Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that the Taught Postgraduate Courses section includes everything you need to know about CTS@Leeds courses. Please also consult our Frequently Asked Questions below.

General

• What should I do if I am unable to provide two academic references in support of my application?
• What is needed when you are asking for the degree transcripts and certificate?
• I completed my degree outside the UK. How can I check if my qualifications meet the entry requirements?
• What is the purpose of the translation test for MAATS, PGDipATS, MAAVTS, MACITS & PGDipCI?
• Am I exempt from taking an English language test?
  
• Do you interview applicants?
• Does the Centre for Translation Studies hold an Open Evening?
• Can I study part-time?
• Do you offer evening classes for part-time students?
• How many credits do I need to complete my chosen programme?
• What are the semester dates in 2012/13?
• Are there any additional criteria for admission to particular modules?
• Where can I find out about accommodation in Leeds?

Conference Interpreting

• What is MACITS? What is the difference between MACITS - Bidirectional and MACITS - 2 languages?
• What is the difference between MACITS and the PGDipCI? What is the advantage of having a Master’s degree rather than a Diploma?
• Why does the Leeds course last one year, when many other courses in Europe last two years? Will I be sufficiently prepared for the profession?
• What language combinations are available?
• What are the conditions for training students with C languages other than English?
• I am considering interpreting as a career. What sort of skills do I need, and how can I prepare for an interpreting course?
• I want to study interpreting. How good do my languages need to be?
• I would like to be an interpreter but I am not sure how many languages I need to speak and which languages are most useful.
• My big passion is speaking foreign languages, but I have heard that conference interpreters only work into their mother tongue. Is this always true?
• Is MACITS a good grounding for both types of interpreting (conference and public service), despite its title?
• I already have qualifications/experience as a professional interpreter. Will this exempt me from some of the module requirements?
• Is the course recognised by AIIC? Can I register with AIIC upon finishing the course successfully?

General

• What should I do if I am unable to provide two academic references in support of my application?
  If it has been some time since you completed your first degree and you are unable to get references from lecturers who taught you, you may submit references from recent employers who can comment on your language skills. If you have not been using your languages, please contact the SMLC PG Admissions Team for advice.
  
  
• What is needed when you are asking for the degree transcripts and certificate?
  If you have not yet completed your first degree you should send us partial transcripts detailing the marks you have already gained. If you have completed your first degree you must ensure that your transcripts state your final overall result. If your transcripts are not in English, you should send an official translation with your transcript. Please enclose a copy of any written details about the grading system used (often printed on the back of the transcript). If you are unable to provide degree transcripts please send details of your equivalent professional training/experience.
  
  
• I completed my degree outside the UK. How can I check if my qualifications meet the entry requirements?
  Please contact the University's Admissions Enquiries office for advice (Tel: +44 (0) 113 343 2336, Email: study@leeds.ac.uk).
  
  
• What is the purpose of the translation test for MAATS, PGDipATS, MAAVTS, MACITS & PGDipCI?
  Entry to Specialised Translation modules offered by the Centre for Translation Studies is assessed on the basis of your translation test. Tests can be downloaded here under How to apply. Ensure that you sign and attach the declaration that the translation is your own work. You may use dictionaries to help you with your translation.
  
  
• Am I exempt from taking an English language test?
  The following applicants are not required to undertake English language tests:
  
  
  • UK and USA Graduates
  • Commonwealth graduates from the following countries (with English as the medium of instruction): Antigua & Bermuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Cameroon, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Solomon Island, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
  • Applicants who have previously spent a minimum of 2 yrs in the UK to complete degree
    
    
• Do you interview applicants?
  MACITS/PGDipCI applicants who submit a successful translation passage will be invited to interview in Leeds. If you are living outside the EU and English is not your first language, it will be possible to arrange telephone interviews. If you are living within the EU but outside the UK it may be possible to arrange telephone interviews, but it generally works in your favour to be interviewed in person if this is at all possible. We do not normally offer a telephone interview to you if you are a native speakers of English, as we are unable to assess your foreign languages over the phone.
  
  
• Does the Centre for Translation Studies hold an Open Evening?
  Yes, you will find details here.
  
  
• Can I study part-time?
  The answer depends on the programme you are studying.
  
  
  • MAATS, PGDipATS, MAAVTS
    UK and EU students can follow this programme part-time. Due to visa restrictions, international students are usually required to undertake the programme on a full-time basis.
  • MACITS, PGDipCI
    These programmes are not offered part-time.
    
    
• Do you offer evening classes for part-time students?
  No, our part-time students follow modules offered on the full-time route. 
  
  
• How many credits do I need to complete my chosen programme?
  The answer depends on the programme you are studying.
  
  
  • MAATS, MAAVTS, MACITS
    Full-time MA students complete 180 credits over a one-year period. 
  • MAATS, MAAVTS
    Part-time MAATS and MAAVTS students complete 180 credits, usually split evenly over a two-year period. You normally follow the schedule of modules given in the programme catalogue. Please see the entries for MAATS (part-time) and MAAVTS (part-time) for details. Subject to the approval of the Programme Director, you may select which modules you study in a given year to fit in with your existing commitments.
  • PGDipATS
    Part-time PGDipATS students complete 120 credits, usually split evenly over an eighteen-month period. You normally follow the schedule of modules given in the programme catalogue. Subject to the approval of the Programme Director, you may select which modules you study in a given year to fit in with your existing commitments.
    
    
• What are the semester dates in 2012/13?
  Term dates are given here. Teaching finishes in May. However, MAATS, MACITS and MAAVTS students have to complete a summer project to be submitted by the end of August. This can either be two Extended Translations, a Dissertation or (MAAVTS only) a Subtitling Project.
  
  
• Are there any additional criteria for admission to particular modules?
  Where restrictions exist (for example if pre-requisite or co-requisite modules are stipulated), criteria for admission to the module is usually published in the module catalogue. 
  
  
• Where can I find out about accommodation in Leeds?
  Visit the University of Leeds Accommodation Office website. You can also email accom@leeds.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)8701 2001 89.

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Conference Interpreting

• What is the MA Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies (MACITS)? What is the difference between MACITS - Bidirectional and MACITS - 2 languages?
  The MACITS course is intended as preparation for a career in conference interpreting.  Some of our students dream of a career working in the booth at an international organisation such as the UN or the EU, and MACITS will equip you with the skills to do this, as long as you have the aptitude!  You will study consecutive interpreting (with notes) and simultaneous interpreting, but the skills you learn can also be applied in other settings, for example if you are an in-house interpreter/translator.

  MACITS students opt for one of two pathways. MACITS - Bidirectional allows you to work between your mother tongue and your second language in both directions. MACITS - 2 languages allows you to work from two other languages into your mother tongue.

• What is the difference between MACITS and the PGDipCI?  What is the advantage of having a Master’s degree rather than a Diploma?
  From the point of view of course structure, the main differences are that the Master’s degree lasts 12 months (180 credits) and you are required to take some compulsory translation modules during the year, as well as submitting a summer project (dissertation or extended translation). The Diploma lasts 9 months (120 credits) and doesn’t involve any compulsory translation modules, although you may choose to take one or two as options.

  Some people feel that a Master’s degree is more valued by employers, and they like the fact it covers translation as well as interpreting; others disagree, and are attracted to the Diploma because they can focus exclusively on interpreting.

• Why does the Leeds course last one year, when many other courses in Europe last two years?  Will I be sufficiently prepared for the profession?
  Most MA and MSc courses in the UK last one year.  Comparable postgraduate courses in interpreting with (or without) translation at other UK Universities also last one year. Several of our graduates have passed freelance tests at international institutions soon after graduation, or been offered good jobs as in-house linguists.  Some have recently passed open competitions to become staff members at international institutions.  It is perfectly possible, therefore, to enter the profession even after a one-year course such as ours.

  In some of the longer courses worldwide, the syllabus includes such general areas as language teaching or international affairs, or specialised areas such as EU law. At Leeds we assume a high standard of language proficiency and general knowledge before entry to the course.
  So do bear in mind that what you get out of the course will depend on what you put in.  It is a very demanding course and requires both aptitude and hard work, and you should prepare carefully before the start of the academic year.

• What language combinations are available?
  We offer the following language combinations for interpreting students. If your language combination is not given below please contact the SMLC PG Admissions Team for advice.

• What are the conditions for training students with C languages other than English?
  We can provide training but the conditions will be different from those offered to English native speakers. If you are a non-native speaker of English and would like to be trained from English into your mother tongue as well as from another passive language offered at Leeds, you would train from your C language alongside English mother tongue students who share this C language with you.
  
  For example, if your mother tongue is Spanish and you have French as one of your C languages, in addition to the Spanish/English class you would join a French/English class where we would advise you to work from French into Spanish and NOT into English. Ideally there would be two or more students with your language combination in the class so you could listen to each other and provide feedback. If this were not possible, you would work by yourself, in which case we would recommend that you acquire a small voice recorder (or borrow one from our Language Centre) to record your performance from French into Spanish and then listen to it after the class to check the quality of your work. From time to time (three to four times per semester and in mock conferences) your Spanish tutor would join the French class to work with you (and any other students who share your language combination). Alternatively, a French speaker would join the English/Spanish class to provide French speeches so that the Spanish tutor could listen to you.
  
  When deciding on an interpreting course, we encourage you to bear in mind that if you train in a country where your native language is spoken the group configuration and training that can be offered may suit your needs better. However, we do welcome non-native English speakers to the course each year with two passive languages. Our graduates tell us that they continue to recommend Leeds because of the benefits of studying full-time in an English speaking environment and training intensively alongside English mother tongue speakers.
  
  
• I am considering interpreting as a career. What sort of skills do I need, and how can I prepare for an interpreting course?
  Interpreting is a demanding profession and requires many personal qualities and skills. In no particular order, these include intellectual curiosity, empathy, tact, adaptability, stamina, mastery of your mother tongue, excellent knowledge of foreign languages, public speaking skills, analytical skills, research skills, general knowledge and an interest in the world around you. You may have some of these skills already; some of the others can be acquired or polished through training.
  
  If you are trying to prepare for an interpreting course, try reading the papers every day (in your mother tongue and your foreign languages) and listening to high-quality radio and television programmes. Start thinking about your own language: how is it used by different speakers? Are you aware of differences in register?  Do you have a broad vocabulary? Are you a good communicator?
  
  
• I want to study interpreting.  How good do my languages need to be?
  There is a big difference between being able to chat comfortably in a foreign language and being able to interpret from that language into your mother tongue. Unless you were lucky enough to grow up bilingual, your knowledge of your foreign language(s) will never be perfect. You will spend the rest of your life improving! But you should be able to understand the speaker’s message and intentions easily, even when he/she has an accent or is talking about a more technical subject, using special terminology, and using a formal register. If you have difficulty reading the papers or understanding the news, you will struggle with the course. Please also see our advice on how conference interpreters work.
  
  
• I would like to be an interpreter but I am not sure how many languages I need to speak and which languages are most useful.
  It depends what sort of interpreter you want to be. If you want to be a conference interpreter working for an international organisation, some languages will be more of an asset than others, and for most Western European languages you will normally work into your mother tongue. On the other hand, if you want to be a public service interpreter (e.g. for the police, or in court), or work as a freelance conference interpreter on the private market in the UK or (say) in France, Germany, China or Japan, you will be better off working both ways between English and your other language, if you have the skills to do so.
  
  Here is some general advice:
  
  1. Choose a language because you love it, and feel an affinity for the people who speak it, not because it will look good on paper – this will make your training and professional life much more enjoyable!
  
  2. Get a solid grounding in interpreting skills first and add further languages later, rather than trying to do too much at once. It is better to train with two good foreign languages and add a third later on.

  It is difficult to give a general overview of  market needs because the situation can  change quickly. If you want to be a conference interpreter, try visiting the EU’s website for up-to-date information about their needs. 

• My big passion is speaking foreign languages, but I have heard that conference interpreters only work into their mother tongue. Is this always true?
  At the major international institutions interpreters working between the five major Western European languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and also Russian (in the case of the UN) generally work only into their mother tongue. With other world languages (such as Chinese and Arabic) and the Central and Eastern European languages of the 2004 and 2007 EU enlargements (and to a lesser extent, Scandinavian languages and Greek), interpreters who are native speakers of these languages may also interpret INTO one of the five major Western European languages listed above.

  There is also a private conference interpreting market in most parts of the world, of varying size, in which interpreters commonly work both into and out of mother tongue. Virtually the same standard of proficiency is expected in both languages, however. With the major Western European languages a native English speaker would be competing against native speakers of those languages who understand English extremely well. As such an interpreter’s grammar, accent and command of idiom has to be near-native standard, including under pressure.

• Is MACITS a good grounding for both types of interpreting (conference and public service), despite its title?
  The course is a very good grounding for both - the core skills are the same, and a Public Service Interpreter with some knowledge of conference interpreting skills will be an asset to the profession, as will a conference interpreter with some knowledge of "liaison interpreting" techniques.
  
  
• I already have qualifications/experience as a professional interpreter.  Will this exempt me from some of the module requirements?
  The answer is no.  Students who have professional engagements may miss occasional classes, but they are expected to register for the full 120 or 180 credits and attend most of the classes (at least 70%).
  
  
• Is the course recognised by AIIC? Can I register with AIIC upon finishing the course successfully?
  The course is recognised by AIIC but full membership of AIIC is subject to further requirements such as professional experience. See http://www.aiic.net/

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