Program Overview
The University of Birmingham offers a research-based Translation Studies PhD program that covers diverse fields such as literary translation, translation history, and intercultural pragmatics. Students benefit from a vibrant research community, expert supervision, and excellent employability support, with many graduates pursuing successful careers in language teaching, translation, and other industries.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This programme offers promising candidates the opportunity to carry out research in the field of Translation Studies and be part of a stimulating research culture within the Department of Modern Languages. Research strengths include: literary translation and reception; translation history; translation stylistics; corpus-based translation studies; translation and language change; adaptation; gender issues in translation; news translation; collaborative and self-translation; intercultural pragmatics; interpreting studies. The Department of Modern Languages boasts a vibrant and diverse postgraduate community and provides a range of support for its research students. You may be interested in comparing this programme to our Translation Studies Practice-Based PhD programme.
Careers:
Birmingham’s Modern Languages postgraduates develop excellent communication skills, while cultural awareness and foreign language skills are highly sought after by employers. Postgraduates in Modern Languages also have a range of transferable skills including the ability to gather and interpret information, organisational skills and the ability to work well with others Others use their transferable skills in a wide range of occupations including publishing, executive research and project management.
Other:
The University of Birmingham is ranked equal 10th in the UK amongst Russell Group universities in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 according to the Times Higher Education We have a lively programme of translation-related events at Birmingham, and we also have strong connections to the international translation community. We are a corporate member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. Our staff are active members of the European Society for Translation Studies and the International Association of Translation and Interpreting and we are also a partner in the ARTIS initiative (Advancing Research in Translation & Interpreting) and IPCITI (International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting). We have hosted an annual Translation Studies Research Forum featuring a guest lecture by a distinguished scholar and there continues to be a lively programme of translation-related events. Birmingham has an excellent academic reputation with leading experts in the field which makes it the perfect choice to carry out research in this field. There is a vibrant research community with lots of opportunities to meet other colleagues at workshops, seminars and conferences organised by the Department The University of Birmingham is the top choice for the UK's major employers searching for graduate recruits, according to The Graduate Market 2024 report. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events. You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to: Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation. The department has an excellent employability record, and the majority of graduates go on to successful careers. The Department fosters an interconnected vision of Modern Languages and our research explores how the study of languages, discourses, and cultures challenges how we understand and experience the world. We have particular strengths in the following research areas where leading academics, who have extensive experience in supervising students, produce cutting-edge research. Our research streams, and areas of supervision within these, can be found below. Please contact a staff member working in your area of interest in the first instance. We also have expertise in French, German, Hispanic, Italian and Russian as well as audio-visual research. Access to specialist software including translation memory tools
- Annual tuition fee 2024 entry:
- UK: £4,786 full-time, £2,393 part-time
- International: £21,840 full-time; £10,920 part-time (distance learning only)
- The same fees apply to both campus-based and distance learning study.
- The distance learning programme also includes one fully-funded visit to campus in the first year of study.
- Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments.