Interpreters for Mental Health Act Assessments (INForMHAA)

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Project progress update no. 2 – Jemina Napier

This v/blogpost is available in BSL, English, Spanish, French and Hindi

BSL: https://youtu.be/Q4bjGhdApfw

This v/blogpost is an update from the INforMHAA project team on our progress on the project to date.

The first v/blogpost gave an overview of the project and our goals, the planned key phases of the project, and the involvement of our Advisory Group and Patient & Public Engagement (PPIE) Group.

As a reminder, mental health assessments carried out under the Mental Health Act in England and Wales (1983) are intended to determine whether a person’s voluntary or involuntary psychiatric commitment is necessary for reasons of psychic disorder. When the person evaluated speaks a language other than the one used by health system professionals, it is necessary to use the linguistic mediation services of a professional interpreter.

The overall research question for the project is: How does interpreter mediation impact on Mental Health Act Assessments and how can interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act Assessments be improved?

With the following sub-questions:

  1. To what extent and how does the involvement of a spoken/signed language interpreter in Mental Health Act (MHA) assessments constrain or enable best Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) practice?
  2. When might it be more appropriate to use language concordant services (e.g. language/cultural advocates) rather than interpreters within AMHP practice and how?
  3. What constitutes an effective training model for AMHPs and professional interpreters?

What did we know at the start of the project?

  • Evidence of disparities in disposal by ethnicity and cultural heritage did not encompass language use
  • CQC and NHS Digital do not publish data on language use of those assessed nor whether interpreter was used
  • No attention given to language mediated MHA assessments in MHA reform documentations
  • Code of practice requires ‘interview in suitable manner’ with some mention of interpreters and cultural advocates
  • England and Wales are highly linguistically diverse countries
  • There is no previous comprehensive review of evidence about interpreter mediated MHA assessments or their international equivalents
  • There is no published good practice guidance for AMHPs, interpreters or Section 12 doctors
  • The impact on service users and carers of interpreter mediated MHA assessment is unknown
  • Language of the assessment and whether an interpreter was used is not in the minimal data set for NHS digital annual reporting of MHA nor in CQC publications of standards

This second v/blogpost gives an update of what we have done so far in order to interrogate what more we need to know and how to ensure best practice in interpreter-mediated MHA assessments.

To date we have:

  • Published the protocol for a  Covidence-assisted scoping review of relevant empirical work and grey literature on interpreting in Mental Health Act assessments and identified  40 studies which will form the basis of the full review. None are of direct relevance to the questions of our study.
  • Conducted surveys with 132 AMHPs and 48 Interpreters about their experiences of working in MHA assessments.
  • Conducted follow-up interviews with 17 AMHPs and 6 interpreters (+ 4 pending) who responded to the survey and agreed to be interviewed to delve deeper into their experiences and source examples of critical points of decision-making and co-operative professional practice for AMHPs and interpreters.

What do we know now?

  • No literature has specifically addressed interpreting and mental health assessment during the ‘in the moment’ of MHA assessments nor the requirements of AMHPs and interpreters to meet those situations
  • Interpreter-mediated MHA assessments although infrequent are a constant. Of the 132 AMHPs in the survey most averaged 5 interpreter-mediated assessments a year
  • AMHP report forms are not consistent in whether they ask questions about the language of the assessments and in what form them ask the question
  • Asked about whether they recorded when they worked with an interpreter 100/115 AMHPs said ‘sometimes’ and just over 50% said they recorded the language combination of the interpreter
  • If there seemed to be a ‘problem’ this was consistently noted by AMHPs
  • Only 9/121 AMHPs could recall any training about working with interpreter as part of their qualifying course
  • Since approval only 28% had participated in any training on working with interpreters
  • Nearly 60% said their training had not adequately prepared them to work with interpreters whether as an AMHP or in any other role/setting.
  • Due to the occasional difficulties of language output by person assessed, interpreters might need to implement special adjustments to their regular interpreting practice, for example, adopting a meta-descriptive approach to their interpreting renditions ‘when language does not make sense’ instead of ‘tidying up’ language. This requires a strong sense of trust in the interpreter on the part of the AMHP.
  • Interpreters need support and supervision so that the sensitive nature of these encounters does not negatively impact in their personal wellbeing and resulting professional performance.
  • Interpreters’ wider understanding of the legislative aspect of MHA assessments, not just linguistic aspects, is a clear success factor to ensure good quality communication between the parties. Concepts like ‘section 12’ ‘nearest relative’ ‘objection’ have a strong legal component that differs from general linguistic meaning, which highlights the importance of specialist training.
  • Importance of considering ‘inter-professional dynamics’ in this context.

A few key issues highlighted by our research so far:

  • AMHPs and interpreters have probably never met before when they first enter an MHA assessment
  • AMHPs have little or usually no access to the language of the service user and assessment and this affects their ability to pick up holistically information about the mental state and level of understanding of the person being assessed
  • AMHPs usually have no idea whether the interpreter has any background experience in MHA assessments and it is hard to specify this as a requirement when booking an interpreter
  • Most interpreters have never taken part in an MHA assessment.  Some have pre-existing concerns about the oppressive nature of social workers and of the MHA which can interfere with their role in the assessment
  • Highly unlikely that interpreters and AMHPs have ever taken part in training in inter-professional working together or specifically in an MHA assessment
  • AMHPs and interpreters are dependent on each other to ensure that best practice and conformation to legal practice are carried out

What else have we done?

  • We have developed a bilingual project website in BSL and English, which gives a detailed overview of the project and all its aspects, including a team positionality statement.
  • We have held quarterly meetings with our Advisory Group, who have engaged with the research design and data collection at all stages and have been critical in shaping the survey instruments, the simulation scenarios and recruiting participants. We are very sad to report that one of our advisory group members, Martin Stevens who was a senior research fellow for the NIHR policy research unit, passed away unexpectedly. We would like to extend our condolences to his family and colleagues, and acknowledge his valuable contribution to the INforMHAA project during his involvement.
  • Our PPIE Group have begun their training, which is available through bilingual self-learning online modules  in BSL and English. So far, they have completed three out of six planned sessions: Session 1 covered the INForMHAA team, understanding group work, diversity and inclusion; and Session 2 covered What is PPIE? – understanding PPIE, being familiar with how it works in research, being aware of NIHR PPIE standards and knowing how you can get involved in PPIE. And Session 3 covered ‘What is Research?’ – why we research, qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches and data collection methods. Session 4 will cover ‘Ethics and Consent’.
  • We have completed filming of the simulated interpreter-mediated MHA assessment scenarios. We created four scenarios based on reporting from AMHPs and interpreters in the surveys and interviews of typical issues that they had come across in MHA assessments, and through consultation with the Advisory Group. The scenarios featured four different language combinations: Kurdish, Dutch, British Sign Language and Hindi. We completed filming in March 2022 with the support of the TIPP drama group from the University of Manchester.
  • We have also given several presentations and produced some initial publications.

What is next?

  • The simulation scenario videos are now being edited together for the next stage of the project. This will involve: (i) analysis of the critical points in the interactions using GoReact annotation software and (ii) simulation observations where we will ask interpreters and AMHPs to observe these simulations online using the multilingual interpreting function in Zoom webinar and the Mentimeter audience survey tool to discuss what they see as best practice, what they see are the issues and how things can be improved.
  • We are working on publications from the survey and interview data, and also plan to write an article on the innovative methodologies we have used in this project.
  • All of the data will feed into various planned outcomes, including the co-production of new training resources and professional best practice guidelines, information for AMHPs and interpreters, and a proposed new Theory of Change model for conducting interpreter-mediated MHA assessments.

Metaphor translation workshop: online event

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Are you a language student or professional interested in exploring new theory and practice in the field of metaphor translation?

The Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University invites you to participate in a 1-day metaphor translation workshop on Saturday 11 June 2022, 9:30 am – 4pm, followed by a one hour speed networking event online.

Click here to sign up for this event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/metaphor-translation-workshop-online-event-tickets-335381805007

The workshop is free of charge as it is part of a research project funded by a Heriot-Watt University ‘Enhancement themes’ grant to investigate a collaborative learning approach to teaching translation. At the end of the workshop, participants will be asked to complete a detailed feedback form about their learning experience to inform the research. Ethical approval for this project was granted on 13/9/2020 under ref no. 2021-1480-4597.

This workshop is a fully accredited CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training and all participants who complete it will receive a CPD Certificate.

Language combinations: Arabic< >English, Chinese< >English, French< >English.

Proficiency in one of these combinations is required in order to fully benefit from the training.

Detailed description

Conceptual metaphors exist in all languages and across all genres and text types. For example, the English conceptual metaphor COVID IS AN ENEMY gives rise to expressions such as ‘fighting Covid’, ‘shielding against Covid’, ‘working on the front line’. However, these conceptual mappings are not universal and might vary across languages. Consistency in translating these metaphors is especially important when those metaphors are used as behaviour triggers (e.g. stay home to protect lives in the context of the war on Covid).

This workshop will combine theoretical presentations with discussion and practical group work activities. It will cover: Text analysis – Conceptual metaphor theory – Metaphor identification – Conceptual metaphor translation – Text accuracy and consistency.

Who can attend this workshop: Postgraduate or final year undergraduate students in languages and/or translation; Early-career or experienced translators (Arabic, Chinese, French). Both students and professionals can benefit from this in-depth exploration to improve their analytical skills and the quality of their translations. If you require any additional information, please contact us on Lincs.cpd@hw.ac.uk

Who will deliver this workshop: The workshop will be delivered by three experienced researchers and translation trainers.

Dr. Sui He is a Lecturer in Chinese-English Translation and Interpretation at Swansea University. She completed her PhD in translation studies in 2022, with a focus on metaphor translation in popular scientific discourse. She is an experienced freelance translator/interpreter between English and Mandarin Chinese/Cantonese.

Dr. Khadidja Merakchi is Assistant Professor of French at Heriot-Watt University. She is a fluent speaker of Arabic, French and English. She completed her PhD in popular science metaphor translation from English to Arabic at the University of Surrey in 2017. She is an experienced professional translator and interpreter, as well as a teacher in both of these fields.

Ms. Juliette Rutherford is Assistant Professor in Chinese at Heriot-Watt University. She is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish and English. She worked as a professional in-house translator for 8 years before joining Heriot-Watt in 2019. She studied conceptual metaphor theory as part of her MSc programme, and is interested in researching this topic further both from a pedagogical and translation studies perspective.

JUSTISIGNS 2 project

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Supporting deaf female victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence

By Jemina Napier & Lucy Clark

See link to this blogpost in British Sign Language (BSL):

Following on from our last v/blogpost, in this v/blogpost Jemina Napier and Lucy Clark from the SIGNS@HWU team in the Centre of Translation & Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS) at Heriot-Watt University provide an update on what they have been doing as part of the Justisigns 2 project.

The wider project focuses on how to support victims and survivors from deaf and migrant communities with their experiences of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV), with a view to understanding best practices for key professionals (i.e., police, health and social) and interpreters working together to ensure access to support. The Heriot-Watt University team are focusing on support for deaf women specifically.

Below is a translation of the blogpost presented in BSL.

JEMINA:          We’re back! It’s been some time since our last blogpost, which we did in 2021 when Lucy first started work on the project. So we’re here to give you an update of what we’ve been doing with the Justisigns 2 project.

Firstly, we administered two surveys – one to service providers who provide support to women that have reported incidents of DSGBV, and one to interpreters (of all languages) about their experiences of working in this context. We have analysed those results, and they will be published later. The results are interesting because it seems that both service providers and interpreters feel they need more training about how to work together. So, the service providers want to know how best to work with interpreters, for example, how to identify if they’re qualified and if they’ve had any specialist training around DSGBV situations; and the interpreters said that they felt they didn’t understand the terminology, the jargon…

LUCY:               Yes, that is right, how to sign things or how to explain certain things and that perhaps one word could have different definitions in the DSGBV context.

JEMINA:          So, the interpreters said that they also would like training. Fortunately, one of the goals of the Justisigns 2 project is develop training resources for interpreters and support service providers, and we’re working on that at the moment. I will hand back to Lucy to tell you about other things we’ve done.

LUCY:               We held an event back in March 2022 for International Women’s Day. It was so nice, a very successful event that was well attended by many older deaf women. This was interesting as it helped us to think about what the younger generation think about DSGBV issues too. We provided small workshops, for example, training on safety and well-being, how to look after your health, for people have experienced abuse how to report it and how to engage in self-care has part of your recovery. We also had presentations from the police, who gave information about how to report incidences of DSGBV and everyone seemed to really get a lot out of it. It was a very relaxed environment which made it conducive to talking about this specific sensitive issue, and serveral people asked us for more events. We delivered a webinar. Unfortunately I was sick and couldn’t attend, so over to Jemina to tell you how that went.

JEMINA:          The webinar was aimed at interpreters to share the survey results and the training needs identified through the survey. I think there were about 70 interpreters that attended from all over the UK and internationally. A lot of the discussion was about how much interpreters would really like to get access to specialist training on this topic.

We will also be doing some other presentations coming up for Police Scotland and for the Policing Domestic Abuse Research Network about the survey results and be the deaf perspective on this topic.

Last year (in 2021), we also had a roundtable with deaf Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) and interpreters to talk about their roles, what is important to include in training, what they need in their respective roles and how best to work together, which was very useful. From all of these different events, we identified that we need to develop some kind of glossary in BSL. So, Lucy went about researching key terms…

LUCY:               Yes, it was important to identify key terminology as we realised that perhaps people might think it means one thing but there could be other meanings and especially in relation to the DSGBV context. We used our networks to get support to identify important terminology and did some research into what these terms mean. By developing a BSL glossary of these terms, it will support many deaf people that might not be familiar with these terms.

JEMINA:          Also, this glossary will be helpful for interpreters if they find themselves working in this situation, then they will be able to do some research and preparation using the BSL glossary.

At the end of last year (2021), we held an initial workshop on Zoom between deaf and hearing interpreters and support service professionals who have experience of working in DSGBV contexts to begin to discuss these glossary terms. But we agreed that it would be more productive to proceed with a face-to-face workshop. So, we are hosting approximately 15 people in Edinburgh in May 2022, including representatives from Police Scotland, to discuss about these terms, whether there are established signs or the best ways to sign them. And then we will re-film and make the BSL glossary freely available through our website for both deaf people and for interpreters.

LUCY:               It is really nice to see the involvement from Police Scotland because obviously the police are often the first point of contact so we can work with them to identify gaps in knowledge, for example, if deaf people want to report incidences, so we can try and make sure that the process is as smooth as possible: for interpreters so they know how to interpret the jargon, that the police understand about deaf culture and that deaf women know how to ask for help from the police. It feels good to know our project will make this difference.

We have also interviewed several deaf women and we are in the process of summarising and identifying the key themes that have emerged from those interviews. The interviews did not focus on DSGBV incidents themselves, but on what happened once they had reported an incident of violence, for example: Did they get the right kind of support? Could they find an interpreter? Were they directed to the right services? How did they communicate? And so on. We really wanted to tap into those experiences, and from that data we will be able to create some recommendations for the police and other support services about the best way to support deaf women in these contexts and to understand from the beginning to the end of the process, what information needs to be given.

JEMINA:          In addition to creating a summary and writing up the data, we are also planning to make a mini-documentary to illustrate the experiences of deaf women. We will bring in actors so that we can keep our interviewees anonymous and protect their identities. But we think it’s important that the deaf community are able to see this information in BSL and hopefully, this documentary could also make an impact on hearing organisations about the experiences of deaf women.

So, we’ve been busy!

LUCY:               We have been really enjoying the work. If any of you have any questions or if any of you want to know more, please do contact us (Email: L.Clark@hw.ac.uk/ Twittter: @JUSTISIGNS2) so it can feed into our research on this topic.

JEMINA:          And we will be back with another update later on in the project. Thank you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Applied English, Translation & Interpreting Summer School

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The LINCS summer school is back!

This year we will be offering the following courses in translation and interpreting:

1. English Translation Summer School – On campus: 25-29 July 2022

2. Introduction to Interpreting Summer School – Online: 15-19 August 2022

3. English Retour Interpreting Summer School – Online: 22-26 August 2022

4. English Translation Summer School – Online: 22-26 August 2022

NB The Translation courses follow the same curriculum. The only difference is the delivery mode (on-campus/online).

Click here to sign up to these courses

Course 1 & 4: English Translation Summer School

This course is aimed at professional translators with 3 years’ experience working from or into English. It will focus on current practices and trends in the translation industry, with an in-depth look at market growth areas, technology and specialisations.

The course is designed as a series of workshops delivered by professional translation trainers based on a collaborative learning approach. Each day will include presentations by experienced practitioners, as well as opportunities for participants to share practice and engage in collaborative activities. 

Participants will gain an understanding of current market trends and explore new avenues that have seen rapid development in the last two years, namely the booming subtitle industry and the ever-growing integration of Machine Translation into everyday translation workflows.  

If you have any questions about entry requirements, course content or delivery, or you are unsure whether this course is for you, please contact the academic course coordinators Dr. Khadidja Merakchi and Ms. Juliette Rutherford at lincs.cpd@hw.ac.uk

Course 2: Introduction to Interpreting Summer School

This course has been designed for complete beginners to interpreting who are interested in learning about interpreting as a professional activity and as a discipline, and in applying their knowledge of English and another language from Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, or Spanish to develop interpreting skills (see below for additional languages).  

Students will develop consecutive, liaison and early simultaneous interpreting skills through online live sessions in the morning and in the afternoon (20 hours), as well as through daily off-line self-practice activities on a dedicated platform. Live sessions will be interactive and led by experienced interpreter trainers who will guide students, provide feedback, cover topics related to professional practice and the interpreting market, and facilitate discussions and collaboration among participants.  This course is aimed at participants with no or very basic knowledge of interpreting who are fluent in English and one other language.

*This course is not suitable for experienced interpreters or recent interpreting graduates. Experienced interpreters or recent Masters graduates looking to work on their English retour should consider applying for our English Retour Interpreting Summer School.

If you have any questions about entry requirements, course content or delivery, or you are unsure whether this course is for you, please contact the academic course coordinator Dr. Eloisa Monteoliva at lincs.cpd@hw.ac.uk

Course 3: English Retour Interpreting Summer School

This course has been designed for conference interpreters or recent interpreting graduates with English B who wish to concentrate on their output in English and to interpreters who wish to add English as an active language. Course participants are expected to have mastered consecutive and simultaneous interpreting techniques before joining the course.

The programme is intensive and consists of 20 hours of live sessions, including English language enhancement workshops for interpreters and interpreting practice workshops. In addition, students will have access to a learning and practice platform where they will complete self-study activities over the course of the week.

As part of the live sessions, participants will have the opportunity to practise interpreting into English with live speeches in their A languages in two mock multilingual conferences and will receive feedback from experienced interpreter trainers. Each mock conference will be held in a different Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI) platform so that participants can familiarise themselves with and gain first-hand experience of different RSI platforms.

Work experience in LINCS

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Two students from Saint Margaret’s Academy in Edinburgh recently joined us for some work experience here at LINCS. Below is a short interview about their experience.

What are 3 facts you didn’t know about languages?

Rosie:
– The population of people in the world who learned English as their second language is larger than the population of native speakers.
– The Cambodian alphabet is the biggest in the world (74 characters).
– Studies have shown that learning a second language can improve your memory.

Aurora:
– Spanish has several words that can’t be translated into other languages, such as sobremesa, which means that you stay at a table after a meal to share conversation over coffee or wine.
– About 2⁄3 of all languages are from Asia and Africa.
– Over 20,000 new French words are created each year.

What are 3 things about working and studying in a university that you didn’t know?

Rosie:
– Most of it is up to you and life can be more flexible (studying).
– I didn’t know how many places there were to study. It motivates me to study more.
– I didn’t know that University professors’ salaries were public as most people like to keep them private.

Aurora:
– Studying in a university is much more independent than I thought it would be.
– Around 95% of students are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.
– Higher training, higher employment.

What is your motivation to study a language (or languages)

Rosie:
As my family only speaks English at home, we tend to speak English when we go abroad. Although we make an effort to speak in the country’s language when saying things like hello, thank you or please, I feel ignorant as the people in that country can always speak a lot of English. I want to make other people’s lives easier.

Aurora:
My motivation in studying languages comes from my future plans in travelling the world and being able to speak the language of the country that I plan on visiting or living in. It’s very motivating for me.

What are your career plans, and what role might languages play in that?

Rosie:
I have always been interested in law and politics. I like watching global conferences where many languages are spoken, and it has drawn me to look into translating. I was thinking of possibly studying law and the Spanish language, or even just Law and politics. This could lead me to interpreting in a political field which would touch on both of my interests.

Aurora:
In university I am interested to learn further about languages and possibly learn a new one like Chinese so I would be studying a language and then going to study interpreting and translating right after. I would like to interpret for business purposes and medical purposes.

My career plan is to become an interpreter or a translator in the future because I enjoy languages, and being able to translate and interpret text and conversations to another language.

What is your favourite thing about studying languages?

Rosie:
I enjoy seeing my progress in languages. This time last year I only knew very basic Spanish but as I started the more in-depth Nat 5 course, I have seen a lot of improvement. When I am out in my daily life or even watching a Spanish show, I am noticing how much more I can understand. I could probably give a brief summary at the very most, but it shows progression. It motivates me to continue learning the language as the outcome could be very useful.

Aurora:
My favourite thing about learning languages is learning new words and slowly being able to have a conversation in that language. It’s a very rewarding feeling that I treasure.

Where do you think languages can take you?

Rosie:
Knowing another language can open up so many opportunities for you. If you visit a different country, for example, knowing only one language limits what you can do as there is a low chance that everyone can speak your language. Knowing a second language doubles your chances of being able to communicate with other people.

Aurora:
Studying a language and knowing one opens up lots of opportunities and work placements in the future. Learning a language also opens up the ability to being able to communicate with people all around.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying a language but are unsure?

Rosie:
It’s easier than you think. It does require a lot of work but once you get the gist of the language and how sentences are structured, it is very enjoyable. It’s a very rewarding experience as well. Once you get the hang of something it is difficult to forget it, so it strengthens your knowledge of the language and makes learning new things easier.

Aurora:
Studying a language can be very intimidating for someone. I still remember coming into Scotland for the first time and not being able to communicate with anyone and it felt like I could never learn English; but with time, you will be able to learn it and understand it. Make sure to not force yourself and take it at your own pace is my most important advice.

Metaphor Translation Workshop

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Are you a language student or professional interested in exploring new theory and practice in the field of metaphor translation?  

The Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies at Heriot-Watt University invites you to participate in a 1-day training workshop on Saturday 9 April, 9:30 am – 4pm on our Edinburgh campus. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.  

The workshop is free of charge as it is part of a research project funded by a Heriot-Watt University ‘enhancement themes’ grant to investigate a collaborative learning approach to teaching translation. At the end of the workshop, participants will be asked to complete a detailed feedback form about their learning experience to inform the research. Ethical approval for this project was granted on 13/9/2020 under ref no. 2021-1480-4597. 

This workshop is a fully accredited CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training and all participants who complete it will receive a CPD Certificate. 

The event covers the following language combinations: Arabic<>English, Chinese<>English, French<>English. Proficiency in one of these combinations is required in order to fully benefit from the teaching.  

There are 20 spaces available on a first come first serve basis. 

Click here to register for the event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/metaphor-translation-workshop-tickets-293983983007

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Pre-workshop material and further information will be provided 2 weeks before the event.

******************************************************************** 

Conceptual metaphors exist in all languages and across all genres and text types. For example, the English conceptual metaphor COVID IS AN ENEMY gives rise to expressions such as ‘fighting Covid, shielding against Covid, working on the front line’. However, these conceptual mappings are not universal and might vary across languages.  Consistency in translating these metaphors is especially important when those metaphors are used as behaviour triggers (e.g. stay home to protect lives in the context of the war on Covid). 

The workshop will combine theoretical presentations with discussion and practical group work activities. It will cover:

  • Text analysis 
  • Conceptual metaphor theory 
  • Metaphor identification 
  • Conceptual metaphor translation 
  • Text accuracy and consistency 

Who can attend this workshop: Postgraduate or final year undergraduate students in languages and/or translation; Early-career or experienced translators (Arabic, Chinese, French).

Both students and professionals can benefit from this in-depth exploration to improve their analytical skills and the quality of their translations.

Who will deliver this workshop: The workshop will be delivered by three experienced researchers and translation trainers.

Dr. Sui He is a Lecturer in Chinese-English Translation and Interpretation at Swansea University. She completed her PhD in translation studies in 2022, with a focus on metaphor translation in popular scientific discourse. She is an experienced freelance translator/interpreter between English and Mandarin Chinese/Cantonese.

Dr. Khadidja Merakchi is Assistant Professor of French at Heriot-Watt University. She is a fluent speaker of Arabic, French and English. She completed her PhD in popular science metaphor translation from English to Arabic at the University of Surrey in 2017. She is an experienced professional translator and interpreter, as well as a teacher in both of these fields.

Ms. Juliette Rutherford is Assistant Professor in Chinese at Heriot-Watt University. She is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish and English. She worked as a professional in-house translator for 8 years before joining Heriot-Watt in 2019. She studied conceptual metaphor theory as part of her MSc programme, and is interested in researching this topic further both from a pedagogical and translation studies perspective.

Save the date, SWATI 2022 coming soon!

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Starting Work as a Translator or Interpreter

16 and 17 February 2022 on Zoom

Heriot-Watt University’s LINCS department will be holding its 11th annual SWATI event online on 16 February 2022 from 1.30 to 4.30 pm UK time.

We will be welcoming a range of experienced professionals, who will give you an insight into different career paths in translation and interpreting. The event will feature potential recruiters as well as representatives from the main translation and interpreting bodies for the UK. This event is designed to help you better understand these career paths, and to gain valuable advice to help you refine your career plan.

Our event on the 16 February 2022 is open to all students currently enrolled in a Higher Education institution as well as professionals who are considering continuous education in a translation and interpreting programme.

To register for the event in advance, please use this link:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O6OSE76kS6ys52b_s-dm9Q

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the webinar.

Are you a current Heriot-Watt student or alumni?

You are also invited to the speed networking on the 17 February 2022 were you can have one-to-one talks with our guests and ask all the questions you want about the various career options available to you.

A member from the Heriot-Watt Careers and Employability team will be available to answer any questions about the support available to you to start your search for employment.

(The speed-networking event is exclusive to past and current Heriot-Watt students).

Schedule

Day 1. 16 February 2022, 1.30 to 4.30 pm UK time

1.30 – 1.40 pm   Opening of the event: career planning for translation and interpreting 

The perspective of potential employers: international organisations, translation agencies

1.40 – 1.50 pm Hannah Riley, Head of Recovery Management & Planning at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Brussels, Belgium

1.50 – 2.00 pm Helen Courtney-Hinsch, Head of Talent Management at the Wolfstone Group, the UK’s fastest growing language service provider

2.00 – 2.10 pm Q&A with Hannah and Helen

The perspective of practitioners

Interpreting  

2.10 – 2.20 Rebecca Ritchie – Freelance conference interpreter

In-house Translation  

2.20 – 2.30 Gavin Darroch – Associate translator at RWS and volunteer conference interpreter

2.30 – 2.40 Franziska Mohr – Translation associate at SAP

2.40 – 2.50 Q&A with Rebecca, Gavin and Franziska

Freelance translation

2.50 – 3.00 Fiona Paterson – Freelance translator. She has worked for range of international organisations in Geneva, NY and The Hague.

Project management  

3.00 – 3.10 Olivia Andrew – Translation project manager

3.10 – 3.20 Q&A  with Fiona and Olivia

3.20 – 3.30 Break 

Subtitling

3.30 – 3.40 Mark Bradshaw – Project manager at Screen Language

3.40 – 3.50 Karli Webster – Freelance audiovisual translator

The perspective of professional bodies: ITI and CIOL.
Their roles, the benefits of joining and when to join.

3.50-4.00 Aleksandra Chlon (ITI)

4.00-4.10 Fiona Baillie (CIOL)

The academic perspective

4.10-4.20 Considering an MSc? Q&A with our coordinator for the T&I programmes

4.20-4.30 Final thoughts and conclusion of Day 1

Day 2. 17 February 2022, 2 to 4 pm

Speed networking (Heriot-Watt students only)

Platform: BBCU. The information will be posted on Canvas to current students and sent via email to alumni.  

Webinar series: interaction and engagement in museum translation

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Thursday, 10 March (11.00-12.00 UK time)

Translating Perspectives in Holocaust Memorial Museums in Poland: Experiences, Hypotheses, Challenges

Dr. Dorota Goluch (Cardiff University)

Dr. Agnieszka Podpora (independent researcher)

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sswImlIITJyZ7zqqnp1NmQ

In this session, we first discuss our individual experiences which led us to developing a collaborative project on translating memorial perspectives in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. Dorota, who has a translation studies background, will talk about engagement with museum employees during a pilot study on translation in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. Focusing on her interviews with museum guides, she will reflect on the process of selecting participants, her positionality vis-à-vis the interviewees, as well as the conceptualisations of translation and multilingualism that emerged from the study. Agnieszka, a Hebrew and Holocaust studies scholar, will share her experiences of translating texts for the Litzmannstadt Ghetto Model project, from Polish into Hebrew. She will consider direct and indirect influences that museum representatives and other stakeholders exerted on her work, to then comment briefly on her agency as a translator and on the politics of translating Holocaust memorial texts in today’s Poland.

Afterwards, we will introduce our new project, which examines translation of memorial perspectives in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and focuses on the renegotiations between different representations of Polish and Jewish victimhood in museum texts. Alongside textual analysis, the study will include interviews with curators, translators and other stakeholders. Although the work is in its very early stages, we will share our hypotheses regarding translation policies and discuss some of the challenges we anticipate. We shall also explore how our previous experiences inform our interviews design and shape our understanding of the nexus between translation, memory and politics in the context of Holocaust memorial museums.

Bios

Dorota Gołuch is a lecturer in translation at Cardiff University. She has published book chapters and articles on Polish translations of African writing and on the reception of postcolonial literature in Poland. She is currently writing about solidarity and translation, as well as conducting research on translation, memory and the Holocaust. 

Agnieszka Podpora – literary scholar and translator. Her interests revolve around Polish and Hebrew Holocaust literature and its impact on the cultural renegotiations of Holocaust memory. Currently, she is working on Polish-Hebrew literary translations in the interwar years.

Webinar series: interaction and engagement in museum translation

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Tuesday, 8 March (16.00-17.00 UK time)

Training the Art Translator

Prof. Dr. Monika Krein-Kühle (TH Köln, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne)

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zZv7Oh5ERJSyZZZhivFeNQ

This seminar sets out to explore the situational and textual-contextual conditions and constraints surrounding art translation, a hitherto under-researched mode of translation. It presents the key findings of a survey conducted among art translators in the German-speaking countries to provide a first insight into the field (Krein-Kühle 2021). It discusses the implications of these findings for translator training and presents an art translation module that can be included in translation curriculum design. On an art essay corpus-in-context basis, it also discusses and exemplifies the specific challenges involved in art translation. It discusses specific textual features used in such essays and highlights relevant trends in translation solutions that can be useful for the applied branches of art translation. Moreover, this seminar will explore the more foundational requirements involved in art translation, focusing on the relevance of seeing and on training a translator’s eye that is receptive to the power of visual phenomena and able to grasp the artistic impulse as “an impulse of cognition” (Fiedler [1876] 1949/1978: 76). (Re)learning how to see works of art may be regarded as an indispensable prerequisite for felicitous art translation.

Keywords: Art translation, translator training, survey among art translators, exhibition catalogue essays, translator’s eye.

Bio

Monika Krein-Kühle, MA, PhD, is Professor Emerita of English Linguistics and Translation Studies at TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, Germany, where she founded and directed the MA course in Specialized Translation which is part of the European Master’s in Translation (EMT) network. She has extensive working experience as a translator, translator trainer and as head of the translation departments of major German companies. Her research interests are specialized translation in the field of the visual arts, scientific and technical translation, translator training, research methodology, literary and corpus-based translation studies. She has published widely in all these fields.

Webinar series: interaction and engagement in museum translation

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Thursday, 3 March (11.00-12.00 UK time)

Engaging the Visitors: The Impact of Translation in Memorial Museums

Dr. Kyung Hye Kim (Shanghai International Studies University)

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hzTd6ToMQUaKwx03WHSxRw

As a repository of human experience, knowledge, and values, memorial museums offer a space for visitors to engage with both individual and collective narratives and experience memory, which may lead them to actively participate in social change. Interpretative and affective engagements, in addition to intercultural communication, are some of the most dynamic, and also central activities that take place in the museum space. As such, translation plays a significant role in generating a similar level of engagement from a wide range of international visitors, whose attachment to the messages presented is likely to be different from that of home visitors. The extent to which translation helps memorial museums mediate the international visitors’ schematic process and challenge their established knowledge can be examined by investigating the visitors’ reception, for example, through questionnaires, interviews and close readings of blog posts. However, failing to acknowledge the audience’s diverse spectrum in the interpretation of survey data is likely to return skewed results, precisely because the audience’s schematic and established knowledge and background information ultimately determine the extent to which they engage with museum narratives, and their willingness to be part of social change. For the same reason, the socio-political and historical context in which museum translators are embedded needs to be considered when analysing any significant translation strategies identified. Thus, centring on the methodological issues arising from museum translation research, this talk discusses rigorous and nuanced ways to read both museum visitors’ as well as translators’ engagement with museum narratives.

Readings

Deane-Cox, Sharon. 2014. “Remembering Oradour-Sur-Glane: Collective Memory in Translation.” Translation and Literature 23 (2): 272–283.

Valdeón, Roberto A. 2015. “Colonial Museums in the US (Un)Translated.” Language and Intercultural Communication 15 (3): 362–375.

Ünsal, Deniz. 2019. “Positioning Museums Politically for Social Justice.” Museum Management and Curatorship 34 (6): 595–607.

Bio

Kyung Hye Kim is Associate Professor at the Institute of Corpus Studies and Applications, Shanghai International Studies University, China, and Deputy Director and co-founder of SISU Baker Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies. She is a member of Genealogies of Knowledge Research Network and an external partner of Global Health at the European University Alliance Circle U. She is also Chair of Nominations Committee of IATIS, the International Association for Translation & Intercultural Studies. Her academic interests lie in corpus-based translation studies, critical discourse analysis, and multilingualism in media translation.