From MOOC to MA

A Hungarian student with a love of languages has recently enrolled at the School of Modern Languages after successfully completing an online course in Translation.

Adam Kosa, from Mátészalka in Hungary, was interested in translation but had no professional training when he came across the Working with Translation MOOC (massive open online course) which is offered by the School of Modern Languages in conjunction with FutureLearn.

Since its launch in 2016, the MOOC has run five successful iterations to over 38,000 people. Learners from across the world have signed up for the online course, with people from the UK, Brazil, Russia, Egypt and the USA forming the greatest cohort. Learners of all ages have enrolled but the course has proved particularly popular with those aged between 26 – 35.

Prior to signing up to the online course, Adam had joined TED Translate, a global community of volunteers who subtitle TED talks, to improve his English language skills, but he wanted to gain an understanding of what translation is and how professionals work.

Speaking of his experience, Adam said, “At that time, I was working full-time and my only option was to do an online course. When I saw that Cardiff University offered a course called Working with Translation, I joined immediately. That was exactly what I needed.”

“The course was well-structured, engaging and completely met my expectations. I especially enjoyed the practical elements. Once, we were asked to do a phonetic translation from the first lines of the Epic of Gilgamesh; then there were two intralingual translations, as we call them, from a seventeenth - century English poem and from a parking fine!”

“It was really helpful to practice translation among other professionals and gain valuable feedback. The educators were very responsive throughout the course and they provided bibliographies at the end of each week so we could broaden our knowledge outside of the course.”

Three years after completing the Working with Translation course, Adam has recently enrolled on the School of Modern Language’s MA in Translation. Adam said, “The MA combines theory and practice and its modules cover all aspects of the field. We are given general knowledge about Translation but also in depth practical and theoretical knowledge of the field which means I can move in whatever direction I like after I complete it.”

“I would greatly recommend the School of Modern Languages. It is never too early to dive into something you are passionate about. Everything I have learned so far, on the MOOC and on my MA course, has helped me in my voluntary translation work. I am now using the ideas and methods I’ve learned in real life translation practices.”

You can sign up to the next Working with Translation course now which starts on 24 February 2020. This course is one of a number that Cardiff University offers in partnership with FutureLearn each year.