For the speech portion, you may want to practice with some similar material. The  has several short speeches — in English and in other European Union languages. You can listen to one of the speeches one time through. Then, make yourself give the content back in one of your other active languages. Give your rendition in the first person, and try not to pause or hesitate. Pretend that the speech is your own, and that you are giving it in front of an audience.

But in the meantime, be sure to get the ball rolling by sending us your Round I video. Here at the MCI, the search for students for September 2018 is officially on!

It’s specialized work. First of all, in this instance, the interpreters have to work remotely. As readers of this blog will know, remote interpreting requires a particular skill set. But the interpreters will also need to understand the language of business and investment. In addition, you can’t interpret this call without understanding the auto sector. So the interpreters have their work cut out for them.

The point here is that there are opportunities out there that most of us aren’t even aware of. As interpreters, we need to explore our traditional options, like the institutions I mentioned above. But we also need to prepare ourselves to seek out other clients who haven’t traditionally benefited from interpreting.

Now, I should mention that candidates with professional experience have some added challenges. First, they have to unlearn bad habits acquired through their work. They learned to do the job without the benefit of someone correcting their technique when it went wrong. So they need help getting rid of fossilized problems and finding more productive strategies. Second, they have a bit of catch-up to do. Often, they are used to working in simultaneous, but they have little experience with consecutive. So they have to work hard to reach the level of their classmates, who got a good foundation in consecutive in Year One (among other things). Still, if candidates can get their egos out of the way and accept that they have to make changes, then they generally do well!

In either event, whether you have professional experience or prior training, the Glendon MCI might be right for you. We have now helped a number of advanced candidates to navigate successfully through our program and into the profession. We understand what you need to get you to successful completion.

^{Technische Hochschule Köln, home of the MA in Konferenzdolmetschen}

I learned German as a teen, with friends and peers in a German school 30 years ago. Before I went back to Germany this year, I mainly used it to talk to other teenagers and to my host family. As a result, once in Cologne, I was lost in the university classroom. But in the streets of the city, I could recite verbatim what I heard people saying around me. When it was my turn to talk, people seemed to understand me easily.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not a heritage speaker of German. My parents don’t know the language. But I learned it early enough that the sound system is fairly hard-wired in me, and I navigate a good chunk of the grammar and syntax unconsciously.

So, where does this leave you, a heritage speaker trying to bone up on your first language? Well, here are a few tips and tricks that I used to take my German to the next level.

3. Work formal speeches into your practice

Nothing will help you prepare for the kind of communication that you are going to interpret quite like… the kind of communication you are going to interpret. So, track down either video clips or transcripts of formal speeches given in your heritage language.

The point here is to familiarize with the ways that people structure their ideas in formal speech. Let me give you two simplistic examples. At the beginning of a speech, German speakers will say, “sehr verehrte Damen und Herren” (literally, “very honoured ladies and gentlemen”). English would drop the “very honoured” and just say “Ladies and Gentlemen. At the end of a speech, German speakers will say, “Danke für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit” (“Thank you for your attention”). In English, this becomes simply “Thank you”.

These kinds of differences can be seen not only in vocabulary, but also in syntax and the overall shape of the speech. It’s your job to learn about these differences.

Long story short, your heritage language is a tremendous gift. It gives you advantages that other interpreters who are also adding a working language do not have. But speaking the language at home isn’t enough. You have to work to develop it for the purposes of interpreting. And when you have done that work, it will be worth your while.

_{The Cologne cathedral as reflected in one of the lab’s interpreting booths}

1. Work on the languages simultaneously

I polled my social circle and quickly discovered that I had two friends — one lusophone and one hispanophone — who were eager to improve their English. I struck a deal that I would meet each of them once a week for a sort of “language exchange”. For half the time we are together, I tutor them in English, and for half the time, they tutor me in their language.

2. Make differences part of your active knowledge

Invariably, I find that I get confused from time to time. A stray word from one language will creep into the other. Thankfully, my tutors are always on the lookout for interference (indeed, my lusophone friend speaks Spanish), and they bring it to my attention.

At that point, it’s really important to think consciously about the differences between the two, and to try and make those differences part of my active, declarative knowledge. For me, this involves keeping a notebook with entries that help me to keep things straight in my head. Here’s a sample entry.

3. Make an extra effort with the little differences

Sometimes, even when a difference between the two languages is brought to my attention, I still wind up making an error. Here’s an example.

To say “that man” and “those men” in Portuguese, you say “este homem” and “estes homens“. And since the demonstrative articles in Spanish are pretty much identical, for years I just copied them whenever I spoke Spanish. But my hispanophone tutor flagged for me that there is one small difference — you actually have to say “este hombre” but “estos hombres“.

Dr. Daniel Gile

Dr. Gile is a  and researcher. He is the driving force behind the  (CIRIN), and he is the originator of the . I had been fortunate enough to , and I knew that our students were in for a real treat.

In a nutshell, the Effort Model suggests that there are limits on our cognitive resources. Certain working conditions will cause interpreters to overload our resources, which then leads us to make mistakes. The model helps us describe and explain how our resources might be deployed at any given time, and similarly, how they might be overwhelmed. It’s a useful tool that helps students take stock of what is happening in their own minds when they interpret.

Dr. Barbara Moser-Mercer

Dr. Moser-Mercer is also a , and she was for many years responsible for the conference interpreter training program at the University of Geneva’s  (FTI). She played a pivotal role in the establishment of Information Processing as a category of research in Interpreting Studies. Over the years, she has addressed a number of important topics, including the , and the effects of .

More recently, her attention has been focused on humanitarian interpreting with her . When conflict and crisis strike, aid workers need interpreters to interact with local people, but rarely are trained interpreters available. InZone seeks to provide interpreter training in these hotspots — refugee camps, disaster areas, and war zones. Doing so not only saves lives in the short term, it also, over the long term, provides trainees with 21st-century skills and a pathway to higher education.

I found Dr. Moser-Mercer’s description of the project to be inspiring! It’s tremendously uplifting to think that our field’s training know-how and research-generated knowledge is impacting vulnerable people in such a positive way. And judging by the discussion that followed Dr. Moser-Mercer’s talk, our students were similarly moved.

Although the Glendon MCI has not been around for a long time, we have nevertheless succeeded in creating a rich learning environment for our students. Thanks to Dr. Diriker and her guests, that environment is richer still! When you study with us, you get , , and now a chance to connect with some of the movers and shakers in our field.

Interpreting for former Prime Minister Paul Martin

The Right Honourable Paul Martin was Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006. He also served as Minister of Finance for a decade before that. Since retiring from politics, Mr. Martin has spearheaded the ), a charitable organization that is working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities to eliminate the gaps in education for aboriginal peoples. For many aboriginal communities, their remote location is an obstacle. Mr. Martin explained how web-based platforms are helping to overcome these distances.

Experiencing teamwork in action

In our interpreting classes, we of course teach our students how to support one another in the booth. As a result, that support was very much on display. When it was my turn on the microphone, I was pleased to notice how my boothmate quite automatically jotted down numbers, in case I needed them. She was also quick to find key documents for me just in the nick of time. As for me, I took notes while the other interpreters were working, and offered some pointers when their turns were over. Now that they are out there working, feedback isn’t as common as it was when they were students. So they seemed glad to have a bit of coaching.

First up, the team invited,  at Al Jazeera, to join us remotely. He spoke about interpreting interviews and reports on live television. Most times, people are patched in via satellite link, via Skype, or even via the phone lines. As a result, as a media interpreter, you have to half expect the sound to drop at some point while you are working.

Just how do you cope with problematic audio? Dr. Abdulmajeed explained that, if you want to be a media interpreter, you have to use the same tools that other interpreters do. First off, you have to thoroughly research the people you are going to interpret, so that you are intimately familiar with their positions and points of view. Next, you need to use that intimate knowledge to anticipate how they are going to respond to questions.

The second guest of the evening was , who joined us in person. She is a freelance interpreter who has worked in a number of markets, in both the Middle East and North America.

I found her descriptions of her time in the United Arab Emirates to be particularly compelling. Particularly before 2008, there was a massive building boom in the UAE, and this included the construction of massive conference facilities. In turn, the facilities attracted a large number of grand-scale events, all of which required interpretation. Now, gaining access to this interpreting work wasn’t always easy, Ms. Saeed pointed out. Indeed, it required some careful networking with local agencies, potential clients, and other key stakeholders.

In fact, networking was one of Ms. Saeed’s key messages. She encouraged all the students to think about the vast web of people who could potentially help connect you to interpreting work. Your interpreting classmates are an easy place to start. It’s important to stay in touch after you graduate, both with those who work in the same booth as you, and with those who don’t. But she also recommended that you think about other connections — for example, classmates from your undergraduate studies — who might be helpful in surprising ways.

And speaking of Arabic, the entire event took place in that language. So when Zyad and Ahmed weren’t on the floor, they took turns in the booth interpreting into English, so that the rest of us could follow along, and so that the other interpreting students could take relay. In this way, not only did we learn about a new interpreting market, but our future interpreters also got another opportunity to practice and receive feedback.

These are just a few of the ways in which Glendon MCI students are already planning to succeed.

1. Contact with great colleagues

In addition to the full-time faculty I mentioned above, La Laguna has a number of talented part-time instructors. One of these is Lourdes de Rioja, herself a La Laguna graduate.

If Lourdes is not a familiar name to you already, then you have to check out her well-known video blog, . There you will find a veritable who’s who of the interpreting world sharing their advice and insight with you. It’s a tremendous resource for student interpreters.

2. A program that runs like clockwork

There is more to the La Laguna program than just great teachers. In its 38-year history, it has had the time to figure out how to really make things work. Let me give you a for instance.

In any interpreting classroom, it can take a while for students to come in and settle. Then you have to figure out who is giving which speech, and who will be interpreting it. When it comes time to give feedback, it’s easy to get long-winded and take time away from precious interpreting practice. Of course, if you have more than a few students, you then have to find a way to keep everyone busy. For the teacher leading the charge, it can be quite a challenge.

In other words, everyone knows that they have 30 minutes to

• Listen to a source-language speech and take notes
• Divide the students so that some remain in the room with the interpreter teacher, and some go to another space with the speech giver
• In both locations, have a first interpreter give the interpretation while the second interpreter leaves the room
• In both locations, have the second interpreter re-enter the room and interpret
• In both locations, listen to feedback either from the interpreter teacher or from the speech giver

This cycle is then repeated two more times before the end of the class. In this way, no fewer than 12 students get to interpret and receive feedback in each class. It’s just one example of how La Laguna runs like a well-oiled machine.

In sum, observing an established interpreting program and its instructors from a ringside seat was extremely beneficial. It helped me to quickly see what we are already doing right at Glendon. It also set the wheels in my head in motion, thinking about how to improve things at home. There is nothing like a trip away to put things into perspective for you.

That said, the memories that will stand out the most for me are of people — the full-time faculty who welcomed me with open arms, the part-time instructors who treated me like a colleague, and the students who helped me reach new insights about teaching and learning. You made me feel at home. So to all of you, I say ¡muchísimas gracias!

Ahmed’s motivation for acting in the film came from a similar place. A normally upbeat and positive person, he found it increasingly difficult to perform his craft without running afoul of the social and sometimes actual battle lines that criss-cross Iraqi society. Moreover, he knew that things were especially tough for members of the LGBT community in his country. He was willing to appear in the film, even though he knew doing so would be dangerous for him. Like a true artist, he believes in speaking out, and I was struck by his courage. As it turns out, now that the film has been released, there have been threats on his life, and he is seeking protection here in Canada.

1. This event was entirely organized by students

It was students who suggested the activity, students who contacted our guests, and students who made things run. And it was very successful! As a matter of fact, it might even be a new model for us to follow in the future. Because Glendon is bilingual (English and French), we get a lot of requests for interpreting into and out of French. Sometimes, if leaves the other language teams feeling like they are playing second fiddle. But if they can go out there and line up their own language-specific activities, then it’s a way for them to have every bit as much practice with real clients as their French-language peers.

2. Our students are professionals

The subject matter of the film and of the discussion — the LGBT community in Iraq — is not something that all of us are necessarily comfortable talking about. Sometimes, we have personal beliefs that run counter to what’s being said. Other times, we just not used to discussing certain topics, especially in our B languages. (The theme of the panel was certainly unlike any material we use in class.) But our students stepped up to the plate. They prepared for the panel like any other assignment. With glossaries at the ready, they jumped into their work with both feet. If they had any misgivings or lack of comfort with the subject matter, it did not show.

3. I gained new appreciation as a client

Often, when I listen to students interpret, they are working with speech material that is familiar to me. Quantitative easing. Foreign direct investment. UN Millennium Development Goals. These are all things that, for interpreters, become routine. Occasionally, I encounter a less familiar topic (For example, I recall listening to the Arabic team interpret an interview with the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan). But I can always do my homework ahead of time.