Course information

Length

2-4 years full-time or 4-8 years part-time

Course overview

The MPhil/PhD Translation by Practice offers a new approach to studying Translation or Interpreting, incorporating a creative practical/practice research project. This can include translating a book or play, subtitling a film, or translating song lyrics or poetry. The possibilities are nearly endless.

  • Whatever your passion, you will be able to incorporate it into this research degree, by engaging with translation or interpreting as a creative practice. You will be evaluated based on a written thesis of up to 70,000 words, as well as a creative project of a minimum of 30,000 words. In your creative project, you won’t be restricted in terms of language pair or translating direction.
  • Assessment is by thesis and viva voce and there is no restriction on language pair.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Sarah Maitland.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally possess at least a first degree (normally of upper second class honours standard or above) or equivalent. Applicants should also normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught Masters in a relevant subject area.

Where an applicant possesses non-standard qualifications or equivalent experience, these will be considered.

No prior qualification in Translation Studies or Interpreting Studies is required for admission to the programme, but relevant equivalent experience in contexts of translation and/or interpreting theory and practice, or the interpretation or communication of meaning across borders of language and culture must be demonstrated through the personal statement.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £TBC
  • Home - part-time: £TBC
  • International - full-time: £TBC

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You must apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

Before submitting your application, you'll need to have:

  • Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments (and, where relevant, IELTS or equivalent English language qualification)
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
  • If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
  • Contact details of a second referee
  • A research proposal that meets the requirements published by Goldsmiths · A personal statement that meets the requirements published by Goldsmiths (this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online)

Find out more about applying.

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