Course summary

Our Translation Studies BA Honours will give you the skills, knowledge and competencies to build a career as a professional translator.

You'll develop knowledge of language structure, register, textuality and discourse, by applying linguistic concepts to practical translation tasks. You'll also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Depending on your entry point, you can combine the main language, Spanish, with another language (Arabic, Chinese or French) or the Global Communication route. You'll study an integrated curriculum, with a focus on professional context and communication skills, bilingual translation skills and theory. Your studies may include developing your skills in a new foreign language or modules in cultural studies. Teaching and learning take place through a combination of formal lectures, seminars, practical workshops, guided self-study, and exposure to professionally relevant simulations and real-work environments.

Alongside core modules in translation, the course offers a wide range of option modules, covering topics including global communications, world cultures, current affairs, politics and gender issues. You'll also have the option to spend a year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, studying or, depending on your language level, working or volunteering.

As well as careers in professional translation, our graduates have found employment as interpreters, teachers (both in foreign languages and English as a foreign language), and in various other sectors including law, marketing, journalism, and the Civil Service.

We accept intermediate (post-A Level) and proficient speakers in Spanish. This is a linguistically challenging course and we may need to assess you in order to determine your entry point and suitability.

Top reasons to study with us

• Develop the skills you need - we offer practical and authentic translation experience, including audio-visual translation and transcreation
• Boost your career potential – get a head start in your career with regular translation projects, career management and computer-assisted translation training
• Choose your path – proficient Spanish speakers can choose between adding another language or taking Global Communication modules
• Learn in an efficient way - our small group learning and personalised tutorial support ensure you'll be fully supported throughout your studies
• Gain international experience - take part in a year abroad studying, working or volunteering

Course structure

Much of your learning will take place during independent study, individually and in groups, in the well-resourced and recently refurbished library, at home and via online learning provision.

Assessment methods include in-class coursework, essays and projects, presentations, and oral and unseen written exams.

You can find examples of how marks have been calculated and study time distributed in the past in the Teaching and Assessment section at the bottom of this

The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.