"Translation as a Career": MLAL faculty and EU translators introduce 5th Year students to opportunities in translation

Despite Storm Barra, our "Translation as a Career" workshop, co-organised by Dr Jean Conacher (Course Director, BA in Applied Languages) and Eimear Ní Bhroin (European Commission), went ahead online on 7 December 2021. 

The workshop brought 5th Year students from across the country to find out more about studying languages at UL and to hear presentations from EU translators about different ways to become a translator and the realities of everyday life working for an EU institution.  

A clear highlight was the chance for students to take part in hands-on workshops led by EU translators, supported by members of MLAL (Jean Conacher, Catherine Jeanneau, Marta Fortes and Ana Martin). In small groups, students discussed and translated authentic texts from French, German and Spanish into English, using the tools and techniques employed in the EU's Translation Unit every day. 

The event aimed to show students that translation is a career open to anyone with the right linguistic and intercultural expertise. We hope this will become an annual event and that we can welcome both EU translators and 5th Year students to the UL campus next autumn.