Introduction
The University of Leeds was founded in 1904, but origins go back to the nineteenth century with the founding of the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831 and the Yorkshire College of Science in 1874.
In 1904, King Edward VII granted the University of Leeds its own Charter as an independent institution. Now, the University of Leeds is divided into seven groups known as faculties. Including, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Business (Leeds University Business School), Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Environment, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences.
This university welcome students from all over the world as a truly multicultural and international university.
School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies is one of the largest and most diverse of its kind in the UK.
From undergraduate degrees through to postgraduate study and globally impactful research projects, Leeds’ students benefit from the expertise and dedication of internationally recognised scholars, high-quality facilities and a welcoming environment.
Leeds’ staff pursue individual, collaborative and multidisciplinary research, covering, among others, the fields of language, literature, history, politics, economics, sociology, cultural studies, film and media studies, linguistics and translation studies.
Translation MA
School conduct world-leading research in many aspects of Translation studies, including Audiovisual translation studies. Research is motivated by an interest in analysing the translation product, and the process which leads to it, based on actual data.
The research specialisms include:
The collection, enrichment and analysis of monolingual and multilingual corpora (how to collect texts and explore the contents of multilingual text collections)
Computer-assisted translation and machine translation (how to use computers in human translation)
Multilingual, multimodal analysis (how to analyse audiovisual material, such as film, and graphic documents in multilingual contexts)
Literary translation (how to explore the translation choices and process for fiction or poetry)
Quality standards in translation
The use of eye-tracking in research on translation, subtitling and language learning
Translation and ideology (how to analyse ideological choices using models of discourse analysis)
School also have a very active research postgraduate community and nurture a longstanding tradition of developing research in collaboration with academic and industrial partners to fill gaps in knowledge or to find solutions to problems faced by practising translators, subtitlers and interpreters.
Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies (CTIS)
Leeds offer a range of vocationally-oriented Masters and Postgraduate Diplomas in translation, interpreting, and audiovisual translation and localisation in a variety of European and non-European language combinations.
The vocational emphasis of taught courses allows students to work in realistic team scenarios which reflect industry practices, while also providing a solid basis for a research degree.
The excellent facilities, skilled academic staff, and regular input from experienced professionals will ensure students gain the expertise needed for a successful career in translation and interpreting.
Students will have access to two translation labs that are fully equipped with around 60 workstations plus an extensive range of specialist software for translation, subtitling, dubbing, and project management.
There are also two interpreter training facilities (ITF1 and ITF2) available, featuring both single and double interpreter booths. A video link between the conference suites means students can practise remote interpreting and record the performances so students can monitor your progress. One of our ITF suites holds virtual conference interpreting classes in conjunction with DG Interpretation at the European Commission (DG SCIC) and other Universities. With remote interpreting becoming much more widespread, this will greatly improve students’ ability within accreditation tests for International Organisations and make students more employable.
Careers and employability
Students will graduate with the knowledge, skills, and experience to access a wide range of job opportunities. Many of graduates go on to use their translation, subtitling, and interpreting expertise in large organisations, within their own language service providers, or as freelancers around the world.
Leeds are also in regular contact with translation companies and organisations with translation departments, providing the latest vacancies and internship opportunities.
According to latest data, within six months of their graduation, 85% of students were already employed at a wide range of companies and organisations in roles such as Subtitler, Interpreter, In-house respeaker, Translator, Terminologist, Reviser, Reviewer, Editor / Copywriter, Project Manager, and numerous other roles using the transferable skills learnt in the Centre for Translation Studies.
Career destinations for Leeds alumni include:
United Nations, World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
European Parliament, European Commission, European Court of Justice, European Central Bank
Banks and financial organisations
Language Service Providers and private firms
Communications and media organisations