ICT for Translation and Interpreting: the relevance of new technologies for the training of expert linguists

“Without a new generation of trained linguists and professionals with language skills, international organisations will be unable to perform their vital tasks” ‘(the Paris Declaration, June 2010). This strong statement, published under the banner of the UN and issued by the IAMLADP (International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications), reinforces the message sent by the European Commission, through the launch of a Europe-wide campaign to make young people more aware of the career opportunities for translators and interpreters. The need for competent translators and interpreters has also increased in the private sector, with more and more companies going global, thus needing to resort to highly-trained, reliable professionals.

So at a time when the need for competent, expert linguists is rising, we need to consider with great care the training provision for translators and interpreters.
ICT can and must be a key element in the curriculum, providing they are embedded in the learning process in a way which is consistent and constructive with the development of professional skills.

This paper will focus on the way ICT have been fully integrated in the combined experiential and situated learning approaches to translation and interpreting courses at Heriot-Watt University, by using examples of pedagogical strategies used as part of the undergraduate course in Translation and Interpreting. We will first consider the added value that ICT bring to the training in terms of resources for interpreting students in particular, highlighting the use of modern tools in the acquisition and consolidation of skills for specific language tasks. Secondly, this paper will demonstrate how ICT can empower students and foster a professional ethos, using a case-study based on translation classes for final year students; this case shows how ICT can familiarise future graduates with working practices specific to the field they intend to work in. Thirdly, we will look into how ICT can facilitate a reflexive and critical learning experience for these very demanding career-paths by showing how translation and interpreting students are encouraged to use a virtual environment platform to build upon the classroom experience.