A Community of Practice for Interpreting: the missing link

(Photo:  tinyurl.com/fvop5buq) When I’ll look back at life under COVID-19 in a few years time, I will remember two contrasting experiences. On the one hand, a life on “pause” with restrictions of all kinds that all started in the same way: “you cannot…”. And on the other hand, the “fast forward” experience in teaching and learning that required imagination, agility, resilience and a deep sense of care. With access to vaccination, “life after COVID” is in sight. What will teaching and learning look and feel like? Will we fall back into our old habits and take refuge in the traditional face to face interaction? Will we celebrate the flexibility of online learning? Will we take shortcuts and do a bit of both to “make everyone happy”? To tell you the truth, when I speak to colleagues and students, we all share a common experience at present: we are exhausted, trying to survive one day at a time! However, I feel teachers have never felt so committed to delivering the best possible exper...

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...

Bringing individual learners into a transformative collaborative community End of academic year with students and tutors (MA Conference Interpreting - MA Interpreting at London metropolitan University) - celebrating collecting achievements Time flies. Our interpreting students are submitting their dissertations and placement reports whilst a new cohort of students is getting ready to start their Master's in Conference Interpreting. It feels wonderful to celebrate the achievements of students who will soon graduate. But at the same time, I always wonder... what will the new cohort of students be like? How will I manage to bring them together into a cohesive group that works collaboratively, learns and grows with each other's help and support? How will I facilitate the understanding that learning with each other, from each other, is conducive to high achievements, much higher than if they had been competing with one another? How will I be able to induce a collaborati...

Photo from European Commission Interpreters (Facebook) O n the 26th and 27th of March,  I was privileged to attend the annual DG Interpretation University Conference.The Directorate General Interpretation (European Commission), also known as DG SCIC works closely with universities that provide conference interpreting training to ensure quality. Every year, university representatives are invited to come together and reflect on interpreting studies and the interpreting profession with DG SCIC at the European Commission in Brussels. You can still watch the conference  on line. During the conference, a very relevant question was asked: Photo from European Commission Interpreters (Facebook) "Is one year enough to train conference interpreters at University?" I would like to use this post to expand on the contribution I made on that day. First of all, one year may be enough for some interpreting students but not for others....

As I attend conferences and share thoughts with colleagues, I realise that the Community of Practice mindset is far more than a model to work with, it is deeply embedded in everything I do. As I read and research further into a new CoP model for interpreting studies and the evolution of the interpreting profession, I become more and more aware that the CoP seed is growing faster than I expected.  This is especially true in my teaching. When I say 'teaching', I don't only mean 'formal time in the classroom'. From the first encounter with a potential student to the moment a graduate is working and happily doing so, there is a bond that needs nurturing. The formal teaching as well as the informal chats and what I call the 'hot chocolate treatment' are all part of what I call 'teaching' and 'learning'.  Photo selected on http://www.sheknows.com By the way, the 'hot chocolate treatment' is simple: when I see a student who struggl...

Photo taken from NewTrendsinManagement:  http://newtrendsinmanagement.wikispaces.com/Communities+of+Practice The summer holidays are now officially over. Even though I have worked all summer on PhD research and admissions of interpreting students for the master's interpreting programmes at London Metropolitan University, I have enjoyed the flexibility, balanced meals and the luxury of eight hours sleep of the August period. It is now time to get ready and juggle with the numerous balls in the air...  timetable... language combinations...  resources... conferences... communication with students... Facebook page... staff meetings and so on. I have to confess that I actually love it! Y esterday I received an invitation to speak at Hogeschool Universiteit Brussel  HUB  about the  Communities of Practice spirit that enhances a collaborative approach in interpreting courses. When speaking to the course leader asking for further details on what parti...