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CPD conversation: Professional contribution
The next of the CPD categories that we explore in our ongoing series is 'professional contribution'.
Our contributors are interpreter Myriam García Bernabé, translator Nicholas Nicou, and Hannah Stacey of Corporate member Surrey Translation Bureau (STB).
What do you understand by CPD for the ‘professional contribution’ category?
Myriam: Ongoing CPD activities that contribute to the profession or industry in a manner that may ultimately benefit the work of the institution, but mainly serve and are of use to other colleagues: such as participating in network meetings and volunteering to help with institutional networks; giving talks; and writing posts on topics such as linguistics, terminology and interpreting.
Nicholas: Giving back to the translation community, helping to raise the profile of the day-to-day work we do, and offering tailored support and advice to the next generation of translators as they embark on their careers as professional linguists.
Hannah: Knowledge sharing, outreach and supporting the growth of the industry.
What is the most regular CPD activity you undertake in this field?
Myriam: Participating in my network meetings and activities. I also prepare and give talks, and I am thinking of making this a more permanent feature of my activity.
Nicholas: As part of the ITI London Regional Group committee, I prepare a quarterly newsletter that features reviews of our recent events and keeps our members informed about others in the pipeline. Together with my fellow dedicated committee members, I also help shape the group’s jam-packed programme of CPD events, such as our popular annual Meet the Client session.
Hannah: At STB, our team completes CPD in the professional contribution category through networking with peers, sharing knowledge of working with languages outside the translation community, and sharing the knowledge that we’ve acquired. That might mean talking to school or university students, hosting interns or holding a team or company-wide skill-upgrade session. The CPD that our most senior staff complete includes participation on industry-level boards. In my case, as the Corporate member representative on the ITI Board, I volunteer time across the year for meetings and various projects to support industry-wide growth. For example, I was part of the dedicated planning team for this year’s ITI conference.
What is the most unusual CPD activity you carry out in this field?
Myriam: Learning how to make the most of technology and how to better present the information I am responsible for. And one future unusual activity will be running a series of informal virtual gatherings to talk about vicarious trauma amongst peers.
Nicholas: Alongside my lovely colleagues David Stockings and Hannah Lawrence, I recently co-created a podcast for new and prospective translators called Source 2 Target, interviewing industry experts on themes such as MA programmes, professional-organisation membership, and networking. Our primary goal is to answer some of the questions we had when we were first starting out, to help aspiring translators feel more comfortable and informed.
Hannah: Staff members are involved in the University of Westminster’s Employer Advisory Board, offering the School of Humanities an employer’s insight into language industry careers.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for people seeking this type of CPD?
Myriam: First, find an activity that you will enjoy, and make sure you will have time for it. That might be working with your relevant network; training or delivering talks; representing the profession in discussion fora or on social media; and so on. There is little point in making CPD a chore or a box-ticking exercise.
Nicholas: Get involved with your local ITI regional group or one of the many subject or language networks! Being part of a committee offers the perfect opportunity to build a network of like-minded colleagues – especially when starting out – and helps forge an even more respected, supportive and inclusive translation community.
Hannah: Only offer up time that you can afford to give and that’s in your comfort zone, as the more enjoyment you have in the field, the more rewarding you will find the experience.
This article first appeared in the September-October 2022 edition of the ITI Bulletin.
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