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Email academic.registry@tcd.ieThe postgraduate Literary Translation courses at Trinity College Dublin offers a dynamic blend of practice and theory, based at the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation — Ireland’s leading hub for the subject.
The word “literary” may suggest novels and poetry, but we take a broader view. As a student on this course, you will develop your skills as a translator across a wide range of genres and media, from novels and poetry to comics, video games, song lyrics, and subtitles, while also gaining a strong grounding in translation history, theory, and professional practice. Studying in the centre of multilingual, literary Dublin, you will work alongside practising translators, editors, and publishers, and build networks that support both creative and academic futures in translation.
This intensive programme helps you develop your own voice as a translator. You’ll build a personalised portfolio of literary translations, gain hands-on experience through team projects, and become confident in using the latest translation tools.
Whether your goal is a career in translation or further research, Trinity’s Literary Translation courses offer the skills, insight, and community to support your next steps.
If you are passionate about language, literature, and creativity, the postgraduate courses in Literary Translation at Trinity are designed for you.
Many of our students join us from modern languages or related humanities disciplines. Others come from different areas of expertise. Many join our courses straight after their undergraduate degrees. Others come after some time working or even after retirement.
Our students come to us from all around the world. Many come from Europe. But we are also regularly joined by students from North and South America and Asia. From September 2026, we are able to accept students with any language pair(s), as long as they also have an excellent command of English.
You do not need to have studied your languages in the same institution or country. What matters is a proven high-level competence in both languages and a strong interest in literary and creative translation. We recommend a level that corresponds roughly to at least CEFR level C1 for each of your working languages.
The programme will particularly suit you if you:
If you are unsure whether your background is a good fit for this course, you are encouraged to contact the course team to discuss your profile before applying.
Graduates of Trinity’s postgraduate Literary Translation courses are highly regarded in the translation and wider cultural sectors for their ability to produce creative, high-quality work across languages, genres, and media. Many go on to careers in translation, editing, and publishing, while others work in media, arts and culture, international organisations, education, and the public sector.
The programme prepares you for roles such as:
Throughout the year, you will have opportunities to meet visiting translators, editors, and other professionals at the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation, helping you to build a network and to explore different career paths. The skills you develop, such as close reading, text analysis, multilingual writing, critical thinking, and cross-cultural communication, are highly transferable, and our graduates use them to shape varied, sustainable careers in and beyond the translation industry.
Choose the pathway that best matches your goals and circumstances:
All students take a core set of modules in translation theory, history, and practice, alongside training in linguistic and textual analysis, the translation profession, and interlingual technologies:
These three pathways can be taken in isolation. But they are also stackable, meaning you can take the Certificate in year one, and then progress to the Diploma in year two, if you choose. You can find more information about the part-time and stackable pathways through this course, here.
Find out more about entry requirements and application deadlines here.
The Literary Translation Portfolio consists of 8-10 literary texts of the students’ choice, accompanied by strategies and critical commentaries. The dissertation can take one of two forms: a theoretical study of translation(s), or an experimental translation and reflective analysis.
For further information on modules/subjects, click here.
This course video is designed to provide an understanding of Literary Translation postgraduate programme at Trinity College Dublin.
September 2027
Dr James Hadley
30 June 2027
Entry Requirements:
Application and next steps
We accept applications from the autumn until the summer closing date, but the programme is popular and places are offered on a rolling first-come first-served basis. You are strongly advised to apply early, particularly if you are also applying for funding or need a visa. We aim to respond to complete applications within approximately three weeks.
Required Materials
To apply you will need, to prepare the following:
Stage 1 Document: The Stage 1 Document is available here. It includes sections on the languages you intend to work with, a personal statement, and a sample translation. Please complete it in full without altering the format of the form.
When we assess your application, we are looking for evidence that you:
• are able to pick up on and reproduce the idiosyncrasies of a literary text in another language
• have a broad lexical resource
• can create a translation with a high degree of cohesion
• can understand and use a large number of grammatical structures accurately
• understand what experience, understanding and skills you can bring to the programme
• know why you would like to study literary translation at the postgraduate level
• know why you would like to study literary translation specifically at Trinity
• can show how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
• know what you would like to do with your degree
The personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme delivers. Students whose aims fall outside the scope of the course are likely to be rejected on ethical grounds.
Sample of academic writing: You will require a sample of around 2,500 words of your best academic writing in English. This writing can be on any subject. It is used by our assessment panel to see whether you have the skills required to pass this course.
When we assess your application, we are looking for evidence that:
• you are able to build an academic argument with a research question or thesis statement and conclusions
• you are able to create a logical structure to your argument
• you can critically analyse others' options and the evidence you see
• you have a good working understanding of the apparatus of academic writing, including referencing, quoting, signposting, and using a bibliography
• your command of academic English is strong
This course is highly intensive. The sample of academic writing is your opportunity to show that you have the skills required to pass the course. Students whose sample of academic writing do not demonstrate these skills to a sufficient extent are rejected on ethical grounds.
Degree certificate(s): You will require the certificates that prove you have completed all of the degrees you mention in your application. If you haven't yet completed your degree, you can still apply and supply these documents when you have them.
Degree transcripts: You will need official transcripts showing all of the components you have completed as part of your degree(s). If these official documents are in a language other than English, they may need to be translated by a certified translator.
Two reference letters: You should ask two people who are not related to you to write letters of reference, recommending you for this course and laying out why you would be a good candidate.
Online application form: Once you have all of these materials, please click on the link below to apply.
All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band C (Higher Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet Band C, see the English Language Requirements page here.
For a full list of postgraduate fees, click here.
To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below. Please note that places on the course may fill before the application deadline, so early application is encouraged. Eligible applicants may be added to a waitlist if all places are currently filled.
+353 (0)1 896 3225
Course director Dr James Hadley: hadleyj@tcd.ie
Course administration: Postgraduate.SLLCS@tcd.ie
School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies website
Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
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The course gave me an impressive theoretical background that improved my professional and academic skills. The workshops and networking opportunities were really helpful and prepared me to take on literary translation projects professionally. The inclusive environment at Trinity made my experience enjoyable and helped me see Literary Translation Studies from a different angle.
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