europe
Graduate Prospects
Our MA Translation and Professional Languages Skills course is vocational and has an excellent international reputation.
Many of our graduates have gone on to a range of careers in specialist language work. Others have used the transferable skills gained to pursue further study, or careers in teaching, publishing, and design.
Recent graduates have gone on to work for:
- European Central Bank
- United Nations
- GCHQ
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- International Court of Justice
- Expedia
- Healthline
- Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Associations and resources
By studying this course, you will be able to access a number of tools and online resources to support your learning. These include: