Literary Translation

The programme is based in the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation, Ireland’s foremost centre for the study and practice of literary and cultural translation. Our students are ideally placed to build professional networks and to see the translation industry from the inside.



The course’s name uses the term “literary”. However, this should not be taken to indicate only novels and poems. In fact, the course’s definition of “literature” is so broad as to include anything that involves human creativity, including video games, subtitles, speeches, comics, and songs. Translation, and especially the kind of creative translation we develop as part of the M.Phil. in Literary Translation, has been a subject of huge interest in recent years, both within academia and in industry. At the same time, the demand for well-qualified translators continues to grow internationally, and this form of translation more than any other is coming to be valued as something that is not easily done by machines.



The M.Phil. in Literary Translation equips you with the skill to apply translation theory to your literary translation practice in creative and original ways. You will craft a unique portfolio of translations under the guidance of academic and professional mentors. You will take part in team projects, aimed at simulating the realities of the translation industry, and you will be trained in the latest specialist translation tools.



On this varied and demanding course, you will be provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop your understanding of translation, expand your practical translation skills, and prepare either to work in translation or to undertake advanced research.



Is This Course For Me?

Located in the heart of multicultural Dublin, Trinity College provides a uniquely rich environment for studying and researching translation. Trinity has fostered many literary giants over the centuries such as Nobel Prize winner, Samuel Beckett, and has one of the best records for teaching languages in the world. Trinity was even the first university in the world to introduce the study of modern continental languages in 1776.



Our students are taught by translation theorists and language specialists with a highly diverse range of research interests. They also have direct contact with practising translators through our Literary Translator in Residence Scheme, and busy programme of events.



The M.Phil. in Literary Translation offers an unrivalled degree of freedom. Our students customise their own programmes, follow their own research interests in assignments and dissertations, translate what and how they want to translate in portfolios, and focus on honing the professional skills that are most valuable to them.



Course Structure

The programme can be accessed via three different entry routes, each of which offers its own advantages. The M.Phil. programme (90 ECTS credits) can be studied full-time over 1 year or part-time over 3 years. The Postgraduate Diploma (60 ECTS credits) can be studied full-time over 1 year or part-time over 2 years (30 ECTS per year). The Postgraduate Certificate (30 ECTS credits) is a 1 year part-time programme. Subject to satisfactory progress, it is possible to transition from the Certificate to the Diploma and then to the M.Phil.

• Certificate students take four of the core modules: Theory and History of Translation; Linguistic and Textual Analysis; Aspects of the Profession; and Interlingual Technologies. Diploma students add the Literary Translation Portfolio to this list. MPhil students also add the Research Training Seminar.



• Students choose two of the option modules from a variety of elective modules that vary year by year. Electives offered in recent years include: Discovering the Other: East-West Encounters in Translation History; Translation Studies Methodologies; Dantean Echoes; Europe and Its Identities: A Cultural History; Medieval and Renaissance Foundations of Western Europe; Madness, Nonsense and Identity in Literature; European Cinema and Identity; Don Quixote: Romance, Comedy and the Modern Novel; Food, Drink and European Cultural Identities; Postmodernist Literature in East and Central Europe.



• Each student crafts a portfolio of 8-10 literary texts of their choice, together with short commentaries on the strategies used and how effective these were in reaching their intended goal.



• Students complete a 15-20,000-word dissertation. This dissertation can take the form either of a theoretical analysis of one or more translations, or an experimental translation and commentary, in which a student posits a new way to translate, and demonstrates it.

Entry Requirements:

• A minimum 2.1 honours class degree from an Irish university or its international equivalent.

• A demonstrable working knowledge of two or more languages

• For candidates who are not native English speakers and have not completed a degree through the medium of English, a minimum IELTS score of at least 6.5 in each category or its equivalent is required

Closing Date: 30th June 2025



For further information on Application and next steps, please visit Application Weblink above.

MPhil: 1 year full time /3 years part time;

PG Dip: 1 year full time / 2 years part time;

PG Cert: 1 year part time

Next Intake: September 2025

Careers and Employability

Trinity students are highly valued by the translation industry. We organise workshops with our industry partners throughout the year, and offer a long list of opportunities to network and collaborate from the beginning until the end of the degree.



There is a strong and growing demand for highly trained translators with the creativity and linguistic prowess to create aesthetically appealing work. Such translators are already sought out not only in the field of literature, but also in the private and public sector, in international organisations, media, and education. We have close ties with many such organisations and give our students regular opportunities to interact with them.