TranslationBA (Hons)

Cultural Awareness

On this module, you will explore various aspects of intercultural communication, focusing on key theories and concepts such as cultural hybridity, communication styles, and intercultural competence. You will investigate the impact of cultural differences in international professional contexts and will gain a solid understanding of key issues surrounding cultural diversity and sensitivity. Through interactive lectures, seminars, and group discussions, you will develop autonomy and enhance your communication skills with peers from a broad range of backgrounds and subject areas.

Key skills developed will focus on oral and written communication, such as academic writing and presentations styles, research and critical reading, as well as the development of transferable study skills, such as time management and revision techniques.

Describing Language

This module introduces students to the study of language, its various components and their description. The module aims at providing a solid foundation in the understanding of human communication and linguistic diversity. Interactive lectures, seminars and group discussions are designed to encourage student autonomy, enhance individual participation and develop the range of skills needed for effective study, self confidence and achievement. Included in these skills are oral and written communication, summarising, note taking, researching, time management, revision, critical reading and other transferable skills.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Practical Resources for Translators

This module equips you with essential consultation and documentation skills for translation, as well as the advanced use of computer technologies. Emphasis is placed on understanding translation as a multi-step process, involving research, terminology management, and quality control. You will learn to efficiently use online dictionaries, glossaries, and specialised internet-based resources, including AI-powered tools, to refine accuracy and consistency in your work. Additionally, you’ll practice extracting, organising, and managing terminology effectively within professional translation workflows. As translation trainees, you are expected to actively engage with these tools and resources from the outset, critically assessing their limitations and benefits to develop a balanced, effective translation practice.

Proofreading Skills

The focus of the module is on translation as a product. Students are expected to use the research skills developed in Practical Resources for Translators (TR4054) to check the accuracy of the final product. In view of this, they will be trained to edit their own and others’ translations in terms of style, structure, content and accuracy.

The Translator and Culture

This practical module explores the relationship of the translator to culture. The module focuses on cultural concepts and culture bound language: specific aspects of culture are addressed, analysed and discussed as to what problems they might pose during the translation process into different languages. In typical areas of culture-bound language related to names, geographical references, political and educational institutions, legal systems etc., students are introduced to practical translation procedures which are used to translate such language, and the terminology relating to it. In their specific language pair sessions, students are introduced to aspects of practical translation by concentrating on those areas which are characterised by non-equivalence in relation to culture-bound items. Students are made familiar with culture-bound ‘translation problems’ as well as how to select and apply the most appropriate procedures in order to solve these problems.

The Translator and Language

This practical module explores the relationship of the translator to language. In this module, students are introduced to language as grammar and, specifically, to various grammar concepts such as gender and number, pronouns and others as well as their grammatical equivalence in the target language system. In their specific language pair sessions, students are introduced to aspects of practical translation by concentrating on those areas which are characterised by non-equivalence. The module familiarises students with grammatical ‘translation problems’, and introduces them to the most appropriate ways of transfer.

Electronic Tools for Translation

This module develops your understanding of the broad range of translation technologies available today. It familiarises you with the principles and methods behind automatic, computer-assisted, and human-assisted translation systems and enables you to compare and evaluate these technologies based on their relevance to contemporary translation practice. The primary focus is on machine translation (MT), MT post-editing, and translation memory (TM) software, also known as Translation Environment Tools (TEnTs). The module also explores the integration of AI-driven translation tools and their transformative impact on the translation industry. You will engage with a variety of software programs and systems both theoretically and practically, through hands-on sessions that include troubleshooting workflow issues, comparing tool features, and reflecting on the impact of these tools on translators’ workflows and roles in professional settings.

Managing Translation

This module is designed to cultivate the mindset, competencies, and adaptability required for a successful career in today’s fast-evolving language services industry, in dialogue with the professional development module. You will gain an understanding of your place within the industry, i.e. its workflows, expectations, and professional practices, equipping you to navigate its demands with confidence, ethical awareness, and a future-oriented approach in a technology-driven professional landscape.

You will explore the practical dimensions of working as a professional translator, with a strong emphasis on workflow management, collaboration in digital environments, and real-world industry norms. Through case studies and scenario-based learning, you will gain insight into the day-to-day operations of freelance and in-house translators, project managers, and language service providers (LSPs), including how projects are managed, how quality is assessed, and how the translation technologies you explored in previous modules shape professional practice.

In this module, you will therefore:
• Enhance your understanding of the roles and responsibilities within the language services industry.
• Apply industry-relevant tools and strategies in simulated professional translation scenarios.
• Analyse and reflect on current practices in project management, quality assurance, and digital collaboration in translation workflows.
• Develop critical awareness of ethical and professional considerations in diverse translation settings.

Through the inclusion of simulated projects and real-world scenarios, this module provides direct training for the level 6 module Holloway Language Services, where you will put all the lessons learned in this module (and others) into practice running your own translation bureau.

Practical Translation Skills

This module builds on previous knowledge acquired in TR5052 and explores what translation procedures can be used to solve issues of non equivalence occurring at various levels in a text. While reiterating the usefulness of concepts students are already familiar with, practical opportunities of applying these concepts during the translating process are offered to them. Students will be required to use appropriate meta-language to describe and discuss translation problems encountered and to explain and justify the translation procedures adopted to solve them.

Students will draw on the theory of anticipating and solving translation problems in language-specific practical sessions, where they will be translating a wide variety of text types into and out of English.

Translating Text and Culture 1

This module focuses on developing the analytical and interpretive reading and writing skills which are a necessary and integral part of the translation process. As translation trainees, you are expected to acquire advanced reading competence. In this module this is achieved through an examination of complex theoretical grammar concepts, as seen operating in a variety of written contexts. Productive skills related to your individual competence in written domain-specific language are also developed through practical exercises aimed at improving nuanced expression and register-dependent paraphrasing.
This module has both a theoretical and a practical nature which is reflected in the teaching structure which aims to foster transferable translation-specific skills.

Translating Text and Culture 2

This module is a follow-up of TR5054. It focuses on developing students’ awareness of the important role that cultures play in the ways we process and produce texts. The focus on text is broadened through an examination of some key concepts which affect the ways in which texts operate within the cultures and societies that produce them. Existing translations and relevant theoretical concepts will be analysed with the purpose of identifying the factors which may have an impact on the choices made by the translators.

As TR5054, this module has both a theoretical and a practical nature which is reflected in the teaching structure which aims to foster transferable translation-specific skills.

Translation Process and Procedures

This module explores text typology and specific aspects of Source Text analysis. The module focuses on the translation stages and the mechanisms underlying these stages. It introduces students to techniques for a successful source text analysis which will help them to anticipate translation problems. Students will be familiarised with the relevance of extra and intra-textual features of the source text to the translation process. They will be required to use appropriate meta-language to describe and discuss various anticipated translation problems in a variety of source texts and source forms.

Gender Responsive Practices for Translators

This module responds to increasing demands from both academia and the translation industry for guidance on the integration of gender dimensions in translators’ practice. Due to an increasingly gender diversified population of linguists working in this industry and customers, the need to develop gender competencies to ensure that their work is responsive to gender-specific concerns has become paramount for translators.

On this module, you will continue to explore the socio-cultural themes and issues introduced in prior modules through the specific lens of gender. You will gain robust knowledge of the multifaceted nature of gender identity, and the right skills to appreciate the impact that your (and the others’) perceptions and engrained cultural biases about gender roles, have on people’s daily lives. You will also develop your receptive attitude to gender concerns whilst navigating the ideological barriers posed by the cultures you belong to. Through this module, you will therefore gain a deeper understanding of how to tackle the challenges that the translation of sexual/identity discourse may pose.

This module aims to:
• Enhance your understanding of the importance of developing a gender-sensitive mindset in today's diverse and evolving society.
• Critically examine personal and professional experiences through the lens of broader societal debates on gender identity, gender equality, and gender-based violence (GBV).
• Enable you to reflect on the implications of translators’ choices on shaping gender perceptions to understand translators’ ethical responsibilities in influencing public views and discourses on gender.

Develop your practical skills in employing gender-inclusive language forms in translation.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Researching the Translator's Professional Environment

This module provides students with the experience of planning and bringing to fruition a piece of research work on the translators’ professional environment.
The module offers a range of workshops and professional talks to enhance students’ industry knowledge and further develop their research skills. The research will include, for example, the client-translator relationship, areas of specialisation, associations supporting translators in source and target language; as well as continuous professional development and working for agencies. It will support future employability and reflective practice, as students will have the opportunity to assimilate the knowledge, they gained in the work placement through research and independent study. For this, the assessment will take the form of a reflective account where students will have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have gained further industry knowledge.

The Translator and Specialisation

In this module, you will explore two primary domains encompassing specialist areas within the language services industry: technical/applied domains and literary/multimedia domains. Within these overarching domains, you will meet professional translators working in specialisations such as medical and legal translation, subtitling and video game localisation, and literary translation, who will introduce you to their areas of expertise and provide opportunities for you to explore potential areas of specialisation.

Building on discussions of text types and functional approaches from modules at levels 4 and 5, you will undertake independent research and complete group activities to analyse the common characteristics of texts from these specialist domains. In doing so, you will gain familiarity with the relevant terminology, stylistic features, text structures and the possible constraints relevant to each specialised field, as well as use the research skills you have developed across the course to identify relevant and appropriate resources for specialised translation. You will then use these skills and resources to practice translating texts from each specialisation, using the knowledge acquired to make informed choices.

This module aims to:
• Investigate different areas of specialisation within the language services industry and identify common features, translation issues, and professional resources specific to each.
• Develop deeper awareness of areas of specialisation within the industry and apply this knowledge to make informed decisions when translating relevant texts.
• Reflect on your personal knowledge and taste to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different specialisations in line with your own interests and personal development plans.

Theoretical Aspects of Translation

This module is a generic, non language-specific module which builds on your knowledge of the main theoretical trends and approaches in translation, allowing you to reflect critically. It facilitates students’ grasp of the main translation theories, and addresses the role of theory in shaping translation practice with a focus on the latest research available in the discipline. Throughout, you are required to evaluate different translation theories and reflect critically on how these theories support the translator. Seminar discussion and regular, formative student presentations will address questions such as: Are all theories useful for all kinds of translation? What aspects of translation do specific theories address? How does translation theory influence the translation product? In which context do the theories operate?

Translation Project

In this module you will show your analytical skills and practical translation competence by completing an extended translation and writing a commentary on it. After being shown example source texts with appropriate difficulty, length and degree of specialisation, you will be expected to independently search for and identify a suitable source text for translation into the relevant target language. Throughout your translation process, you will work under the guidance of a language-specific supervisor to independently complete your translation and commentary. You are expected to use feedback from your supervisor and peers to improve and develop your project into a translation of professional quality.

This module aims to:
• Apply all the accumulated knowledge and experience from the course to produce a high-quality translation.
• Ensure you can make informed and justified translation decisions based on contextual understanding and independent research to find relevant and appropriate resources.
• Demonstrate analytical and strategic competence by completing an effective pre-translation analysis, which you will use to inform your discussion of clearly explained translation challenges and the solutions found to overcome them.
• Reflect critically on your translation and revision processes by conducting post-translation analysis, thereby considering how this experience will influence future translation practice.
• Communicate in a timely and professional manner with your supervisor and peers to give and receive feedback on your work, and schedule supervisory meetings.

Work Placement

This is a work-based learning module that offers an introduction to real-life translation situations in the setting of a Language Service Provider (LSP). The module builds on prior leaning gained from academic studies and other relevant experience. It aims to enhance the student's understanding of the sector through applying their knowledge to practical work-based situations. Students will have the opportunity to recognise the benefits of work experience by developing soft skills of interest to employers and extend their translation-related skills. The module aims to develop employability skills and competences by exploring career options and networking opportunities with future employers.

Students are required to undertake a minimum of 105 hours, equivalent to 15 full working days (based on 7 working hours per day). The minimum hours can be completed full-time or part-time during the summer after completion of level 5 modules, or over the level 6 academic year (first semester).
The responsibility for finding suitable placement lies with the student, but support is available to find and apply for suitable opportunities through the module leader and the GSBL Placements and Employability Unit and University Careers service.
The module leader will assess the suitability of the proposed placement and approve as appropriate.

Detailed guidance on the module requirements and the assessment will be provided in the workshops and via Weblearn

Interpreting Skills

This module will expand students’ skills in cross-linguistic and intercultural mediation by introducing them to essential interpreting skills, required in selected professional contexts. It will cover generic sessions on the nature of various types of interpreting and modes of delivery which are widely used in professional situations in a business setting. The module will aim at developing students’ skills for liaison interpreting, to facilitate dialogue and discussions between speakers who cannot speak each other’s language.
The generic sessions will be followed by practical sessions providing students with ample opportunities to acquire and develop relevant skills including memorising, note taking and communication.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Language Module (Arabic, French, Spanish or English)

Please check the Open Language Centre for confirmation of language level.

Translation Dissertation

This module allows students to build on – and expand – the theoretical and practical knowledge acquired throughout their degree and, more specifically, in the module TR6052. It focuses on enhancing students’ capacity to reflect upon both theoretical and practical aspects of specialised translation by developing a dissertation in which they will examine and critically discuss wider issues in research specific to a specialist translation domain of their own choice.
Apart from consolidating their theoretical background, this module also aims at developing students’ research skills, self and time management, independent and team work, decision making and communication skills.