Translation (MA)

Why study Translation at Leiden University?

As a student in the Translation programme, you will become familiar with all aspects of translation. The art of translation is so much more than changing words and sentences from one language to another. To master this craft, you will practice the translation of different kinds of texts – from legal contracts to young adult novels and from medical leaflets to Netflix shows – using the appropriate tools and technologies, including machine translation and LLMs. Most people don't realize just how complex the task of the translator, subtitler and interpreter really is. Recent research clearly shows that it is highly unlikely – not to mention undesirable – that human translators will become obsolete because computers and artificial intelligence provide ‘perfect’ translations, even though that is exactly what Big Tech wants us to believe. You will familiarize yourself with the latest research in Translation Studies to reflect on your own translation decisions as well as on the economic, political, technological and ethical factors that influence the translation industry. You will learn to look beyond the boundaries of sentences, languages and cultures to discover the fascinating world of translation and the essential role translators play in multilingual societies.

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High-quality programme: European Master's in Translation

The Master's in Translation at Leiden University has been a member of the prestigious  European Master’s in Translation  Network since 2019, together with 78 other universities across 24 countries in Europe. The membership reflects the high quality of our programme and the successful integration of translation research, practice and technology. The EMT’s Competence Framework is a highly regarded quality label and reference standard developed by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation. It defines the specific skills and knowledge required for professional translators to succeed in today's dynamic language industry. As a student of an EMT programme, you can do an internship at the translation departments of the European Commission and European Parliament. You can also go on an international exchange with other EMT universities via Erasmus+.

High-quality programme: Nederlands Genootschap voor Tolken en Vertalers (NGTV)

Leiden Translation is also an academic member of the Nederlands Genootschap voor Tolken en Vertalers, who aim to provide students with a social and professional network in the sector they will be working in and support the transition from studying to working as an independent (in house or freelance) translator, subtitler, reviewer, linguist or terminologist. All of our members of staff have professional experience and are actively engaged in doing research. We integrate this professional and academic experience into our courses, as can be seen from the electives that are offered: legal, medical, literary, multimodal and machine translation. We translate both into and out of English, as there is a growing need for native speakers of Dutch who can translate into ‘international’ English and English as a second language. In some courses, you will also be able to test whether you can transfer the knowledge and skills you have acquired to other domains and language combinations.

The opportunities offered by the Translation programme will help you become a future-proof professional who is ready to take on the language industry. At the end of your studies, you will earn a qualification that will give you entry to the national register of sworn interpreters and translators.

Professional software

We use professional translation and subtitling software and carefully monitor the latest developments in computer-assisted and machine translation, including recent advances in using LLMs like ChatGPT for translation. When you graduate, you will have all the necessary tools in your translator’s toolkit, as well as the ability to use them critically and reflect on their value in a world of increasing globalization and multicultural communication. 

We would like to thank the following companies for granting us free access to their platform through an academic license: memoQ, Phrase, Trados, ZooSubs, OOONA

What are your career prospects?

This Master's prepares you for a future career as a professional translator in your chosen domain (legal, literary, medical or multimodal translation) or related professions in the language industry, such as project manager, subtitler, editor, linguist, language or technology consultant, IT-specialist or terminologist. Our graduates work at different types of organizations and institutions, in education, communication and marketing, and at government and cultural institutions. Our course Professional Translation and Technology includes a virtual translation agency, which allows students to experience the entire translation workflow from beginning to end and practice performing the different tasks that translators, editors and project managers carry out in a professional environment. The programme also includes a 10-EC internship at a company of your choice, and most courses invite professionals from the industry to give guest lectures and workshops.

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Is Translation the programme for you?

Do you want to look beyond the words and discover just how fascinating and important translation really is? Then Translation at Leiden University is the right Master's programme for you. Find out if you are eligible for this Master's programme by checking the admission requirements.

Check the admission requirements