Equip yourself to become a professional translator and business interpreter working in both directions between Chinese and English.

Our MA Translation with Business Interpreting (Chinese) course is designed to prepare you for a range of business roles in mainland China, Taiwan, the UK, and other regions. You’ll enhance your translation and interpreting abilities, with a focus on the needs of markets that use Chinese (Mandarin).

If you aspire to work as a translator or interpreter in these regions or already have strong skills in translation and business interpreting, this course is suited to you. However, you must be fluent in both English and Chinese (Mandarin).

Throughout the course, you’ll focus on written translation from English to Chinese and Chinese to English, as well as business interpreting between the two languages. You’ll also complement these fundamental skills with units in specialisms such as the use of translation technology, proofreading and editing.

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Learn from experts in the field

You’ll learn from experts in interpreting, translation, and business studies. Their passion, knowledge and industry expertise shape their teaching to enhance your learning experience.

Use specialist facilities

You will have access to our professional-grade interpreting labs. These are equipped with interpreter consoles and microphones, interpreter booths, and online conference facilities. Access to these labs is exclusive to students studying interpreting courses. As well as the labs, you may also use the on-campus TV studio for some units and tasks.

Gain important career skills

The course is highly practical, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to develop your skills. You will:

• gain extensive experience in translating a wide range of texts, from general business communications to specialist and technical materials. This will provide you with a strong foundation for working at an international level
• have the opportunity to audit simultaneous and consecutive interpreting classes as an observer
• take part in weekly simulated 'real life' business liaison scenarios to enhance your interpreting and negotiation capabilities
• acquire practical experience of translation management software
• develop sought-after and important business skills such as editing and proofreading
• gain useful insights into marketing yourself as a freelance translator and interpreter
• experience working to deadlines and using style guides
• increase your level of intercultural awareness, which is important for working in an international role

You'll also have the opportunity to attend talks or extracurricular units to enhance your core learning. These will cover a range of topics such as law, economics and current affairs.

In addition to this, we regularly invite speakers and trainers from the course’s professional network to deliver career-focused talks and additional training sessions.

Training Opportunities

Where possible, we use our extensive network of contacts to organise external training opportunities. These are often with the language services of international organisations, government departments or translation companies.

These opportunities can provide you with invaluable insights into the work of professional linguists and are highly valued by employers. However, they are not compulsory or guaranteed. Your progress on the course will be considered, along with any other relevant information, when matching you with potential training opportunities.

If you do undertake additional training, you will be able to hone your skills as a linguist by carrying out authentic tasks and receiving direct feedback from experts in the field.

Our students have previously completed one-week to two-month-long translation and interpreting internships at the UN in London, New York and Geneva.

Graduate prospects

Our MA Translation with Business Interpreting (Chinese) course is vocational and has a strong international reputation.

Many of our graduates have gone on to a range of international business roles. Others have used the transferable skills gained to pursue further study, or careers in interpreting, translation, editing, teaching, and accounting.

Recent graduates have gone on to work for the following organisations:

• Net-a-Porter (Product Editorial Team), London
• SPD Silicon Valley Bank, Shanghai
• Ernst & Young
• Kudo (simultaneous interpreter)
• Menicon (Chinese-English-Japanese Trilingual Coordinator)
• DS Avocats, Beijing
• Rifa Global Entertainment, China

You will normally need one of the following:

• IELTS: 7.5 overall with no less than 7 in the writing component and no less than 6.5 in the speaking, listening and reading components
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 73 with no less than 65 in the writing element and no less than 58 in the speaking, listening and reading elements
• TOEFL IBT: 108 overall with a minimum of 27 in the writing component and a minimum of 24 in the speaking, listening and reading components

You will need to get your English language qualification within 24 months prior to starting your course.

By the end of the course, you will be qualified to work with athletes and sports teams at the highest level. You will also be better equipped to assess, treat and advise patients in relation to musculoskeletal injuries, and to advise patients about the health benefits of exercise more generally. Some of our recent graduates have taken roles with: The Olympic and Paralympic Games Professional clubs and teams The NHS The UK Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine If you want to continue your research alongside professional practice, we also provide an established Professional Doctorate, offering a route for MSc students interested in continuing their research to doctoral level while working part-time.