What will I learn?

The Interpreting MA covers both professional and academic training. You gain high-quality interpreting skills, spoken rather than written transfer, so you may enter the interpreting profession, in fields such as technology, commerce, international relations and journalism.

This course uses English and Chinese as working languages.

This course has two stages lasting one year each. You can either:

join the course at Stage 1 and follow the two-year course
or join at Stage 2 and follow the one-year course. This depends on your previous qualifications and experience.

If you join at Stage 1, you take compulsory modules that typically include:

translating
simultaneous interpreting
consecutive interpreting
sight translation exercise
information technology for translators and interpreters
translation studies

This is followed by another year of specialised study in Stage 2. If you meet the entry requirements, you can start the course at Stage 2.

In Stage 2 you can follow one of four pathways:

Interpreting (this pathway)
Translating and Interpreting
Translating
Translation Studies

In Stage 2 you take compulsory modules and optional modules. You also complete either a dissertation or a translating/interpreting project. Depending on different focuses, you take further optional modules that cover:

a sight translation exercise
bi-lateral interpreting
English-Chinese subtitle translation
and literary translation.

Assessment

Assessment is by:

examination
practical assessments
class and seminar presentations
essays
assignments and other submitted work
a dissertation or project.

Which department am I in?

Newcastle University

Study options

Full Time (12 months)

Tuition fees

£18,400.00 (US$ 22,148) per year

Full time: £18,400 (year 1); Full time: £18,400 (year 2). These fees are indicative only and may be subject to an annual inflationary increase.

This is a fixed fee

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

Expected September 2023

Venue

Newcastle University

King’s Gate,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

Northumberland,

NE1 7RU, England

Full Time (24 months)

Tuition fees

£18,400.00 (US$ 22,148) per year

Full time: £18,400 (year 1); Full time: £18,400 (year 2). These fees are indicative only and may be subject to an annual inflationary increase.

This is a fixed fee

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

Expected September 2023

Venue

Newcastle University

King’s Gate,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

Northumberland,

NE1 7RU, England

Entry requirements

For students from United States

Students should have a four-year bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA ranging from 2.8 to 3.2 out of 4.0 (admissions criteria will vary depending on which course they are applying to).

For international students

Stage one entry - A 2:1 honours degree or a degree with a minimum average of 75% (or GPA 2.75) on your transcript. In addition, we require native English speaking applicants to have good degree-level knowledge of Chinese. When applying, please enclose any evidence you may have to support your second language proficiency qualification. We will also consider applicants on an individual basis with lower or non-standard qualifications who have at least two years' full-time experience as a translator or an interpreter. Pre-sessional English Language courses are not accepted as an alternative entry to this course. Stage 2 entry (advanced) - A 2:1 honours degree or a degree with a minimum average of 80% (or GPA 3.0) on your transcript. You must also have expert second-language knowledge. Pre-sessional English Language courses are not accepted as an alternative entry to this course. If you leave the MA after completing stage two, without proceeding to a dissertation or project, you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Interpreting. This depends on your academic results. English language qualifications are considered. Pre-sessional English Language courses are not accepted as an alternative entry to this course. Stage one entry: If your first language is not English you need IELTS 7.0, with a minimum of 6.5 in speaking and writing and 6.0 in listening and reading. Your qualification must be no more than two years old on starting the course. No equivalent English language qualifications are considered. Stage 2 entry (advanced): If your first language is not English you need IELTS 7.5 with a minimum of 7.0 in all sub-sections. Your qualification must be no more than two years old on starting the course. No equivalent English language qualifications are considered.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

About Newcastle University