Interpreting (Chinese Pathway) MA

University of Surrey

Our course covers the main principles, techniques and professional requirements of interpreting between Chinese and English, preparing you to work as an interpreter in conference, business and political settings. You will develop skills in all interpreting modes (consecutive, dialogue and simultaneous interpreting, and sight translation) and practice both on-site interpreting and remote/distance interpreting via audio/video link as well as note-taking and public speaking. Guided by Dr Kevin Lin and his team of professional interpreters, alongside experienced academics at Surrey’s Centre for Translation Studies (CTS), you will cover a variety of specialisms (e.g., business, legal, scientific, technical and medical domains), as you develop a solid grounding in the linguistic, cognitive, quality-related, social and ethical dimensions of interpreting. Uniquely, our course emphasises the integration of cutting-edge technologies into the interpreting workflow, for example, to support the interpreter’s preparation and real-time performance (such as electronic glossaries, digital note-taking, automatic speech recognition, machine translation and generative AI) and the delivery of interpreting services (audio/video-mediated distance/remote interpreting). This provides you with the necessary digital skills to develop a successful interpreting career in a fast-changing world and work environment. The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS)’ leading expertise in interpreting technologies will enable you to integrate different tools effectively and responsibly in your interpreting practice. Simultaneous interpreting practice takes place in our top-tier interpreting facilities, including two interpreting suites with ISO-standard soundproof booths—identical to those used by major international organisations and connected to videoconferencing platforms for remote interpreting. While our interpreting suites support professional-level practice, our virtual platform supports digital audio and video recording and gives you access to teaching materials and resources to practise. The Professional Translation Practice module engages students in practical workshops for translating specialised texts, whilst our optional modules allow you to customise your learning experience according to your own strengths, personal interests and career ambitions.