Postgraduate level course comprising 33 hours of tuition spread over 11 weeks. Delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in business interpreting. | Edinburgh, UK + online, January-April 2023
Have you ever wondered what business negotiation interpreting is, or how does it differ from interpreting in other settings?
Have you ever wondered why business interpreting takes place in different places and different formats? Offices, indoors, outdoors, small group meetings, factory tours, presentations or
discussions over lunch or dinner? Have you ever struggled to produce a quotation for a business interpreting job because the duration of the meeting is unknown, and talks could continue over lunch and dinner? Do you speak several languages and you have sometimes found yourself thrust into acting as an interpreter during a multilingual meeting?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then this course is for you.
This is a postgraduate level course (SCQF Level 11) comprising 33 hours of tuition spread over 11 weeks. This course will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in business
interpreting. The course comprises:
- 11*1 lectures aiming to develop a critical understanding of the theoretical principles underpinning professional practices in business settings and a critical understanding of
intercultural and interlingual communication;
- 8 *1hour seminars each dealing with a specific aspect of interpreting practice in business settings and including both guided practice and discussion;
- 8 *1 hour language-specific seminars simulating real-life situations where you will interpret between English and your second language (languages offered Arabic, Chinese,
French, German, and Spanish).
- 3*2 hours multilingual practice sessions in three different settings including a multiparty multilingual meeting, a Q&A session, and a guided tour with portable interpreting
equipment (for face-to-face attendees only).
The course comprises 10 hours of self-practice using state of the art online platform GoReact.
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
- master the skills and techniques of interpreting for business purposes and associated skills to professional standards;
- critically understand the main theories and principles underpinning professional practice in business interpreting and associated skills;
- critically understand intercultural and interlingual communication issues;
- mediate effectively between interlocutors who do not share a common language/common culture;
- develop relevant transferable communication skills, including note-taking skills, cross-cultural communication skills, and interpersonal skills;
- use technology to deliver interpreting services (e.g., use of microphone, bidule, telephone/video-conferencing systems)
Timetable and venue:
- Lecture and seminar (all students, hybrid): Tuesday 10:00-12:00 GMT+1.
- Language-specific seminars: TBC depending on demand.
- Classes will run from 16th January to w/c 3rd April 2023. There will be no classes in the week commencing 20th February (consolidation week).
- Face-to-face sessions will take place on campus at Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS.
- Online sessions will take place in Teams.
Prerequisites:
- Native or near native competence in English and one other language from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, or Spanish.
- A relevant first degree (Languages, Translation and Interpreting). Other entry-level qualifications will be considered for applicants with prior interpreting experience
- A short interview with a staff member will be a requirement to determine your suitability for the course
Fees: £1080 (20% discount Heriot Watt university and partner universities students and alumni,
ITI and CIoL members).
To express interest or for any further questions, please contact us at lincs.cpd@hw.ac.uk.