MA, Technical and Specialised Translation

Name: Shane Byrne

Age: 23

Primary degree: BA International double honours German and Spanish, NUI Maynooth (2009)

Postgraduate degrees: MA Technical and Specialised Translation, University of Westminster (2011)

I particularly loved the translation modules in German and Spanish that I did as part of my undergraduate degree. As my BA was fairly broad, I decided to go on to do a masters to delve more deeply into the areas that interested me. I felt that I needed to specialise in a particular area if I wanted to get a job using the languages I studied. I also thought that I'd have a better opportunity of finding a job with an MA, so for me it was a necessary step toward a professional career.

I liked the idea of studying in the UK so I began looking into courses there and spoke to one of my lecturers for advice. She was able to point me in the direction of institutions that had good reputations regarding translation courses. After some internet research I decided upon the course at the University of Westminster and applied.

To be accepted onto the course I had to complete two test translation pieces, in German and Spanish, and was then was called for an interview. As I was working in Ireland at the time I was able to do this over the phone. Standard questions about my academic background and reasons for wanting to do the MA were asked, and shortly afterwards I was offered a place.

As I had studied abroad before I had an idea of what to expect (I spent a year of my BA studying at the University of Valladolid in Spain). Initially it's difficult finding your way around a new university, but you soon adapt. There's an excellent support system at Westminster – there was an induction week for new students during which we were given introductions to the lecturers and their subjects as well as to the course co-ordinators, and it didn't take me long to settle in.

Lost in translation

My MA is a year-long course. It's completely focused on translation and I have between 12 and 15 hours of classes a week and spend a lot of time reading and doing coursework outside class. The classes are much smaller than at undergraduate level and it's also very different from my BA in terms of the responsibility I have: as an undergraduate your workload is very much laid out for you, but now it's completely up to you to establish what you need to do and how to go about doing it. I love the fact that my course challenges me. The topics of the texts we deal with are new and interesting: for instance recently we've been translating contracts (legal translation). It's difficult at times due to the complexity of the language, but it's also fascinating to discover how these contracts are written and what kind of language they comprise. Every day I learn new words in German and Spanish.

Our lecturers also work as professional translators. We're encouraged to contact them if we have questions, but the responsibility lies with us to do the work outside of class.

After I've finished my course I'm not sure whether to pursue a career immediately or go onto further study. If a good job arises then I'll take it; however if I find myself in a position to continue my studies then I like the idea of doing a PhD. For the moment I'm focusing on getting the best results that I possibly can for my MA.

I love the independence of living away and the sense of responsibility that entails. It's given me a real sense of achievement and new-found freedom. Beginning a new course in a new university also enables you to meet new people and make new friends. I've met some great people here and have also been lucky to experience living in London. I'm really enjoying living in this city and hope to have more time to explore it soon. I didn’t know many people when I first arrived and that can be daunting at first, but I was fortunate enough to have generous people to help me out with whatever I needed.

Top tips

Think carefully about what you want to study, and where – relocation is a big step so make sure you've researched the options thoroughly before you make a decision.

I worked for a year after my BA with the intention of saving up for an MA programme. I also received a Part-Fee Waiver Scholarship from the University of Westminster.

Make sure you explore all the funding options on your institution's website. I wasn't sure to begin with that I was entitled to anything, but as it turned out I was eligible for a scholarship: you’ve got nothing to lose by downloading an application form.