MSc Interpreting

University of Bristol

This degree is for applicants with a high level of English and Mandarin proficiency who are not afraid of a challenge. The MSc Interpreting builds a highly versatile portfolio of skills that provide an entryway into the world of professional interpreting and related fields such as international business. Native English students may have an undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies or experience working in China for example, while native Mandarin speakers might have come from a variety of undergraduate disciplinary backgrounds while having developed an advanced level of English. Students will be trained in consecutive, simultaneous, and liaison interpreting with native English and Mandarin experts. Through shadowing, mock conferences, simulations, and field trips, you will learn key techniques and build skills for professional interpreting. The course also covers business fundamentals, international affairs, AI-assisted tools, trauma-informed approaches, communication models, and text-based translation. As essential participants in cross-cultural and multilingual interactions, interpreters can be found at every level of global society. More than just linguistic intermediaries, interpreters interface with a broad range of scenarios, from grief counselling in the medical field to the highest level of international diplomacy between world leaders through institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Interpreters represent not only the most proficient experts in multiple languages, but also those who develop a unique multidisciplinary understanding and ability to perform under extremely high-pressure conditions. While traditional interpreter training has focused mainly on interpreting skills, our programme takes things one step further by directly engaging with the secondary competencies often displayed by experienced interpreters but seldom taught systematically at postgraduate level. By offering training in areas such as psychometrics and negotiation, the MSc Interpreting curriculum branches into subjects that build students' understanding and confidence across a range of parallel fields.

Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences