Postgraduate Study | Translation Studies | Literatures Languages and Culture

Take a one-year taught masters programme or a full PhD in Translation Studies.

What's it like to study here?

Offering students the opportunity to focus on two languages, in addition to English, the University of Edinburgh is the ideal place to study translation.

Providing excellent teaching and supervision, we draw on the expertise of research-active staff from across the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, as well as specialists in Translation Studies.

We are an official Higher Education (HE) Language Partner of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and a member of the RWS Campus - Trados Academic Partner Program. We also have great links with the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), and with many industry and cultural partners in the city of Edinburgh.

Study with us and you will be part of a friendly international community which partners the International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting (IPCITI) and has its own seminar series for postgraduate students, staff and visiting speakers, as well as hosting regular symposia and conferences such as 'Whose Voice is it Anyway?'. Through assessed and optional activities, we will help you sharpen important skills, such as thinking analytically, writing commentaries, essays and dissertations to deadline, using a range of resources, presentation techniques, and translating texts in different genres.

MSc in Translation Studies

This taught masters programme will enhance your practical skills in, and theoretical understanding of, translation as an activity. In our teaching and supervision, we encourage critical thinking on language use and translation, and will develop your understanding of the factors which impact on the discipline - such as gender, power relations, and religion. The programme introduces you to major concepts in translation theory and shows you how to apply them in translation practice. You will take two core courses, two practical translation courses, two option courses chosen from a range of subjects, and complete a 60-credit dissertation of 15,000 words.

Languages offered

You can choose to work with two languages, depending on whether they can be supported by our staff. At masters (MSc) level, we currently offer:

Arabic
Chinese
Danish
French
German
Japanese
Norwegian
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish

Language pairs

You will be accepted to work in a principal language pair, of which one of the languages should be English (e.g French-English).

If you meet the necessary criteria, and tuition in your secondary language is available, you may be eligible to work with two language pairs. Again, in each pair, one of the languages should be English (e.g. French-English and Spanish-English).

If applying to work with a Scandinavian language, practical translation will be available from English into Danish, Norwegian OR Swedish and from ALL three Scandinavian languages into English.

Full-time, one year (all students) ꟾ part-time, two years (eligibility criteria apply)

Find out more and apply on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder

PhD in Translation Studies

One of the most flexible doctoral programmes in Translation Studies in the UK, our PhD enables you to enhance your translation practice while gaining an intellectual and philosophical perspective on the activity of translation, developing you as a self-reflective and theoretically-minded researcher or translator. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two. Under supervision, you can opt to produce an independent thesis or an extended scholarly translation with commentary.

Full-time, three years ꟾ part-time, six years

There's lots more information about our PhD, and what to do in advance of applying, on our website. You are strongly advised to read this information and follow our guidelines before making a formal application on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder.

Take me to more information about the PhD and guidelines on what to do in advance of applying

Resources

Our masters curriculum includes a practice of Wordfast translation tools, courtesy of Wordfast LLC and Yves Champollion.

As a student here, you will have borrowing rights to over two million volumes in the University's Main Library, which subscribes to the 'Bibliography of Translation Studies'. The Library's Centre for Research Collections is unique in the UK, bringing together a collection of more than 400,000 rare books, six kilometres of archives and manuscripts, and the University’s collections of art, historical musical instruments and other objects. Many Special Collections are digitised and available online.

Our world-leading capital city is a treasure trove of cinemas, theatres, galleries, and museums, consulates and cultural institutes, and established communities of non-English speakers. Highlights include the National Museums and Galleries of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Poetry Library and the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

Entrance requirements, fees, funding and more...

You can find out about entrance requirements, start dates, fees and scholarship opportunities for all these postgraduate programmes on the University of Edinburgh’s Degree Finder. Degree Finder links straight through to EUCLID, the online system for applying to postgraduate programmes at the University.

Applications to start a programme in September 2025 are now open.

Find out more and apply on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

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