Interpreting, Technology and AI (Chinese pathway) MA - 2025/6

Awarding body

University of Surrey

Teaching institute

University of Surrey

Framework

FHEQ Levels 6 and 7

Final award and programme/pathway title

MA Interpreting, Technology and AI (Chinese pathway)

Subsidiary award(s)

Award Title
PGDip Interpreting, Technology and AI (Chinese pathway)
PGCert Interpreting, Technology and AI (Chinese pathway)

Modes of study

Route code Credits and ECTS Credits
Full-time PPA63030 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits

QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)

Other internal and / or external reference points

N/A

Faculty and Department / School

Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences - Literature & Languages

Programme Leader

WANG Fang (Lit & Langs)

Date of production/revision of spec

19/01/2026

Educational aims of the programme

  • The interpreting landscape is changing due to the impact of new technologies. This programme provides insights into recent developments and related research on the practical knowledge and professional requirements of technology-supported interpreting.
  • The need for interpreting is growing due to the impact of globalisation and migration. In accordance with this, this programme provides opportunities to develop students¿ competencies to engage effectively with people from different backgrounds in the process of working as interpreters.
  • The programme also prepares graduates to work as interpreters at the highest levels of professional communication in a wide range of settings, including conference, dialogue and video-mediated ones. It equips students with all the skills needed to progress and enable them to be employment-ready, and fully aware of current and future challenges of interpreting in different contexts, thus cultivating a sustainable approach to their future careers.
  • This programme enables students to: perform relevant interpreting tasks in different contexts, including conference, business, legal and healthcare settings, enabling students to be employment-ready upon graduation
  • develop self-efficacy by actively using scholarly approaches to critically evaluate professional practice in the light of current and future requirements. It also instills in students the capacity for carrying out independent research as well as a collaborative research ethos (class discussions, group work)
  • reflect on their own practice, using scholarly and professional writing on relevant aspects of interpreting, transfer the acquired skills and knowledge to novel and unpredictable situations of interpreting, supporting students to become independent and resourceful learners and cultivating students¿ sustainability thinking

Programme learning outcomes

Attributes Developed Awards Ref.
On completion of the programme students will be able to: apply English-Chinese/Chinese-English interpreting principles and techniques to a variety of settings in both consecutive, simultaneous and dialogue interpreting, as well as to novel and unplanned situations to produce high-quality interpreting that meets industry standards and the needs of clients in China and other parts of the world and their respective business, government, public service and educational settings KCP PGCert, PGDip, MA
demonstrate thorough understanding of relevant genres/registers of both English and Chinese, as well as key concepts, structures, procedures in public and private bodies in which interpreting is used through reflective study and independent use of a wide range of digital platforms and resources KPT PGDip, MA
become competent users of technologies for interpreting (including computer-assisted interpreting tools, corpus technologies, remote/video-conference interpreting, automatic interpreting, etc.) to support a range of interpreting-related tasks at different stages, from pre-process (preparation) to peri-process (performance) and post-process (output analysis and debriefing) KPT PGCert, PGDip, MA
reflect on, analyse, synthesise and critically evaluate a range of issues relevant to interpreting as a discipline, practice, profession and industry, with evidence of speedy and efficient processing of complex information and problem solving KCT PGCert, PGDip, MA
work both independently and with others on interpreting tasks in a sustained way and to a high standard by applying tried and tested knowledge and resilience strategies to new interpreting contexts and situations CPT PGDip, MA
demonstrate commitment to continuous professional development and be able to combine interpreting and translation skills in a market where flexibility and a varied professional portfolio is an advantage PT PGCert, PGDip, MA

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Programme structure

Full-time

This Master's Degree programme is studied full-time over one academic year, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)

Programme Adjustments (if applicable)

N/A

Modules

Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity

Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics Y
Professional Training Year (PTY) N
Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) Y There is an optional work placement within TRAM505.
Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) N
Study exchange (Level 5) N
Dual degree N

Other information

Core strengths and skills of the programme:

Global + Cultural Capabilities. Translation Studies is an interdisciplinary field that adopts global, balanced (North-South/East-West) perspectives and challenges traditional ideas through the lens of technological/social change. The learning environment is highly interactive, multi-cultural, focused on comparative analysis in language usage/professional behaviour.

Employability. Students gain linguistic, technological, business and soft skills required for the language services industry. They work with professional translators/interpreters on realistic simulations across diverse thematic areas. Practical/technology modules focus on high-demand skills, like Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT), post-editing Machine Translation (MT) output, remote collaborative translation, and video-mediated interpreting.

Digital Capabilities. Students gain proficiency in: AI-powered platforms, CAT tools, MT systems, terminology databases, subtitling software, respeaking software, and corpus management tools. The approach is also reflective, focusing on training students to critically assess the quality and reliability of technological solutions.

Sustainability. Sustainability is addressed through practical modules (working with texts on environmental sustainability and decent work) and theoretical modules (exploring how digital solutions consolidate resources and prepare for work diversification). The program also addresses reducing inequalities by examining the visibility/service of cultural and linguistic minorities.

Resourcefulness and Resilience are fostered through inter-disciplinary foundations (social sciences investigation/humanities reflexivity) and a focus on problem-solving skills in a supportive, empathetic environment. Assessments are designed to build self-efficacy, and flexible timetabling encourages student agency.

Quality assurance

The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/quality-enhancement-standards

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.