TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES DISSERTATION - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is designed to enable students to consolidate and further advance the knowledge and skills acquired during the taught components of the programme, and gain experience working independently on an extended project through one of the following options:

• Research on a Translation or Interpreting Studies topic and a written dissertation


• An extended translation with an analytical commentary or an interpreting simulation with an analytical commentary


• A work placement of at least 150 hours accompanied by a critical report. If taking this option, it is the responsibility of students to find a professional placement approved by CTS (this includes volunteer translation and a range of ad hoc language-industry activities carried out during the academic year). CTS will support students in finding a placement through professional engagement portfolios, invited seminar talks and a dedicated language industries careers fair.


• A practical skills-enhancement programme of 60 hours or equivalent and a written report. If taking this option, the skills-enhancement programme can be either run by CTS (subject to availability and demand) or external. If external (e.g. a summer school run by another organization), the programme must be approved by CTS in advance

Module provider

Literature & Languages

Module Leader

GOUGH Joanna (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Workshops to guide students with regard to compliance with academic standards and the selection of appropriate dissertation projects
• Individual feedback on the suitability of project proposals
• Guidelines on the specifications of the dissertations, extended translations or interpreting simulations with analytical commentaries, and work placements and reports
• One-to-one supervisory meetings.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

n/a

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

* ability to work independently
* ability to apply the skills and knowledge developed during the programme in an extended translation/interpreting project
* ability to discuss and critically reflect on their practice as translators, interpreters or researchers
* ability to produce original written work commensurate with the MA level and in compliance with academic standards


Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of one of the following (please refer to your respective MA programme):
 

          MA Interpreting

* A Dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6, this is a topic-based option
OR
* An Interpreting Simulation with Analytical Commentary of 10,000-12,000 words (100%) 
addressing learning outcomes 1-6, this is an interpreting project option
OR
* A Skills Enhancement Programme (of a Minimum of 60 Hours with a Critical Report of 6,000 to 8,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6, this is an interpreting project option

         
          MA Translation and Interpreting

* A Dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6 (100%), this is a topic-based pathway
OR
* An Interpreting Simulation with Analytical Commentary of 10,000-12,000 words (100%)  
addressing learning outcomes 1-6 (100%); this is an interpreting project option.
OR
* An Extended Translation with an Analytical Commentary of 10,000-12,000 Words (100%)  
this a translation project option
OR
* A Work Placement of a Minimum of 150 Hours with a Critical Report of 6,000-8,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6
OR     
* A Skills Enhancement Programme (of a minimum of 60 Hours with a Critical Report of 6,000 to 8,000 words (100%) 
addressing learning outcomes 1-6 (100%)
 

          MA Translation

* A Dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6 (100%), this is a topic-based pathway
OR
* An Extended Translation with an Analytical Commentary of 10,000-12,000 Words (100%)
this a translation project option
OR
* A Work Placement of a Minimum of 150 Hours with a Critical Report of 6,000-8,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6
OR
* A Skills Enhancement Programme (of a minimum of 60 Hours with a Critical Report of 6,000 to 8,000 words (100%)
addressing learning outcomes 1-6

 

Formative assessment
Students will receive individual guidance on their extended translation/interpreting project and will discuss the development of their work with a supervisor designated to them.


Feedback

As a default, the same form of formative feedback is provided to all students, irrespective of the dissertation type they choose: 6hrs of seminars in Semester 2 and 4hrs of proposal and dissertation draft feedback (end of semester 2 and summer period). Dissertation writing seminars entail a combination of peer feedback and tutor guidance; feedback on the proposal entails dedicated feedback on the project outline submitted by students; individual supervision sessions focus on discussing progress with an allocated supervisor and offering dedicated feedback on drafts of dissertation chapters and extended translation/interpreting projects (e.g. translation/transcript samples).

Students who take the work placement or skills enhancement options may receive some additional mentoring by their assigned supervisors, although this may be depend on the nature of the placement and will be determined on a case by case basis. All students on work placement or skills enhancement programmes, however, will still have supervisors at university and will receive the normal level of support as the rest of the students: dedicated feedback on the project outline submitted; individual supervision sessions to discuss progress with an allocated supervisor and dedicated feedback on samples on report excerpts.

Students will also receive written feedback on their final submissions.

Module aims

• The module aims to: guide students along the identification and selection of an appropriate research topic or a translation/interpreting project or work placement
• encourage students to discuss and assess the relevance and suitability of their choices critically
• advise students on the feasibility of their options to ensure they are manageable and achievable within the scope of an MA project
• provide an opportunity for students to gain experience working independently on an extended translation/interpreting-related project
• offer an opportunity for students to discuss issues related to their project with a supervisor
• guide students along the production of an extended piece of written academic work
• enable students to synthesize and further develop the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the academic year

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

* consolidate and further develop skills and knowledge acquired throughout the academic year to address new challenges and problems posed by an original piece of work that is globally and culturally relevant to society in general and Translation and Interpreting Studies in particular
* stimulate critical thinking and independent work that can be applied to a career in the language services industry
* develop time-management and interpersonal skills

The learning and teaching methods include:
* Independent work (590 hours)
* For students opting for a professional placement dissertation, CTS will provide support whenever possible through its network of industry contacts and extracurricular activities, such as building a professional engagement portfolio, attending seminars with external speakers throughout the academic year, and participating in a language industry careers fair organized by CTS in Semester
*Additionally, students will be directed to further support from the University’s Employability and Careers initiative.
* Dissertation workshops (6 hours) as orientation for projects
* Academic writing workshops (4 hours) to offer guidance on written academic discourse standards and conventions
* Advice from personal tutors on placement opportunities throughout the academic year and individual consultation and discussion during agreed supervision meetings.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: TRAM505

Other information

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

This module is the culmination of a student journey into exploring the diversity of translation and interpreting phenomena in the world; it is also the culmination of a journey into critical engagement with various paradigmatic turns in the field, from the cultural, to the socio-economic to the technological, as elaborated by theories developed in different parts of the world and in discussions of existing practice in a fast-developing industries around the globe. As such, the module allows students to demonstrate awareness of and respect for different models of translation in academia and the industry. The module allows students to customise this experience through different forms of dissertation focussing more on translation/interpreting research, practice or further skills enhancement.

With an overt focus on systematic independent work, it also offers a solid foundation for further academic study, at doctoral level, or for developing subject-specific and transferable problem-solving skills in a supportive learning environment before venturing out into the professional world.

Students have opportunities to enhance their critical thinking, their ability to develop an extended piece of work, their responsiveness to feedback, and their resourcefulness in identifying and capturing language/translation data with a view to contributing to knowledge or finding a solution to a translation/interpreting challenge, be it on a conceptual, empirical or practical level. Depending on the dissertation type selected, students have the potential to demonstrate thorough knowledge of the grander narratives and pitfalls in translation/interpreting activity, including the sustainability of resources (which may best serve future tasks), of individual views (translator visibility) and, ultimately, the sustainability of (unrepresented) cultures or languages.

The module also encourages students to develop as critical, creative thinkers and effective communicators who excel in applying evidence-based, varied solutions to translation/interpreting problems and justifying those to others; it presents them with opportunities to demonstrate digitally informed solutions to translation problems concerning various units of translation, from the smaller (terms, individual words) to the more complex (long, specialized, or formally complex texts).

Additional costs may be incurred within the Dissertation module if the work placement or skills enhancement type of dissertation is opted for. Additional costs may include, inter alia, travel, any required accommodation and related subsidiary costs. The amount may be variable and it is not included in the fees.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.