Interpreters: what they do and how they do it

If you take part in outreach activities, or if people ever ask you the difference between translators and interpreters, and what they actually do, then you might find this “More Than Words” TEDx talk useful. Produced by the Monterey Institute of International Studies, it features Laura Burian, Miguel Garcia and Barry Olsen. The talk also provides a good answer to anyone …

Didn’t make it to the ITI conference? Check out these snapshots

A very quick post – a few links to blogs and videos, essentially – for those of you who didn’t make it to the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) conference in Gatwick in May and are curious to know what everyone got up to. Here are some snapshots: Reflections on the ITI Conference, by …

The UK and Europe: in or out? Take our poll on EU membership

Time for a poll, I think, what with David Cameron throwing the gatto among the piccioni with his planned referendum on membership of the European Union. For some of us, EU membership is a business/market access issue, for some it’s all about annoying rules and regulations, and for others it’s emotional — we feel European. A …

Translation as a career? It’s right up there!

Well, well, well. Guess which profession in the top 20 jobs for 2013? Translation and interpreting! The list was complied by US News, which ranks the top 100 jobs on the basis of their mosaic of employment opportunity, good salary, manageable work-life balance, and job security. To which I would add: job satisfaction. Which, notwithstanding …

Ministry of Justice language services: FUBAR?

Interpreters in the UK have been up in arms over the Ministry of Justice’s 2011 language services framework agreement with a company formerly called Applied Language Solutions (ALS). The service in question was court interpreting. The National Audit Office has now published the results of its investigation into the contracting out of language services in …

Blowing the nation’s trumpet: languages and public diplomacy (1)

I recently spent 2 days interpreting in Birmingham for an Italian delegation from Italia Lavoro and Regione Marche. They were here to find out more about the work being done by Sue Veszpremi’s Employer Engagement team at Jobcentre Plus to help the long-term unemployed back into employment. Wonderful work, in my opinion – Mr. Osborne, please don’t …

Languages as they is spoke, by Catherine Tate

A little light relief for anyone working or sitting exams on this Spring Bank Holiday. And for long-suffering language teachers! and With thanks to Jill Sommer – I found these links on her Translation Musings blog, where I also learned that today’s a public holiday in the US too: Memorial Day. By Marian Dougan