Translation and AI (Chinese Pathway) MA - 2027/8
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MA Translation and AI (Chinese Pathway)
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Translation and AI (Chinese Pathway) |
| PGCert | Translation and AI (Chinese Pathway) |
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PPA63038 | 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
28/04/2026
Educational aims of the programme
- To develop a broad and deep understanding of current and future opportunities and challenges of English-Chinese and Chinese-English translations in different markets and contexts.
- To enable students to become experts in translation as a multilingual, multimodal and sometimes intralingual activity for a rapidly evolving language industry, with rapidly increasing globalization among businesses, the incremental rise of digital content/online content and increasingly personalized, digitally enhanced customer services.
- To enable students to become experts in translation as a multilingual, multimodal and sometimes intralingual activity for a rapidly evolving language industry, with rapidly increasing globalization among businesses, the incremental rise of digital content/online content and increasingly personalized, digitally enhanced customer services.
- To focus specifically on advanced technology, business and creative skills - i.e. the areas of translator education which will enable students to take full advantage of the changing language industry landscape.
- To instil in students the capacity for carrying out independent research in the area of translation studies and neighbouring disciplines.
- To provide a solid, all-round translator education that will stand students in good stead when they pursue careers in a fast-evolving language industry, as in-house translators, project managers, freelance translators, Chinese/English content writers, language service provision managers, localisation and transcreation specialists.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| To provide a solid, all-round translator education that will stand students in good stead when they pursue careers in a fast-evolving language industry, as in-house translators, project managers, freelance translators, Chinese/English content writers, language service provision managers, localisation and transcreation specialists. | KCT | PGCert, PGDip, MA | |
| Develop key professional skills, including linguistic, translation, technological, business, interpersonal and soft skills by actively engaging in authentic translation scenarios. | KCP | PGCert, PGDip, MA | |
| Reflect on, analyse, synthesise and evaluate a range of issues relevant to translation as a discipline, practice, profession and industry, with evidence of efficient processing of complex information and problem solving. | KCT | PGCert, PGDip, MA | |
| Work independently and contribute to teamwork on extended pieces of work in a sustained way, with or without guidance, and use advanced research skills on topics pertaining to both English-Chinese and Chinese-English translation. | CPT | PGCert, PGDip, MA | |
| Demonstrate commitment to continuous professional development and independent pursuit of opportunities to engage with various (academia/profession/industry) stakeholders. | PT | PGCert, PGDip, MA | |
| Become competent users of language/translation technologies (including computer-assisted translation, machine translation, corpus technologies and natural language processing) to support their work in a range of translation-related tasks, during the comprehension, pre-production, production and post-production stages. | PT | 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
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
In Semester 1 students must take 3 compulsory and 1 optional module
In Semester 2 students must take 2 compulsory and 2 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) | Y | There is an optional work placement within the dissertation module (TRAM505) |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
The School of Literature and Languages is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
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 & Resourcefulness: 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: These 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 2027/8 academic year.