Cork language company bridging the gap

by Alex Chernenko

The Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association (ITIA) raised a valuable question relating to an underfunded interpreting sector earlier this month, and we at TRANSLIT are looking to find the answer.

Mary Phelan, who is chairperson of the organisation, put forward the issue in a national newspaper, where she conveyed the ITIA’s concerns about the current standards, regulation and training for interpreters in Ireland.

However, despite the suggestion in the piece that “there’s no training course in Ireland,” we are providing a pragmatic approach to upskilling interpreters here, ensuring standards can be improved.

TRANSLIT is an interpreting and translation focused company that has offices in Cork and Limerick as well as new locations in London and Moscow.

Last year during the global pandemic we recognised an opportunity to set up our own training division to address the standards of interpreter training.

TRANSLIT Pro was originally created to upskill our own interpreters but has evolved into a wider operation with over 3,000 participants worldwide attending more than 70 events in the past 18 months.

Initially, we expected beginners and somewhat experienced interpreters would join the courses but it also attracted very experienced interpreters with more than ten years on the job.

We are proud that we are the first and only training provider in Ireland whose interpreting courses are CPD certified. And since its launch we have had a UK-based translation company and a university from the USA upskilling their interpreters with us.

In recent years the ITIA has worked with the Irish government and European Commissioner for Justice towards improving interpreting provisions and standards, while some LSPs have taken a proactive approach.

Community interpreting is perhaps the most pressing issue, with the health and justice systems affected by the non-regulation and low standards of some of the interpreters they use.

TRANSLIT Pro delivers a six-hour online training programme teaching the fundamental principles of community interpreting and core interpreting skills. This course is also certified by CPD UK, one of the largest and leading independent continuing professional development (CDP) accreditation organisations.

One of the main principles we follow is to make the training practical and focused, aiming to achieve the best learning outcomes for the participants in the shortest time-frame and at the lowest cost.

We are trying to deal with the issue of the sometimes unsatisfactory interpreting not only by improving interpreters’ skills, but also by teaching professionals who work with interpreters. Therefore, we have developed a new training webinar that will help public bodies, civil servants, non-profit organisations and businesses that work with interpreters.

This is the first training of its kind and it will play a positive role in Ireland’s journey to promote inclusion and will create a friendly and healthy atmosphere for all parties involved.

For further information visit pro.translit.com where you can access all of our live and on-demand courses, or email talent@translit.ie.

Alex Chernenko is the CEO of TRANSLIT.