At a time when translators are facing unprecedented challenges in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), a new master鈥檚 in creative translation course at the University of Oxford will explore and celebrate translation as a creative endeavor in which the role of the human will always remain essential.
Led by Karen Leeder, an award-winning translator and professor within Oxford鈥檚 Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, the course will reflect a growing appreciation for translation as both a field of research and a creative discipline that requires not only linguistic skill, but also imagination, interpretation, and cultural sensitivity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 increasingly recognized as a literary art form,鈥 Leeder said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a real coming of age for the field.鈥
Distinct from academic translation, creative translation explores the history, theory, and methodologies of translation and interprets not just meaning but voice, considering tone, rhythm, and emotion.
In addition to developing their own practice as a translator, students will be introduced to a range of materials, from the earliest translations of ancient texts to the dilemmas of AI, examine how translations differ, and explore areas such as translation for performance, adaptation, early modern translation, translating the untranslatable, and multilingualism. The course will include a program of regular industry sessions with visiting creatives and experts.
The timing of the course is not coincidental. In the U.K., there is a growing demand for skilled translators to support thriving creative industries. It also comes at a time when the human role in translation is more important than ever.
鈥淎ll art forms are under threat from AI, but AI is used in translation, and we must find ways to work productively with it,鈥 Leeder said. The course will encourage students to critically engage with these technologies while also recognizing their limits and learning to identify what makes for 鈥済ood鈥 translation.
鈥淭here needs to be a re-evaluation of the role of the human translator,鈥 Ledder said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important to champion their role in the future of publishing when authorship itself is under threat.鈥
鈥淲e hope this course will not only prepare graduates to make a real impact in our creative industries, supporting a new generation of translators as creative thinkers, collaborators, and innovators, but will serve as a reminder that the ability to imagine, interpret, and connect across languages and cultures remains a distinctly human endeavor.鈥
University of Oxford (10/28/25)