AI for Translation and Interpreting Studies MSc - 2025/6
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MSc AI for Translation and Interpreting Studies
MSc AI for Translation and Interpreting Studies (Distance Learning)
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | AI for Translation and Interpreting Studies |
| PGCert | AI for Translation and Interpreting Studies |
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PPA61004 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Full-time with Distance Learning | PPA61006 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time | PPA61005 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time with Distance Learning | PPA61007 | 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
ASIMAKOULAS Dimitris (Lit & Langs)
Date of production/revision of spec
15/12/2025
Educational aims of the programme
- A secondary aim is to enable students to acquire relevant analytical and research skills for the Language/Translation industry. Graduates of current Masters-level programmes in Translation traditionally enter the market place as trainee in- house translators or project managers, or as freelance translators. By putting greater emphasis on analytical and research skills, this programme opens up other opportunities for graduates, e.g. by enabling them to enter the translation industry as language analyst or market researcher, or in positions focusing on strategic development and on research and development in the translation industry.
- The primary aim of this programme is to fill the current gap in the provision of discipline-specific research training in Translation Studies and to prepare students for undertaking high-quality PhD research in this field (including translation, interpreting, transcreation, localisation, audiovisual and multimodal translation). Translation Studies is a relatively new discipline, which is continuously evolving and extending its scope to encompass perspectives from related disciplines and material beyond the core concept of source text-target text: its boundaries as a discipline are porous. The programme reflects these fast-evolving developments and provides students with the academic space to understand and explore some of the main issues in the discipline today in great depth. It offers research training to conduct evidence-based and interdisciplinary research that is applicable to real-world problems, and will put a new generation of translation researchers in a position to collaborate and co-design research with language/translation service providers and users, and to produce economically and socially relevant outcomes.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| On completion of the programme students will be able to: demonstrate a thorough understanding of theoretical, professional and ethical issues relevant to translation as a discipline and as an industry/practice affected by digital technologies | K | PGCert, MSc | |
| apply knowledge of socio-cultural contexts of translation in order to adapt texts to different audiences and markets and evaluate authentic translation products for research and/or translation critique purposes | KP | PGCert, MSc | |
| generate research questions relating to the field of study by using digital methods, carrying out projects of significant complexity and originality, and knowing how to plan and manage one's time and stress in order to achieve sustainable solutions and outcomes | C | MSc | |
| demonstrate enhanced employability through knowledge of relevant skills in advanced analysis, presentation, conducting independent research on extended projects in a sustained way, and the speedy and efficient processing of complex information | T | MSc | |
| demonstrate the ability to work both independently and with others, by thinking/acting relationally (question ones habits, engage with multiple viewpoints, form learner networks) and by applying tried and tested knowledge and resilience strategies to new contexts and situations | PT | PGCert, MSc |
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)
Full-time with Distance Learning
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)
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two academic years, 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)
Part-time with Distance Learning
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two academic years, 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
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional modules
Year 1 (full-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional modules
Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional modules
Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRAM512 | DISSERTATION (MSC TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES) | Compulsory | 90 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional modules
Year 1 (part-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (part-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional modules
Year 2 (part-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRAM512 | DISSERTATION (MSC TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING STUDIES) | Compulsory | 90 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 2 (part-time distance learning) - FHEQ Level 7
Students must choose three optional 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) | N | |
| 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:
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.