Department of Literature and Translation

The Department of Literature and Translation at SOAS University of London offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in literature and translation, combining deep linguistic expertise with critical theoretical approaches and a profound understanding of the social and intellectual contexts in which literary traditions develop. 

Many of the languages taught here are available nowhere else in the UK. Our BA, MA and PhD programmes develop skills in textual interpretation, intercultural communication, critical thinking, and analytical writing, preparing graduates for a wide range of careers.

What is Literature and Translation at SOAS?

Literature and Translation is the academic study of literary traditions, texts, and the practice of translation across languages and cultures.

At SOAS, this is studied from a genuinely global perspective, engaging with the literary traditions of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, in their original languages. Our academics are at the forefront of the field: translating the work of Nobel Prize-winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah into Swahili, developing global literary theory from the Caucasus, and tracing multilingual networks of ideas across the Silk Road. Crucially, we bring these literary traditions into conversation with one another, moving beyond a Eurocentric canon and towards a truly global one.