Master of Arts in Translation for Professionals - School of Languages, Literacies and Translation

The Master of Arts in Translation for Professionals programme is specially designed for graduates who want to equip themselves with the relevant skills and knowledge required for the diverse needs in the field of translation. This programme is suitable for graduates interested in a professional career in translation and for translators who need further specialised skills to enhance their professional expertise. Besides theoretical knowledge, extensive translation and interpretation practice based on a variety of language combinations which are paired with English, such as English-Malay, English-Arabic, English-Chinese will be provided.  

The course is tailored for proficient bilinguals who want to extend their knowledge and expertise for professional translation purposes. It gives emphasis to the training of professional translators who can help meet local as well as global demands for translation specialists.

This programme also provides an excellent platform for students to be conversant with Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools as part of their training.

Programme Objectives

• Equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge in translation
• Provide specialised training in the field of translation to individuals who wish to pursue careers as professional translators
• Provide training in several areas of specialised translation and interpreting in different language pairs

Course Structure

The programme consists of 40 units of coursework. There are 8 core courses and 4 elective courses.      

The courses offered:

• Approaches to Translation Practice
• Culture, Society and Psychology in Translation
• Research and Technology for Translation
• Business of Translation
• Translation Commentary
• Interpreting: Informal Discourse
• Interpreting: Formal Discourse
• Translation Practice: Hospitality Texts
• Translation Practice: Science and Technical Texts
• Translation Practice: Media and Communication Texts
• Translation Practice: Business, Law and Political Texts
• Translation Practice: Literary Texts

Medium of Instruction: English

Applicants should possess the following:

A. Bachelor's degree in related area

1. CGPA of at least 2.75 / 4.00; or

2. CGPA between 2.50 - 2.74 with the following additional conditions: or

a) Research experience for at least one year; or
b) Work experience in related field for at least one year; or
c) At least one (1) academic publication in the relevant field; or
d) Grade B for major / elective courses; or
e) Grade B+ for final year project

3. CGPA between 2.00 - 2.49 (Bachelor's Degree with Honours) with the following additional conditions: or

a) Research experience for at least five (5) years; or
b) Work experience in related field for at least five (5) years; AND
c) At least one (1) academic publication in the relevant field; or
d) Grade B for major / elective courses; or
e) Grade B+ for final year project

Pre-requisite Course Requirement for candidates who do not have Translation Course background / work experience in the Translation field.                  

Candidates need to enrol for English for Translation (LHP 458) or English for Interpretation (LHP 459) as Non-Graduating Programme (NGP) student for a semester and pass with a minimum grade of C+ before registering for the Master of Arts (Translation for Professionals) programme.  

(Applicable for International Applicants Only)

• A minimum score of 46 in Internet-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language); or
• A minimum of Band 5.5 in IELTS (International English Language Testing System); or
• A minimum score of 160 in Cambridge English Advance (CAE); or
• A minimum score of 160 in Cambridge Proficiency Advance (CPE); or
• A minimum score of 51 in Pearson Test of English (PTE); or
• A minimum of Band 4 in MUET (Malaysian University English Test)

Exemption can be given if:

• English is the candidate's mother tongue or National Language; or
• The candidate graduated from an Institution of Higher Learning in which the medium of instruction is English

• April & October

** Fees are subject to change