PhD in Translation and Transcultural Studies

at University of Warwick

Before you arrive, you will be matched to one or more of our expert supervisors and during the course. You will meet with them frequently for guidance on the conceptualisation, research and writing of your Dissertation. This will include reading and discussion of draft material.

You will also be expected to participate in the research culture of the School, for example by attending research seminars.

This programme comprises two distinct routes: (i) a theoretical/academic route and (ii) a practice route. The theoretical/academic route involves demonstrating a significant and original contribution to knowledge in the field of Translation Studies.

The practice route advances knowledge principally by means of practice – by the submission of a translation – but also by requiring the student to demonstrate a critical awareness, informed by relevant scholarship in Translation and Transcultural Studies, of the issues – stylistic, cultural, sociological and/or ideological, among others – involved in the translation of the work and to display this critical awareness in the form of a translation commentary.

The two elements of the PhD should nonetheless form an organic whole. The practice route is distinct from a standard scholarly PhD in that significant aspects of the claim for the doctoral requirement of an original contribution to a significant field of knowledge are demonstrated through the translation. The accompanying commentary demonstrates doctoral levels of contextual knowledge and powers of analysis and argument, displaying the same intellectual discipline as a traditional PhD.
 

Our research

Staff working in Translation and Transcultural Studies at Warwick have expertise in a wide range of research areas, including:

• Cultural translation and transculturalism
• Memory and transcultural studies
• Literary translation
• Sociolinguistics
• Self-translation in multilingual contexts
• Gender and feminist translation studies
• Sociology of translation
• History of publishing

The close link between translation and transcultural studies and the language sections (Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Hispanic Studies) strengthens the cultural approach to translation, seen as cultural exchange and transfer, and is one of our distinctive research aspect.

Proposals framed in cultural, social and political contexts in other languages, and not based primarily on linguistic/textual comparative analysis, could be considered depending on topics and approaches within staff research expertise.

Minimum requirements

An Honours degree (a 2.i or First) and normally a Merit or Distinction in an MA with specialisation in an appropriate subject, including Modern Languages, Translation Studies, English Literature, Classics, and Creative Writing.

Applicants may also be considered who can demonstrate compelling evidence of advanced translation experience through significant publication and associated professional recognition and an awareness of the critical requirements of translation practice in an academic environment.

English language requirements

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

The University carries out an initial fee status assessment based on information provided in the application and according to the guidance published by UKCISA. Students are classified as either Home or Overseas Fee status and this can determine the tuition fee and eligibility of certain scholarships and financial support.

If you receive an offer, your fee status will be stated with the tuition fee information, however we are awaiting guidance from the UK government regarding fee status for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members living in the UK for academic year 2021/22 onwards. We are not able to confirm the fee status for these students until the relevant eligibility criteria have been confirmed. Once we have received further information from the UK government, we will provide you with an update on your fee status and let you know if any additional information is required. If you believe your fee status has been incorrectly classified you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire (follow the instructions in your offer) and provide the required documentation for this to be reassessed.