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Übersetzung – Kunst und Geschäft » Interpreting »
Unsure about MA to pursue
Initiator des Themas: Maria Carvalho
Maria Carvalho
Maria Carvalho  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:50
Aug 31, 2024

Hello all

I'm finishing my undergraduate in Business Admin. and Translation and I have always wanted to be an interpretor and translator bur also open to other routes but that's plan A.

I was thinking of doing either Conference Interpreting in Leeds, Translation Studies and Interpreting in Manchester or Linguistics: Language, Communication and Cognition in Freiburg.

Another option that I'm ve... See more
Hello all

I'm finishing my undergraduate in Business Admin. and Translation and I have always wanted to be an interpretor and translator bur also open to other routes but that's plan A.

I was thinking of doing either Conference Interpreting in Leeds, Translation Studies and Interpreting in Manchester or Linguistics: Language, Communication and Cognition in Freiburg.

Another option that I'm very keen on is the joint masters in Central and Eastern European: Russian and Eurasian studies as I'd gain good knwoledge of Russia and Eurasia and I could study 3 semesters more russian language.

The program in Leeds seems to be very on point and also a good programme but is it a good option to do a master so specific? Or should i go with something not as to the point and specific.

My undergraduate degree has 2 interpreting modules and a few translation and linguistics modules as well as foreign languages(english, french and russian).

I'm looking for input and some advice really ▲ Collapse
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 06:50
Mitglied (2014)
Japanisch > Englisch
Do you need an MA at all? Sep 1, 2024

It's a lot of money to invest in a qualification targeted very specifically at an industry in which many people struggle to earn a decent income. And in terms of the language pair, Russian is not remotely flavour of the month right now and may never be again, at least in our lifetimes.

Of course, if the economics are not an issue you should do exactly what you want. But if you want to be able to support yourself adequately in future and not have to pay back a ton of debt I would re... See more
It's a lot of money to invest in a qualification targeted very specifically at an industry in which many people struggle to earn a decent income. And in terms of the language pair, Russian is not remotely flavour of the month right now and may never be again, at least in our lifetimes.

Of course, if the economics are not an issue you should do exactly what you want. But if you want to be able to support yourself adequately in future and not have to pay back a ton of debt I would rethink. You will already have a degree related to the area. Is that not enough? If not, why not?

Topical article:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/aug/29/uk-graduates-struggle-job-market

Regards
Dan ▲ Collapse


Joakim Braun
Jennifer Levey
Kevin Fulton
expressisverbis
Rachel Waddington
Becca Resnik
Wilsonn Perez Reyes
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Niederlande
Local time: 07:50
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Afrikaans
+ ...
@Maria Sep 1, 2024

Maria Carvalho wrote:
The program in Leeds seems to be very on point and also a good programme but is it a good option to do a master so specific?

A master's degree is simply a stepping stone to a doctorate degree. It offers very little educational value except that it teaches you to think like a researcher. It has the extra benefit of showing potential employers that you care about your field. It may tip the scale in your favour in a hiring process. But it will have little value in making you a better translator. For this reason, I would encourage you to do a master's degree in a topic that you find really, really interesting. So, yes, the Leeds programme seems like a good idea, precisely because it is so specific.

Leeds is not in the EU. I believe this will affect the cost.

[Edited at 2024-09-01 07:28 GMT]

Joakim Braun
 
Joakim Braun
Joakim Braun  Identity Verified
Schweden
Local time: 07:50
Deutsch > Schwedisch
+ ...
Study something not language-related Sep 1, 2024

"Business Admin" should open many other interesting routes. We don't need translators who have studied translation, but translators who know their subjects inside out, preferably by doing practical (non language-related) work for a few years in their area of interest.

Dan Lucas
Matthias Brombach
B&B FinTrans
Anton Konashenok
Jennifer Levey
Becca Resnik
Kevin Fulton
 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 01:50
Deutsch > Englisch
Unless you don't need to support yourself Sep 1, 2024

Consider a Plan B, an alternative that has a clear, potentially profitable future.

Dan Lucas
expressisverbis
Rachel Waddington
B&B FinTrans
Jorge Payan
Gerard de Noord
Robert Forstag
 
kd42
kd42
Estland
Local time: 08:50
Englisch > Russisch
Russian is a dead language, choose a speciality Sep 10, 2024

Maria Carvalho wrote:
I'd gain good knwoledge of Russia and Eurasia and I could study 3 semesters more russian language.
Forget about Russian, there are hordes of hungry unemployed interpreters roaming around. The clients mostly find interpreters on location, the payment is ~120 euros per full day before tax.

Since you like interpreting I would advise you to take interpreting, consecutive, simultaneous, and study law, finance, or medicine. People in these fields, especially finance, are still able to understand that high-quality services deserve decent pay.

Liviu-Lee Roth
 


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