Developing tomorrow s translation talent for the benefit of

Developing tomorrow’s translation talent for the benefit of today’s market place 15 September 2005 Presented by Dr Anne Davidson Lund Assistant Director CILT, the National Centre for Languages Chus Fernández Prieto Coordinator of Postgraduate Student Placements & GAs University of Salford School of Languages

Languages for All: Languages for Life § Dec 2002 Df. ES ten-year National Languages Strategy ‘to promote a greater national capability in languages’

CILT and Standards § § § National Language Standards 2004 National Standards in Interpreting (under review 2005) National Standards in Translation (review in 2006) NVQs, NVQ units European Languages Portfolio (vocational & lifelong learning)

CILT, regions and nations § § § § Regional Language Networks (RLN) Stakeholder engagement Strategic influence Employer forum Commercial provider forum Links to education, including universities Labour market intelligence On-line signposting, networking, etc.

Business / Education partnerships: benefits to business Business Language Champions / Graduate Apprenticeship model § Facilitated collaboration § – – – PR Training for younger personnel Links for recruitment Networking Corporate Social Responsibility

The University of Salford Postgraduate GA Model

GRADUATE APPRENTICESHIPS IN LANGUAGES (P/G) • Partners: The University of Salford, Languages National Training Organisation (LNTO) and local translation company employers. • Pilot Framework was available to students from 2001 -2003.

GRADUATE APPRENTICESHIPS IN LANGUAGES (P/G) OBJECTIVES 1. to improve the training and employability of postgraduates in Translating programmes. 2. to strengthen links between postgraduate students and language service providers in the North West. 3. to make the placements more structured and provide specific professional outcomes.

GA Framework Design Consultation of local language service providers: • • • duration of placements mentoring payment range of work experience to be provided flexibility of requirements - Portfolio

GA Framework Design Framework was calibrated against the standards of the Masters/Diploma programmes in Translating offered at Salford University and The National Standards in Translating - Level 5 (LNTO 2001)

GA Student Portfolio 1. represents a set of structured guidelines for the work experience students undertake. 2. provides a means of assessing their performance during the work placements. 3. provides a framework for employers for the management of the GA placements.

GA Student Portfolio to provide elements of evidence of work experience and key achievements relating to: 1. 2. 3. 4. Translation tasks IT Skills Project Management Working Relationships

SAMPLE OF THE STUDENT PORTFOLIO 1. TRANSLATION TASKS • • Under this section students present reports/reflective statements and evidence of translations carried out during placement. Students may follow these guidelines: TI Prepare for translation assignments and maintain resources for translation purposes T 2 Translation of general texts T 3 Develop your performance as a translator T 4 -T 9 Translation of specialised texts

SAMPLE OF THE STUDENT PORTFOLIO 2. IT SKILLS The evidence presented will reflect the different experiences related to IT use in individual work placements. Students may follow these guidelines: • • Control the Use of Electronic Communication Produce evidence of Internet searches and retrieval of documents related to preparation for translation tasks: searches for parallel texts in TL, searches for on-line glossaries and dictionaries. Present evidence of use of CAT tools such as Translation Memory Systems and Terminological Databases.

SAMPLE OF THE STUDENT PORTFOLIO 3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT Students submit evidence or a full report of all tasks carried out during GA placement. • • Identifying improvements to meet client requirements. Dealing with customers’ requirements for language services efficiently using the available resources and technology. Documents such as printed data from employers’ database; invoices and contracts sent to freelance translators; proofreading of translations, etc. Evidence can also consist of a written report of tasks completed signed by mentor.

SAMPLE OF THE STUDENT PORTFOLIO 4. WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Develop productive working relationships Develop the trust and support of mentor, colleagues and team members • Students may provide as evidence a written report of experience gained in this area with a statement from mentor/employer who has observed student’s performance.

GRADUATE APPRENTICESHIP CERTIFICATE The School of Languages at the University of Salford reviews the contents of the Student Portfolio and, after consultation with mentor/employers, decides whether to award a GA Certificate. The Certificate includes a summary statement of the key achievements and experiences of the placement, together with information on the receiving company, type and duration of placement.

University of Salford MA in Translating 2001 -2002 Graduate Apprenticeship Certificate This is to certify that Mary Smith has completed a Graduate Apprenticeship in Translation Dates: 10 th June - 5 th October 2002 Company: Wittenboer Language Consultancy Evidence presented in the Student’s Portfolio relates to key achievements in: Translation of general texts Translation of commercial texts Translation of educational and training texts Developing IT Skills. Signed: _____ Coordinator MA placements

Beyond the GAs Students can continue to develop their own Portfolio of evidence as a useful personal record of learning and/or to be presented for professional purposes in other contexts.

What’s in it for students? “… what I gained most from the placement was experience of business practice - how to deal with and maintain good relations with clients, how to establish deadlines, estimate the cost of jobs, how to arrange time and how to manage finances, etc. All this was new to me and was invaluable. I also gained more experience of packages such as TRADOS and Déjà Vu and learnt more about the information sources used by freelance translators. The importance of deadlines and good organisation of time, files, etc. was impressed upon me and in the professional world I found it is not only quality that is needed but also speed and reliability. I would definitely recommend the GA scheme to other students. My experience was very positive and obviously the longer the placement the better, however, any time spent in the professional environment is bound to be beneficial to a student’s prospects. ”

What’s in it for employers? • • Helping a new generation of translators: “new professionals need a chance to get out of catch 22 situation (no experience, no chance of getting a job, no experience). ” Provide realistic expectations of what professional translators do. Strengthening the market of freelance translators. Two way learning (student <> mentor): by explaining work methods to someone else, you are forced to review what and why. Element of Quality Control. Good PR. Recruitment. An extra pair of hands.

What’s in it for employers? “Recommend it to others? • I have found it a very enjoyable and rewarding experience and would provide placements again without hesitation. All of the reasons why I was interested in providing placements in the first place have been justified. • The students would both be very suitable candidates for junior positions in a translation company, where they would also make a positive contribution in financial terms. ” Wittenboer Language Consultancy

What’s in it for HEIs? • It is an invaluable part of the training of our p/g students in Translating. • Provides optimal integration of work-based and academic learning. • Increases the employability of our students. • Provides useful links between HEIs and translation companies: increased awareness of developments in the industry and specific needs of employers. • Promotes development of new areas of training and research.

GAs: Looking to the future • Incorporate new translation companies into the scheme at national level. • Provide more and longer placements. • Dissemination of the Salford model to other HEIs. • Evaluation of the GA model.

What next? To register your interest in the Graduate Apprenticeship model, contact ATC … 020 7930 2200 info@atc. org. uk …. before 20 th September! info@cilt. org. uk