University of the Year (the Sunday Times)Careers in Interpreting and Translation

Elena Kidd, European Course Director,MA in Interpreting and Translating

MA in Translation and Professional Language Skills

What’s the difference between conference interpreting and translation?

Interpreting means rendering the message of the speaker, his/her convictions and ideas faithfully from one language into another

It is verbal communicationTranslation is about the written word In the UN and in the EU Institutions the

two are separate and the professions are too

On the private market many professionals do both

Electronic translation tools

TerminologyElectronic

dictionaries, glossaries, etc.

IATEEUR-LexQuest Metasearch Web search enginesDossier Manager DGT Vista + SG

Vista

Translation toolsTranslator's

Workbench/EuramisMachine translationVoice recognition

Types of interpreting

Consecutive, Dialogue, Simultaneous, (Telephone / Video Link)

staff / freelance

Wide range of work places

Conferences, public services, business, teaching, military,

sporting and media

Conference interpreters:at the frontline of history in the making

Conference Interpreters at the United Nations

18 April 2005

… at the EU

Slide prepared by Angeliki Petritz,, DGT

Official EU languages 1958 - 2008

United NationsInternational Labour OrganisationWorld Intellectual Property OrganisationInternational Committee of the Red CrossWorld Meteorological OrganisationWorld Trade OrganisationInternational Olympic Committee

(Lausanne)International Telecommunication UnionWorld Health OrganisationOECDInternational Union of RailwaysCouncil of EuropeUEFA

Study visits to Brussels

Placements at the United Nations in Geneva

Internships at the United Nationsin New York

2 months

… at the United Nations in Vienna

18 April 2005, HC

An interpreter can work in many places

Because every subject you can imagine is discussed in every possible place….

What are the benefits of being a freelancer?

Variety of tasks – no two days are thesame;

Time to do other things (freelance interpreters often combine interpreting with other jobs – acting, translating, teaching, journalism);

Opportunities to travel nationally and internationally.

How good at languages do I need to be?

Interpreters use languages in different ways

Not all interpreting requires you to speak a language perfectly:

A – B – C languages

Common myths

You must have studied languages;

All you need is languages;

You must be bi-lingual, a genius, know 5 languages

Wrong!

Sound language knowledge;Clarity and fluency in the active language(s);Good general knowledge;Intelligent analysis;Good communication

What aptitudes do you really need to interpret?

Skills development

Good public speaking

Routes into Languages

At last, some funding! to increase and widen participation in language study

in higher educationto support the national role of HE languages as a

motor of economic and civic regeneration.

National Network for Interpreting (NNI): Bath, Leeds, Salford, Westminster);

National Network for Translation (NNT): Aston, Bath, Portsmouth, Salford, Westminster, Heriot-Watt

Masters in Interpreting or a Masters in Interpreting and Translation?

- Different personality types are attracted to these disciplines

- Interpreting typically attracts more extrovert types who like the dynamism of live events

- If unsure, a combination approach may be best in order to maximise employment opportunities later on (establishing yourself in the conference market can often take time)

A final thought...

“One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand”

(Quintilian) 

Thank you for listening.

Any questions?