Interpreting - 8202

Program Summary

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Contact: hal@unsw.edu.au

Campus: Sydney

Career: Postgraduate

Typical Duration: 1.5 Years  

Typical UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC Per Semester: 6

Max UOC Per Semester: 24

Min UOC For Award: 72

Award(s):

Master of Interpreting

Program Description

THIS PROGRAM IS FOR STUDENTS COMMENCING IN 2015 ONWARDS.

The Master of Interpreting (MInt) is a 72 UOC program approved by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). The program aims to equip graduates with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills to work as competent and ethical interpreters in international and domestic settings. The areas of specialisation covered in the program are legal, medical, business, community and conference interpreting. The program is staffed by leading researchers and practitioners in the field, students receive training that draws on the results of research and practical experience to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Academic content is complemented by professional practical experience where students are able to apply what was learned in class in real professional settings. The program is offered in the following language combinations, subject to student demand: English and Chinese (Mandarin), French, Indonesian*, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.

*Indonesian is not available in 2015.

Program Objectives and Graduate Attributes
The Master of Interpreting aims to:
  1. Prepare students to obtain the Professional level Interpreter NAATI accreditation
  2. Equip students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills of interpreting to work as competent and ethical practitioners in international and domestic settings
  3. Develop students’ thorough understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the practice of interpreting, based on the results of research, to allow them to make informed choices as professional interpreters
  4. Develop students’ understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the process and the practice of interpreting
  5. Develop students’ ability to critically review the theoretical and research literature in the field of interpreting
  6. Develop students' ability to analytically reflect on their own practices as professional interpreters
  7. Develop students' ability to work in a team and collaborate with colleagues in multi-cultural and multi-lingual settings

Program-level learning outcomes

By the end of the program, the students will acquire the program-level learning outcomes necessary to meet the occupational needs of the Interpreting profession, which include:

1. Advanced disciplinary knowledge and practices
  • An advanced understanding of the established theories and practical skills of interpreting
  • The developed capacity for the application of the theories and practices to a variety of interpreting settings at home and overseas

2. Enquiry-based learning
  • The developed capacity for planning and implementing professional projects
  • The developed capacity for the application of interpreting principles and practices to complex environments of legal, medical, business, community and conference interpreting

3. Cognitive skills and critical thinking
  • The developed capacity for interpreting complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level
  • The developed capacity for the critical evaluation of new research findings in the field of interpreting
  • The developed capacity for analysing their own interpreting problems and issues, making informed choices as professional interpreters and justifying them professionally

4. Communication, adaptive and interactional skills
  • The developed capacity for interpreting complex ideas in a variety of interpreting modes (dialogue, consecutive, simultaneous)
  • The demonstrated development of a high level of personal autonomy and accountability in the application of interpreting knowledge and skills
  • The developed capacity for the application of the principles of teamwork and collaboration

5. Global outlook
  • An understanding of cultural and linguistic differences in multicultural communication
  • The developed capacity for efficient communication in multicultural settings

Career Opportunities

The Interpreting profession offers varied opportunities for employment in the government and private sectors, required in conference, legal, community and diplomatic settings.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements are as follows:
  • Bachelor degree (or equivalent qualification) in a relevant discipline with a record of academic achievement equivalent to a UNSW credit average of 65% and an advanced level of bilingual proficiency
  • Bachelor degree (or equivalent qualification) in any discipline with a record of academic achievement equivalent to a UNSW credit average of 65% plus one year relevant professional experience and an advanced level of bilingual proficiency
  • Honours degree or Graduate Diploma* (or equivalent qualification) in any discipline with a record of academic achievement equivalent to a UNSW credit average of 65% and an advanced level of bilingual proficiency
Relevant disciplines include:
  • Interpreting and Translation
  • Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences
  • Media, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing
  • Business, Economics, Commerce
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Languages
  • TESOL
  • Cognitive Science
Applicants with a degree in a discipline not listed here but who wish to make a case for its academic relevance to these programs should enquire here: studyarts@unsw.edu.au.

* It is expected that a Graduate Diploma will have been completed after an undergraduate degree.


Program Structure
The program consists of theoretical and practical courses that complement each other. Theoretical courses cover the theories that can be directly applied to inform and improve practice. The results of the latest research form an integral part of the content of the program's courses. The practical courses apply the learning from the theoretical courses to the development of bilingual interpreting skills. In addition to the knowledge and skills of interpreting as a discipline and as a profession, students will also learn related academic and practical skills such as critical analysis, independent research and preparation, project management, team work, and genres and public speaking - which are all related to the work of interpreters. Students will also learn about the different settings in which interpreters work, such as law, health, business and international relations. Teaching methods match the objectives of the program by combining lectures with practical tutorials and a variety of exercises where students actively participate. Students will be assessed through different tasks that target the varied skills and knowledge the courses aim to develop; these include tasks such as: simulated interpreted interactions, virtual translation projects, critical self analysis of students' own performance, research projects and theoretical papers.

The program has a strong linguistic component which underpins the theoretical basis of the process and practice of interpreting. It offers distinct specialisations in legal, medical, business, community and conference interpreting. It also offers a wide variety of language combinations not available at other institutions. The program combines theoretical lectures delivered in English with language-specific practical tutorials where the theories learned in the lectures are applied to the practice. It also provides students with a comprehensive practicum component.

The program can be completed full-time, normally 3 semesters (18 months), or part-time. It is structured as follows:

1. Core Courses (54 UOC)
2. Prescribed Elective Courses (18 UOC)

ARTS5503 Academic Writing (6 UOC)
This course can be taken as an additional course for students wishing to develop their academic writing skills. It will not count towards the program requirements. Click here for further details about the course.

Academic Rules
To qualify for the award of the degree, a student must:
  1. Enrol in the Masters of Interpreting and complete 72 UOC
  2. Complete 54 UOC of Core Courses
  3. Complete 18 UOC of Prescribed Elective Courses

Fees
For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

Area(s) of Specialisation