THE NATIONAL NETWORK FOR TRANSLATION Towards a Community of Practice

www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/translationroutes-nnt@salford.ac.uk

THE NNT

• The National Network for Translation is led by the University of Salford, in partnership with the Universities of:

Aston Bath Heriot-Watt PortsmouthWestminster

ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE NNT

• National shortage of first language English translators and interpreters

• Concentration on Western European languages in current HE translation course provision

• Low national profile of careers in translation• Need to develop stronger cooperation between course

providers and potential employers

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly(Wenger 2006)

Characteristics

• The domain

• The community

• The practice

The domain

(high-level) language skills and competences

The community

Interacting and sharing information

In order to achieve its aims the NNT has collaborated closely with:

• The Core Programme Team (LLAS & CILT)• The Regional Consortia• The National Network for Interpreting• Aimhigher, Widening Participation and

Career Services within the partner institutions

• Other Higher Education Institutions• Employers and professional associations

(e.g. ATC, ITI, CIoL, DGT)• Networks of alumni

The practice

Practitioners (teachers/trainers/researchers in translation)

Translators and their associations Translator employers

Engaging with the future translators and interpreters

Engaging with the future translators and Engaging with the future translators and interpreters has been an important strand of interpreters has been an important strand of the NNT’s activities and has been part of the the NNT’s activities and has been part of the network’s strategy to address two key network’s strategy to address two key issues:issues:

•the national shortage of first language the national shortage of first language English translators and interpreters;English translators and interpreters;•the low national profile of careers in the low national profile of careers in translation.translation.

To engage with future translators , the NNT has:

• generated promotional material;generated promotional material;

• organised events of various types;organised events of various types;

• created a translation-focused created a translation-focused website.website.

Events organised by the NNT have included:

• information events on language learning;information events on language learning; • information events on careers in information events on careers in

translation (e.g. careers days, SWATI);translation (e.g. careers days, SWATI);

• talks by professional translators;talks by professional translators; • training seminars / workshops.training seminars / workshops.

Website and resources

The NNT has created a website which The NNT has created a website which features:features:•translation resources, including translation resources, including interactive exercises;interactive exercises;•information about translation + required information about translation + required skills;skills;•information about the translation information about the translation profession;profession;•translation-related news.translation-related news.

Measuring impact on future translators

The network monitors its The network monitors its engagement with future engagement with future translators through feedback translators through feedback gathering:gathering:•following eventsfollowing events•amongst new students / trainees.amongst new students / trainees.

Engaging with the professionOne task of the NNT:

• bring together HE providers, professional bodies and stakeholders, including employers, to develop programmes that will support economic and civic regeneration

• develop stronger cooperation between course providers and potential employers

Engaging with the profession• Professionals (professional translators,

representatives from translation and localisation companies) and from professional associations have contributed to careers days organised by universities

• Professionals have contributed to translation-themed workshops and other themed events

• Professionals contribute to programme delivery (practical translation and other modules)

• Companies award prizes for best graduate(s)

Cont.

• Presentations on NNT aims and activities at Annual General Meetings of the Association of Translation Companies

• Special workshops, e.g. 25 February 2009 at Aston University on topic ‘How work-ready are graduates of translation programmes?’

Work placements

• Building on Gateways into the Professions project - established a system for mentored work placements for postgraduate students, consistent with the National Occupational Standards in Translation (2005: Graduate Placement Handbook, accessible from NNT website)

• Graduate placement guidelines via NNT website

Benefits of placement

• Awareness of employers’ needs• Industry knowledge and knowledge

of business practices • Development of interpersonal

competencies

BUT: little take-up via NNT website, companies prefer local partnerships and direct links to universities

New opportunities

Recent developments at European level: EMT and OPTIMALE

• European Master’s in Translation (EMT)

• European Commission initiative (DGT)• A network of university programmes

offering high quality Master's level training for translators (54 programmes accepted)

• ensure a good match between graduates' competences and employers' requirements.

New opportunities

• OPTIMALE (Optimising professional translator training in a multilingual Europe)

• Erasmus Academic Network (70 universities + European Union of Associations of Translation Companies EUATC)

• Workpackages include ‘Monitoring market and societal needs and professional requirements relevant to translator training’ (WP4) and ‘Training for professional practice’ (WP5)

EMT Competence profile

1.Translation Service Provision Competence (with an Interpersonal and a Production dimension)

2.Language Competence3.Intercultural Competence (with a

Sociolinguistic and a Textual dimension)4.Information Mining Competence5.Thematic Competence6.Technology Competence

Scope for enhanced cooperation

Memorandum of Understanding on Traineeships between the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC) and the European Master's in Translation (EMT) Network (signed on 24 May 2012 in Brussels)

Article 1: Scope of the MoU

The EUATC and the EMT thereby express their willingness to act together with a view to facilitating the creation of traineeship schemes for students of EMT universities to be organised at translation companies established in any European country.

Article 3: Good practice for individual traineeships• A traineeship agreement between parties should be

defined;• Professional and learning objectives of the

traineeship should be defined;• Knowledge, skills and competences gained during

the traineeship should be documented;• Traineeships should be of a reasonable duration

and the trainee should not be replacing a permanent post;

• Adequate social insurance and remuneration of the trainee should be ensured;

• The rights and obligations of the trainee, the translation company providing the traineeship and, if applicable, the educational institutions, must be clear to all.

New options

• We can make use of information and templates in Graduate placement scheme Handbook

• Wider access to placements for students (beyond national borders)

• In addition to placements in companies:• Shadowing - students spend one day in

company to shadow a staff member (project manager, terminologist, …)

• Shadowing a freelance translator (ITI)