Fees and key information

Course type
Postgraduate
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

Enhance your career opportunities and employability in the translation industry with this Specialised Translation Postgraduate Certification.

Gain practical experience in a range of specialised translation areas including medicine, law, IT, politics, advertising and business.

You can study this course in the following languages, all paired with English: Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

This course offers a distance learning option for full time (one year) and part time (two years) students. Students from both courses are taught together in a synchronous hybrid mode as one community of learners.

This Specialised Translation PG Cert is the ideal course if you’re a practising translator who wishes to improve your knowledge of translation while also gaining practical experience.

You’ll learn about the characteristics of specialised texts and how to translate these. You’ll also learn about specialised translation in relation to international organisations.

By gaining hands-on experience of translating specialised texts within fields such as medicine, law, IT, politics, business and advertising, you’ll be able to put these skills to good use once you complete the course.

Although this course has been specifically designed for translators, it would also benefit other language specialists looking to broaden their knowledge of specialised texts.

Choose from a wide variety of languages

You can study this course in the following languages, all paired with English: Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish

Take your career to the next level

This course is ideal if you’re a practising translator who wishes to improve your knowledge of translation while also gaining practical experience

Study translation in a range of professional contexts

Gain practical experience in a range of specialised translation areas including medicine, law, IT, politics, advertising and business

Course modules

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2024/25 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year modules

Characteristics of Specialised Texts

This module currently runs:
autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon

(core, 20 credits)

This module is designed to introduce students to the main features of specialised texts. This involves the analysis of the characteristics of specialised language in general, and as applied to the six specialised fields such as Advertising, Business, IT, Medicine, Law and Politics.

You will analyse semi specialised texts and carry out research of the potential resources out there to help you started with all that text analysis has to offer. Thus, you will further develop your texts analysis skills and knowledge of the fields, including their linguistic, technical and sociocultural features.

If there are no sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the school reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

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The Translator and the Specialised Text

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Monday afternoon
autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
spring semester - Monday afternoon

(core, 20 credits)

You will translate specialised texts in different domains of low level of specialisation in a variety of fields, registers and styles, with emphasis on producing professional translations using dedicated professional software. The topics will cover, for example, Advertising, Business, Law, Medicine, IT and Politics.

You will be trained to translate specialised material into your native language by identiftying and analysing manisfestations of culture and discern culural complexitites; as well as cultural norms and describe how these affect your translation choices.

If there are no sufficient student numbers o makea module viable , the school reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

Read full details

Translating for International Organisations

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Wednesday evening
spring semester - Wednesday evening

(core, 20 credits)

This is an option module, which focuses on translating texts induced in institutional contexts. The module looks at specificity of texts authored by the institutions in question and provides students with an opportunity to utilise institutional resources (available online) to create target texts complying with institutional standards.
The module offers students another pathway into specialisation and therefore enhances their employability opportunities (working as a freelance or in-house translator with the UN or EU). By choosing this option module you will:

1. develop a comprehensive understanding of practical and theoretical aspects of translation, culture and texts from various fields pertaining to international organisations

2. enhance the skills and tools acquired in previous modules and necessary to analyse texts related to international organisations and apply the appropriate translation strategies for effective translation

3. learn to critically examine key issues in the translation of institutional texts and develop further your analytical ability to assess and reflect on translations, identify problems arising out of them and use suitable translation solutions

4. develop the ability to produce a translation following professional standards, which will allow you to compete as a translator /communicator in the context of international organisations.

If there are no sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the school reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

Read full details

Course details

You’ll be required to have:

  • a relevant undergraduate degree with a minimum grade of 2:1 in either translation, interpreting, modern languages or a related field
  • native knowledge of English
  • near native proficiency in your chosen paired language

If you have extensive industry experience but no formal qualifications, you may still be considered following an interview and entrance exam.

If you’re an international applicant, you’ll be required to have an IELTS overall score of 6.5, with no component score less than 6.0. You’ll also need to meet the DfE entry qualification requirements or equivalents.

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our higher requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

You will be assessed through a variety of methods including a portfolio of translations, commentaries and written coursework.

The translation industry is a popular sector around the world and skilled translators are highly sought after. Our graduates have gone on to work as freelance or in-house translators with translation service providers, governmental bodies, international organisations and the business sector, to name a few examples.

You could also go on to study on one of our below master’s programmes and progress to PhD level, or even consider teaching.

If you've already studied your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on any further study with us.
* exclusions apply

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

For more information about this course, please contact the course leader 
Dr Nadia Rahab.
Email: n.rahab@londonmet.ac.uk

How to apply

Use the apply button to begin your application.

If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.

When to apply

You are advised to apply as early as possible as applications will only be considered if there are places available on the course.

To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.

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