A Community of Practice for Interpreting: the missing link

For our interpreting students on the MA Conference Interpreting at  London Metropolitan University it is our second week of online teaching. We actually went online even before the University suggested we should. This was a collaborative decision made with students and staff together during a Zoom consultation meeting. Our students come from many countries including Italy, Spain, China and Japan where their families were already in quarantine or isolation. They were worried and did not feel comfortable to travel to University. We then collectively decided that teaching would adapt to integrate the students' concerns. MA Conference Interpreting students and tutors closing a mock conference online. We are proud to say that we have not missed a single class since the Coronavirus crisis.  From our mock conferences, to language specific interpreting tutorials, workshops and interpreting practice, we have delivered all our classes.  We, the tutors and students...

Every cohort of students differs from one year to the next...one could get used to it. However, call me naive, I never cease to be taken by surprise. This year is not different. Let me explain... Designing a lesson or a course goes far beyond what makes good content and how to best convey knowledge and key concepts. It is all about designing an experience that keeps you motivated, learning and asking for more.  However, there are different categories of lessons.  First, there are lessons you enjoy teaching. You have tried them before, you have refined and fine tuned the outcome; like with play dough, you can mould your lesson to individual students' needs, the uniqueness of a  group, and their likes and dislikes.  Then, there are lessons when you know that you need to dig further into ideas, knowledge and innovative strategies to make your lesson work.  Your inquisitive mind is then fully switched on (Origin:www.redbubble.com) Finally, and th...