HOW TO CITE THIS DOCUMENT: Workshop on challenges, solutions and best practice in translation work placements. (2015). European Graduate Placement Scheme Work Placement Day: Building strategic alliances: Friday 6 February 2015: Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. URL: http://www.slideshare.net/OlgaTorresHostench/egps-workshop

WORKSHOP ON CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS AND BEST PRACTICE IN TRANSLATION WORK PLACEMENTS

CONTENT:

1. Co-operation between employers and universities. 2. Work placement mentoring.3. Online work placements.

Plus: + personal messages from contributors on key issues related to translation work placements.

With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union. This project has been funded with support from the European

Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of

the information contained therein.

CONTRIBUTING UNIVERSITIES: CONTRIBUTING LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (host)

CPSL

Blanquerna-Universitat Ramon Llull iDISC

London Metropolitan University LocTeam, S.L.

Nottingham University Montero Traducciones, S.L.

Pedagogical University of Cracow Nova Language Services

Universidad Pablo de Olavide QuickSilver Translate

Universidad Pontificia Comillas Tradeus Traduccions

Università degli Studi di Trieste Traducciones Castilla

Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

Urban Translation Services

Université de Genève

Université Stendhal Grenoble 3

University College London EGPS PROJECT COORDINATION:

University of Bologna (Agora Project) Skills CFA

University of Exeter

University of Mainz

University of Salford

University of Stirling

Zurich University of Applied Sciences

1. Cooperation between employers and universities

In this workshop, universities and companies discussed the advantages of long placements:

1. Companies prefer long work placements because

- they invest time and effort in a student and in short placements cannot see the results. - In long placements, students have the chance to put into practice what they have learned in

the company. In short placements, they learn a little but do not have enough time to put it into practice.

- Students are learning key skills they will need in their career. So the longer the placement, the better.

- Companies expect a certain quality by the end of the placement. Good companies expose students to different challenges in order to detect their strengths – eg different text typology, new situations, etc. It can take up to three months to identify the student’s strongest skill areas.

2. Companies would prefer work placements to cover the whole academic year, not only specific months, in order to have students all year round.

- Could universities consider if this would be possible? It would improve the management of work placements for companies.

In this workshop, universities and companies discussed tasks carried out during placements and related issues:

- Some companies let students compare their translations with those published by professional translators so that students can see pros and cons of their own versions.

- But on a supervised work placement, students must participate in real tasks.- Students must be aware that they need not only linguistic skills to carry out

successful placements, but also technological and localization skills.- Companies must be able to meet specific requirements to offer and support

work placements. Not every company has the capacity to do this. - In funded placements certain fiscal issues apply that companies must be

aware of.- Translation is a business. Companies are interested in the best students, and

students should choose from the best companies.

• Timing: interns need to be full-time, 3months minimum, 6 months ideal. Ideally universities would, between them, cover the whole year. In this case, companies would accept shorter placements.

• Each university has a different schedule (eg April-Sept is ideal for Exeter; summer or second part of year for Geneva; June – December for UCL, or after graduation.

• Suggestion that student portfolio could take the form of a TALK to other students (about what they have learned etc).

• “The grey area of insurance”: where not covered by their uni, students should take out insurance cover, as they will need to as free-lancers.

2. Work placement mentoring

1. Mentor – should meet student weekly (ideal) or fortnightly and review their work.

2. Student should be in regular contact with HE co-ordinator (at Geneva they actually visited students 3X per year). Personal contact is useful – phone, ideally Skype as student will be more honest if they can make eye contact!

• Hiring the intern at the end of the placement is generally the goal. It’s an excellent recruitment tool.

3. Online work placements

On-line placements as a continuation of placement in-office :- Companies would be willing to accept students for work placements in

the office for the period of a few months and when the funding from Erasmus grant is over or when they cannot provide students with enough work in the office (to pay them), could continue co-operation with these students on-line. This would be cheaper for students as when at home they do not have such high living costs.

- Some companies already do online work placements (outside the EGPS scheme) and would be willing to apply the same solution to EGPS.

PERSONAL MESSAGES

What message on translation work placements would you like to share with your colleagues?

“More than 3 months international internships for Spanish translation students in order to take advantage of the Erasmus + internship grants”

"Students should have more opportunities to go abroad and have work and real

practices in international companies in foreign countries. We believe this is a KEY

POINT as far as work placements are concerned“

Lydia

"More placements for undergraduates too“Gemma

“Placement providers might be interested in accepting students for work placements in the office that last for a month or two

and continue co-operation with them online > Solution to limited Erasmus funding”

If you missed the European Graduate Placement Scheme Work Placement Day:

10.00 – 10.45 From the Racetrack to the Crosscountry Trail: Bringing the Workplace into the Curriculum. Guest speaker: Don Kiraly, University of Mainz . LINK TO VIDEO: http://goo.gl/6xpaXk

11.15 – 12.45 Work placements: workshop to address the challenges and share best practice (this presentation)

12.45 – 13.30 Plenary discussion Projects on Translation Work Placements. LINK TO VIDEO: http://goo.gl/TK8Xgq

Speakers: • Helen Astley (Skills at Work, EGPS Coordinator, www.e-gps.org/)• Linda Rossato (AGORA Project, www.academic-projects.eu/agora)• Núria Riera (Elia Exchange, http://elia-exchange.org/)

Networking Fair: Building partnerships: Employers meeting universitiesLINK TO VIDEO: http://goo.gl/g9FFhN

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you are interested in the European Graduate Placement Scheme (EGPS), you would like to become an EGPS educational partner or an EGPS work placement provider, please visit our website for more information:

<www.e-gps.org>