Deliverable n.28 Report of a cross s project cooperation

Transcription

1 TRANSNATIONAL PLACEMENT SCHEME FOR TRANSLATION STUDENTS Agreement Number: / Project Number: LLP IT- ERASMUS- ECUE Deliverable n.28 Report of a cross s project cooperation Work Package WP7 - Exploitation of results WP Leader Haute Ecole Léonard de Vinci - Institut Libre Marie Haps (Bruxelles) Document Title Report of a cross s project cooperation Delivery date expected 1st June 2015 Date of delivery 30 September 2015 Nature Report Dissemination level Public Version Draft Description from the project This deliverable will report about opportunities for cooperation with other projects on building a European scheme of quality internships

2 TRANSNATIONAL PLACEMENT SCHEME FOR TRANSLATION STUDENTS Report of a cross s project cooperation Work Package 7 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission - Lifelong Learning Programme. This document reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 2

3 Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 4 2. Other internship- related projects

4 1. Introduction WP7 Exploitation of results, aims at promoting the implementation of the transnational internship scheme and of the AGORA Web Application within the translation- training programmes and the language service providers in Europe. Deliverable 28, the second deliverable of WP7, reports about opportunities for cooperation with other projects on building a European scheme of quality internships. The main activities of WP7 were: - to identify other internship- related projects - to identify opportunities for cooperation with these projects - to establish synergies. Initially, we identified other internship- related projects. Seven projects are described and we give some examples of platforms that allow students or young graduates to find internships. In the second part, we focus on two projects that are linked to the European Master s in Translation (EMT) network (OPTIMALE and TransCert) and that involved some of the AGORA members. Finally the last section concerns the EGPS European Graduate Placement Scheme project that is close to the AGORA project to design synergies. AGORA s cooperation with other projects with the aim of establishing synergies and opportunities for cooperation was the subject of in- depth discussions within the AGORA Steering Committee and involved a number of actions. Firstly, a number of similar projects were identified with the aim of establishing forms of direct collaboration with them. It should be noted that several AGORA partners were already members of either TransCert or Optimale (see below). Furthermore, specific contact points between AGORA and other similar projects involved for example the fact that the research work done by OPTIMALE was either analysed, incorporated or somehow summarised in the design and development of the AGORA Web Application. The AGORA consortium particularly based their analysis on a EU- wide survey administered by OPTIMALE in collaboration with EUTAC, with the aim of establishing what the LPS requirements are as far as trainees are concerned, and how internships should be organized in terms of tasks and training objectives. Moreover, constant contacts were entertained with EGPS particularly through Durham University, also a member of EGPS in order to discuss opportunities for a shared path in the management of international 4

5 internships in translation. Also, the EGPS coordinator, Helen Astley, participated in the AGORA project meeting in Budapest (November 2014), Andre Tcherepnine from Durham University gave a short presentation of AGORA at the EGPS meeting in Portsmouth in November 2014, and Linda Rossato from the University of Bologna took part in the EGPS final meeting in Barcelona in February After the end of the EGPS co- funded period (March 2015) contacts became more sporadic. A representative from EGPS was invited to the AGORA final event at the EXPO 2015 in Milan, but they weren t able to participate. However, AGORA is still interested in future collaboration with EGPS with the aim of further developing quality international internships for translation students. 2. Other internship- related projects Q- PLANET A model for quality of transnational student placements in enterprises Quality Placements Network (October 2008 September 2010) ( planet.org ) Quality standard label for enterprises and regional contact points for quality assurance of placements. The Quality Reference Centres should build a European Quality Reference Network which certifies the companies where students take a practical placement supported by the Erasmus- Placement programme. Establishment of 3 regional Quality References Centres for student placements (Deliverable D 2.1: definition of the activities of the QRC). Very interesting are the Guidelines for organization of students placements (Deliverable D 4.1): 1. Framework and important aspects 1.1. Ways of placement search 1.2. Placement recognition and integration 1.3. Creating contacts 1.4. Documentation 1.5. Insurance during placement and social security issues 1.6. Quality management 2. Roles of involved parties 2.1. Definition of responsibility of parties involved 5

6 2.2. Schedule of activities 3. Diagrams and charts 4. Follow- up of pilot placement organisation 5. Examples of a placement contract and training agreement 5.1. Training agreement suggestion 5.2. General placement contract Quality standard for student placements (Deliverable D 5.1 : labelling procedure towards host organizations, labelling criteria + annexes : Placement evaluation by the student, Trainee evaluation by the host organization, Checklist for labelled host organizations) Establishment of the European Network of Quality References Centres and a network of networks (Deliverable D 6.1) Not active since June Certi.Men Tu Certification of Mentors and Tutors Certi.MenTu is a project which focuses on the certification of mentors and tutors. A mentor is a person in a company who helps the learner to develop his or her knowledge, skills, abilities and contextual awareness through time- limited, confidential, one- to- one conversations and other learning activities. A tutor is a teacher or trainer normally from outside the learner s immediate work environment who supports individuals or small groups to learn at work. The Certi.MenTu project is aimed at developing shared experience between vocational education and training institutions and employers in order to create deeper mutual understanding of supporting learners at work. Standardized certification on the basis of the European Standard EN ISO Certification of Persons provides an acknowledged process for validation and guarantee compliance with quality assurance requirements. Available : matrices mentor and tutor according to EQF ; certification programmes. Specific to vocational education and training. ConVET Connectivity in Vocational Education and Training 6

7 ConVET is a Leonardo da Vinci Partnership aiming to develop a common understanding of school- work place connectivity, conceptualised as a current challenge for the entire VET system. The main intents are the following: - mapping and understanding different ways to regulate and realize school- workplace connectivity in VET; - improving the dialogue between VET key actors concerning meaning, challenges and strategies of school- workplace connectivity in the VET; - individuating lines of interventions to improve school- workplace connectivity in the VET; - setting the stage for developing innovative instructional approaches (learning and teaching settings) for connectivity improvement in VET. Specific to vocational education and training. EMCOSU Emerging Modes of Cooperation between Private Sector Organisations and Universities The EMCOSU programme reinforces the link between education activities and HE graduates employability needs and the promotion of cooperation with HE tools in particular. The project s main objectives and anticipated results are: - a comparative survey on the modes of cooperation between employers and HEIs in selected countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia Spain) - analysis of results, national and integrative reports on cooperation between employers and HEIs - short reports on the most relevant jobs and sectors for HE graduates in 5 EU countries and on the EU level - guidelines and tools for developing cooperation between key stakeholders in higher education ; this also includes pilot testing in the Tuning Academy: academy.html - development of policy recommendations on national and on the EU level. 7

8 THE EUROPEAN WORKPLACE TUTOR ( tutor.eu ) Training programme which aims at equipping trainers with the competences they need to plan, deliver and evaluate training, to guide learning processes at the workplace, to assess individual and organizational training requirements and respond to them. It aims at transferring the training contents of this training programme to new countries as well as to further embed it in existing structures by developing common standards and exploring certification and permeability between educational sub- systems. Audiovisual training modules in different languages (including English, Spanish, German, Dutch). Specific to vocational education and training. PEST Partnership for Exchange of Experience in Student on- the- job Traning on- the- job.eu The separation between corporate life and higher education remains a strong handicap, and the knowledge triangle integration is too slow. The synergies and gateways between ECTS and ECVET are too weak at present. New ways of collaboration should thus be developed based on individual best practices and a shared learning process. Working in a multi- actors system, this partnership involves higher education organisations, students, organisations in contact with enterprises and socio- economic actors, and with European associations in the field of vocational training and supporting quadruple helix approach. YES YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT ( employment- support.eu ) Especially for small and medium- sized enterprises (SME), insertion of young people is often a big challenge. Many young applicants are early school leavers, have failed to complete vocational education and training, and often they are socio- economically and/or personally disadvantaged. YES offers SME support opportunities for the employment and introduction of 8

9 those young persons. YES addresses recruiters selecting job applicants and introduce them into their company as well as mentors, in- company trainers of apprentices, instructors and other senior members of staff who supervise young people at work in SME. The training modules and the coaching guidelines that were available in 2014 are not accessible anymore in Specific to vocational education and training. Examples of platforms to find an internship: Europe EURES - The European Job Mobility Portal ( ) Inform, guide and advise potentially mobile workers regarding employment opportunities and living conditions and working conditions in the European Economic Area. Assist employers wishing to recruit workers from other countries. Advice and guidance to workers and employers in border regions Students - Search for national and international internships Globalplacement.com was founded in 2003 as an online mediation agency for international internships, graduation assignments and traineeships. The web site is the answer to the high demand for foreign internships, increasing mobility among students worldwide and quickly reducing international trade barriers. Belgium France 9

10 United Kingdom Netherlands Italy OPTIMALE and TransCert OPTIMALE ( training.eu) OPTIMALE (Optimising Professional Translator Training in a Multilingual Europe) was an Erasmus Academic Network involving 70 partners from 32 different European countries (including 27 within the EU) and the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC). Coordinated by Rennes 2 University ( ), OPTIMALE addressed one of the key challenges of a multilingual and multicultural Europe: how to ensure that its universities continue to produce the high- level professionals that the European translation services and translation industry need, in rapidly changing societal and market conditions. Building on the groundwork established by the European Master s in Translation network (EMT), OPTIMALE aimed to act as a vehicle and stimulus for innovation and high quality in the training of professional translators in 70 universities across the EU and beyond. Over the three years of the project, the network has: produced an extensive map of ongoing translator training programmes in European Higher Education institutions, identifying the level of programmes being offered, the 10

11 language combinations available, the translation specialisations, the learning objectives and methodologies and the tools and resources available monitored market needs and professional requirements relevant to translator education and training, by working with the EUATC and national professional bodies to identify changing professional needs and client requirements, new work practices and processes induced by new tools and technological environments translated new professional competences into learning outcomes to be achieved through translator training programmes or through work experience, and identify transferable good practice in introducing professionally- relevant activities in such programmes to be disseminated via a resource platform implemented training of trainer sessions to help translation faculties and departments with recently introduced translator training programmes. The Reference framework of WP 5 (Training for professional practice) highlighted the importance of professionally- oriented practices in translation training programmes and, in particular, of internships and suggested several case studies that describe experiences easily transferable which allow students to gain up to date knowledge of the translation industry develop core skills in (specialised) translation, CAT tools, project management, teamwork gain knowledge and practical skills under the supervision of professional translator acquire a sense of responsibility and improve interpersonal, time management, decision- making and dispute resolution skills, thus enhancing their employability. These benefits are the basis for recommendations to policy makers (university authorities, professional associations and government bodies) : be willing to budget for involvement of professional translators and/or partnerships with (private) companies invite professionals (including representatives of translation companies, professional associations and other market stakeholders) to serve on programme committees or faculty board integrate professionals fully into programme teams and entrust them with specific tasks (e.g. organising placements) include project management, business and commercial aspects, ethical aspects and customer related aspects in translator training programmes 11

12 establish good links between universities and companies to support students in finding placement prepare students properly for starting a placement to avoid the company s having to devote a too much time to induction develop mechanisms for assessing internships and for providing constructive feedback (in cooperation with placement providers Concerning internship, translation companies and professional associations were asked to accept students for placements/internships (if possible, based on some form of agreement with universities) and should not expect trainees to spend a large amount of time on tasks that do not match their training, or give them monotonous work (such as updating a database). As a follow- up project of OPTIMALE, Rennes 2 University launched a 2- year Erasmus Strategic Partnership, OTCT (Optimising translator training through collaborative technical translation) in October 2014: project.eu. TransCert ( Originating from an initiative of DGT, TransCert ( ) aimed to check the feasibility of a voluntary trans- European certification system for translators. The consortium consisted of three EMT universities (Vienna, coordinator, ISIT and KU Leuven Campus Antwerpen), private companies (International Software Consulting Network, Intertext Fremdsprachendienst), and associations (EUATC, GALA). It had an advisory board open to all stakeholders: translators associations, representing individual translators, as well as other related institutions and networks (FIT, SFT, EULITA, ) At the final meeting in November 2014 the results were presented: a prototype for a certification scheme for translators with less than 3 years experience (including a self- assessment), online courses and testing material in EN, FR and DE on these topics: Style (including genre and text type) Ethics and profession Translation proficiency Translation strategies 12

13 Register (e.g. frozen/static, formal, ) Domain Information acquisition Using sources Terminology Communication Time management Estimating and invoicing Following project specifications Evaluating software Using software Transcultural knowledge Transcultural management Transcultural communication A follow- up project is planned, dealing with obstacles such as pricing and the set- up of the evaluation committee. There are plans to develop an expert level for experienced translators and extend the scheme to more languages While the EMT network is able to provide innovative and high- quality translator education at a tertiary level, it is imperative to establish certification that makes sure that life- long learning is taken seriously and that the highest standards of quality and professional relevance are maintained. The innovative approach of the TransCert certification scheme combines best practices in translation quality assurance (e.g. EN 15038), industry certification at European level (e.g. ECQA) and international standards in personal certification (e.g. ISO General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons). AGORA and TransCert are both EMT spin- off projects. Some partners of the consortia (Vienna, ISIT, EUATC, GALA) are the same and the relationship between the two projects can address employability, that is to say the additional qualifications acquired through the internship and later through the certification. One more aspect regards logically the link between the AGORA questionnaire that the trainees and the placement providers have to fill at the end of the internship and the skills that are trained through TransCert (see above). The competences assessed by AGORA placement providers are grouped into three categories: 13

14 - General and interpersonal skills - Language, thematic and intercultural competences - Translation provision and technological competences EGPS ( gps.org ) The European Graduate Placement Scheme (October 2012 March 2015) aims to improve the employability of Masters in Translation graduates. The scheme is now up and running and growing; around 30 more universities and 60 employers have joined the scheme. The EGPS approach is holistic and flexible, providing models which may be adapted to suit the needs of individual institutions. The project includes: - a curriculum model for Masters in Translation programmes which supports the acquisition of a wide range of employability skills through authentic tasks, mirroring industry practices - a framework for practical work placements embedded within translation courses, enabling the student to gain real life experience of the profession. This includes: - occupational standards for European translation students on work placement, facilitating assessment and accreditation - placement handbooks in the main languages of the partnership countries containing guidance for the HEI, the employer/mentor and the student - a student portfolio including a reflective journal enabling mentors and HEI tutors to assess and assign credit for the work placement - a searchable database of employers offering placements - partnerships between HE institutions and employers. 14