Overview

This joint master’s programme has been designed to meet the needs of the international interpreting and translation industries. You’ll master the skills and techniques of translating and interpreting to a professional standard and will develop the ideal balance of theoretical knowledge and practical skills.  

You’ll learn relevant transferable communication skills, including the skills of summarising, abstracting, note-taking for interpreting purposes and public speaking. You’ll be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with other professionals in the field, including colleagues and clients. You’ll master IT skills that are relevant to the work of a professional interpreter and will be able to use specialised databases.  

Each course will equip you with highly employable expertise and skills in interpretation and translation. You’ll have the opportunity to choose one optional course – including international politics and organisations, intercultural communication in the workplace, translation technologies and subtitling. This will allow you to customise your learning and develop specific interpreting and translating interests. Your interpretation and translation dissertation will allow you to engage in an independent in-depth critical examination of a particular topic that falls within the scope of Translation and Interpreting Studies, which is of interest to you.  

You’ll benefit from the industry relevance of the programme, which will set you up for life after graduation. Upon completion, you’ll be equipped with the transferable skills and qualities necessary to become a professional interpreter and translator in a variety of professional contexts. Beyond the subject-specific knowledge and skills, you’ll also be given the opportunity to learn and practice transferrable skills such as presentation, communication and ICT skills.  

Expertise  

You will be taught by a team of highly qualified researchers, educators and practising professionals who bring knowledge, expertise and guidance to the classroom.  

This blend of academic and professional expertise helps our programme maintain its position at the forefront of industry practice and ensures that you will gain practical insights into the careers of successful interpreters and translators on an almost daily basis.  

Your learning environment   

Our MSc Interpreting programme uses state-of-the-art language labs and interpreting booths which will provide you with the ideal setting to develop your interpretation and translation skills to professional standards. Our labs are equipped with state-of-the-art Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) software packages, digital resources for translating and interpreting, as well as student-centred study facilities.   

Our suite of interpreting booths has been recently refurbished and modelled on those used by the United Nations, the European Union, and the Scottish Parliament. Our booths and labs will allow you to put your theoretical knowledge of language and culture into practice and develop important, real-world technical experience with industry-standard software such as TRADOS, a computer-aided translation memory tool and WinCAPS, the professional subtitling tool. The ability to master these tools is essential for all modern translators and interpreters.  

Your practical interpreting and translating skills will be developed through a combination of practice seminars, lectures, masterclasses, workshops and virtual classes delivered by our external partners. In addition to regular practice seminars in your chosen language combinations, you will attend mock conferences throughout semester 2 to practice simultaneous interpreting, relay, event chairing and public speaking for a real audience including your lecturers and peers.  

You’ll also have the chance to fine-tune your conference interpreting skills on a larger scale at the annual Heriot-Watt University Multilingual Debate. This is a formal debate between two multilingual teams which is watched by thousands of school-aged language pupils from across the United Kingdom.  

Additionally, you can join Heriot-Watt’s Languages Society, which holds regular social events in a welcoming environment. They encourage a safe, culturally diverse community where you can explore language and linguistics.  

Customise your learning   

You’ll learn from eight courses on the syllabus (seven mandatory and one optional). The optional course allows you to focus on the area of interpretation and translation that interests you the most. This gives you the opportunity to customise your degree to match your specific interests or career pathway by selecting a specialist course option.   

You’ll explore a chosen area of interpretation and translation in-depth through your dissertation. You will be required to undertake independent research into a topic that is relevant to the practical pursuit of translating and/or interpreting and falls within the scope of Translation and Interpreting Studies. You’ll present your findings of the research in an appropriate academic form.   

You can choose whether to study the programme full-time, part-time or per course. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle.   

Industry  

By studying our MSc Interpreting and Translating programme, you’ll have access to an ever-growing international network of employers who recognise the high standard of skills and expertise of interpreting and translating graduates.  

Our industry links contribute to our SWATI Day (Starting Work as a Translator or Interpreter) for our graduate students. This is an industry-focused conference which brings together key figures from the industry to Heriot-Watt University for a day of professional guidance and networking. 

You’ll be given access to exclusive internship opportunities with organisations such as the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza in Spain (IAMZ), which provides four graduate students with a proficient level of Spanish the opportunity to take up partly European exchange-funded three-month Simultaneous Interpreting placements in Spain. 

Accreditation 

Heriot-Watt University's MSc Interpreting and Translating is regarded as one of the strongest degree programmes of its kind by many within the industry. This is reflected in our professional membership of Conférence Internationale permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI) a multinational organisation of universities which is dedicated to upholding a standard of excellence in the teaching of interpreting and translating. CIUTI recognition is a guarantee that the course content, teaching and examinations are conducted at the highest standard. It is a mark of quality which is recognised by major international employers of interpreters and translators.