Translation with a Placement Year Abroad

Translation is the discipline concerned with transferring meaning between languages, and it is far more complex than it might initially appear. Translators must be deeply familiar not only with the grammatical and lexical systems of both languages but with the cultural, historical, and pragmatic contexts in which language is used. A legal document, a literary novel, a medical leaflet, and a marketing slogan all require different translation strategies, and the professional translator must have both the linguistic skill and the subject knowledge to navigate these demands.

This three-year full-time programme at Cardiff University includes a placement year abroad, giving you immersive experience in a country where your second or third language is spoken. Cardiff is one of the UK's leading universities for translation studies, with a well-established Translation Studies department and strong connections to the professional translation industry. You will develop your translation skills across a range of text types and domains, study translation theory and the principles that underlie professional translation decisions, and build the specialist subject knowledge, in areas such as legal, technical, or literary translation, that makes a translator genuinely valuable.

The year abroad is a crucial part of the programme, developing your linguistic fluency and cultural awareness in the most direct way possible.

Translation graduates pursue careers as professional translators, working in-house for international organisations, government departments, law firms, publishing houses, and multinational companies, or building freelance practices. Many also work as interpreters, subtitlers, localisers, and terminology specialists. Cardiff's translation graduates are well regarded in the profession, and the placement year gives graduates a professional network and experience before they enter the market.

Postgraduate options include master's degrees in translation studies, conference interpreting, and specialised translation in areas such as legal, scientific, or literary translation.