Apply theory to practice

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of the ability to apply theory to practice is achieved through activities revolving around both research and professional practice.

Students are expected to critically evaluate the relevance and usefulness of different theories via discussion and presentations in class and apply them as appropriate to the various professional contexts during interpreting practice and situation simulation practices.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed in the theoretical module using reflective log books, essays, and in-class presentation.

For practice-based modules, interpreting tasks along with reflective essays and learning portfolios are used.

Critically reflect and make appropriate judgments in terms of their own professional performance

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of these abilities is achieved through critically reflecting on their performance during hands-on interpreting practice and role-plays, defending their choices drawing from theories and discussing appropriate context-based solutions in class.

Methods of Assessment

Students will demonstrate their abilities by various means: critical essay, reflective log books, in-class presentation, interpreting tasks, and reflective essays.

Engage with and interpret, at a complex level, layers of meaning within discourse

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of the ability is achieved through critically discussing, defending, and debating possible and plausible interpretations of meaning in various professional contexts during interpreting practice and situation simulations.

Methods of Assessment

Students will demonstrate their ability by various means: in-class presentation, critical essay, interpreting tasks, reflective essays

Conduct sustained research

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will engage in regular seminar discussion, in-class presentations, and self-guided study.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed using reflective log books, critical essay, and in-class presentation.

Contextualise within a variety of perspectives and professional situations

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will demonstrate their ability via in-class discussion and presentations.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed using reflective log books, critical essay, and in-class presentation.

Synthesise and present complex ideas, in both written and oral form, within the framework of a structured and reasoned argument in a well-articulated, and stylistically mature fashion

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will demonstrate their ability via in-class discussion and presentations

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed using reflective log books, critical essay, abstract and evaluated bibliography, and in-class presentation.

Work autonomously, manifested in self-direction, self-discipline, and time-management

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will demonstrate their ability via intensive research prior to class for in-class discussion and presentations. Professional preparatory work will be required to prepare themselves for interpreting practice and role-plays.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed comprehensively on this in both theoretical and practice-based modules using reflective log books, critical essay, in-class presentation, interpreting tasks along with reflective essays, and learning portfolio.

Apply a critical apparatus at a high level of expertise

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will achieve this by engaging in in-class discussion and presentations, self-guided study and practices, interpreting practice and scenario and situational role-plays.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed in both theoretical and practice-based modules using reflective log books, critical essay, in-class presentation, interpreting tasks along with reflective essays, and learning portfolio.

Develop independent and complex insights into the world of the professional interpreter, and to demonstrate these through the undertaking of independent research projects

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will achieve this by engaging in and debating various theoretical concepts, roles and ethics of interpreters, situation-contingent professional practices in class through discussion and presentations.

Methods of Assessment

Students are assessed using reflective log books, critical essay, abstract and evaluated bibliography, and in-class presentation.

Plan and undertake independent research

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students learn how to plan and undertake independent research through participation in research seminars (including those presented by guest speakers), and through a broad range of small- and medium-scale interpreting assignments held across all modules that require in-depth preparation and research involving multiple kinds of sources.

Methods of Assessment

Critical essays (including performance analysis), reflective logbook, abstract, and evaluative bibliography.

Retrieve, sift, and select current and relevant primary and secondary information from standard and electronic sources

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

This skillset is taught and developed through a range of activities that involve task-specific preparation, such as compiling glossaries and databases. Teaching methods include demonstrations, class discussion, and formative feedback on portfolio development.

Methods of Assessment

Mostly critical essays, abstract, and evaluative bibliography.

Communicate and present to a range of audiences at an advanced level of professionalism

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Professional-level presentation and communications skills are taught through a wide range of exercises in public speaking (including on stage and screen) and booth-based interpreting. Specific modules will offer training in mode-specific (simultaneous, consecutive, one-way, two-way) and domain-specific (legal, medical, educational, etc.) tasks through a combination of interpreting exercises, scenario and situational role-plays.

Methods of Assessment

Performance analysis (including scale-based self-assessment and peer-assessment sheets), and reflective essays

Utilise IT skills for professional use

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

These skills are particularly relevant for preparatory and online research for domain-specific tasks, and are developed through a combination of demonstrations, group work, and individual tasks.

Methods of Assessment

Research exercises, performance analysis, and essays

Effectively apply the principles of interpreting to professional-level interpreter practice.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of the knowledge necessary to understand and apply these principles is achieved primarily through core seminars and workshops leading to further guided independent study.

All students take Principles and Practices of Interpreting as a foundation module. This module introduces students to the various forms of interpreting practice – simultaneous, consecutive, liaison and conference – and the particular methodologies and skills (note-taking, presentation, technical, etc.) that they require.

Methods of Assessment

Interpreting modules are assessed by a combination of essays and practical exercises.

These exercises give students the opportunity to apply the bodies of theoretical knowledge acquired in the theoretical core of each module within specific contexts of professional practice.

Identify the range of contexts in which interpreters work, differentiate between what is required of the interpreter in this range of contexts, and begin to develop the skills that constitute an appropriate professional-level skillset to each different context.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of these skills of categorisation and application is achieved through scenario work in core workshops, and from discussion arising from these practice-based exercises.

Modules build upon Principles and Practices of Interpreting, which introduces students to the various forms of interpreting practice – simultaneous, consecutive, liaison and conference – and the particular methodologies and skills (note-taking, presentation, technical, etc.) that they require. Through these modules, students apply these forms and methodologies of practice to a range of different settings.

Methods of Assessment

Assessment of these skills requires judicious application of professional principles and practices to particular scenarios and situations, through a combination of essays and practical exercises. These exercises give students the opportunity to apply the bodies of theoretical knowledge acquired in the theoretical core of each module within specific contexts of professional practice.

Undertake task-specific preparation and, in particular, identify, understand and develop a familiarity with the tools and resources for professional pre-task research.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of these skills develops actively through their evaluation of the demands of the particular setting they are working in.

All modules, following on from Principles and Practices of Interpreting, require students to present their preparatory work for all professional tasks

Methods of Assessment

Written essays require students to set out how they plan for particular tasks, how they identify and use particular tools and resources, and to explain and assess the usefulness of these tools and resources. These exercises give students the opportunity to apply the bodies of theoretical knowledge acquired in the theoretical core of each module within specific contexts of professional practice, and in particular within the preparatory stages of planning necessary for each individual task.

Explain how the wider language-services sector operates.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students’ acquisition of these skills is promoted across all modules, which individually and together promote student discussion and foster student awareness of the developing role of the professional interpreter in the wider context of language services.

Student understanding and assessment of the wider role of the professional interpreter builds and is evaluated and assessed across all modules, deriving from Principles and Practices of Interpreting as a foundation module. Scenario planning and practice in all workshops is actively explored through group discussion of both the specific skillsets and appropriate preparation demanded by the particular context, and the way in which the scenario itself reflects and connects with wider issues of practice and service.

Methods of Assessment

Students submit reflective logs that comment not only on their learning processes and outcomes, but also on their growing understanding and evaluation of the wider context of the language-services sector, and their role within it.

These exercises give students the opportunity to apply the bodies of theoretical knowledge acquired in the theoretical core of each module within specific contexts of professional practice.

Assess and be able to explain the causes of the socio-political and cultural complexities posed by the movement of people and the demands of a multi-ethnic organisation, and apply these phenomena to the role of the interpreter in order to predict how that role might change.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

Students will develop these skills through discussion and workshops throughout the programme.

In particular, Principles and Practices of Interpreting, in combination with modules focused on specific interpreting modes and contexts, will create opportunities for considering and developing responses to the demands of working in a multi-ethnic contexts.

Scenarios include discussion of the skills required in situations of multi-ethnic encounter.

Methods of Assessment

Interpreting modules are assessed by a combination of essays and practical exercises.

Essays and reflective logs will assess the students understanding of and response to the complexities of shifting demographics.

Command a high level of linguistic competence in their chosen language pairs appropriate to a full range of professional interpreting contexts

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

All teaching is seminar and workshop-based, thus facilitating the focused application of knowledge and theory to practice.

Students present seminar papers, and play an active role in determining the subjects to be discussed.

Extensive independent reading is expected in advance of seminars, and is required for the essays that students submit.

Students complete a series of preparatory tasks for the workshop elements of each module.

Methods of Assessment

The range of assessment methods (essays, portfolios, reflective journals, practical assignments) draw together students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject, in particular the relationship between theory and practice, their subject-specific skills, and their cognitive and transferable skills.

Assess and work with the professional skills of interpreting: including preparatory research and glossary competence, note-taking skills, active-listening skills, discourse and pragmatic analysis

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

All teaching is seminar and workshop-based, thus facilitating the focused application of knowledge and theory to practice.

Students present seminar papers, and play an active role in determining the subjects to be discussed.

Extensive independent reading is expected in advance of seminars, and is required for the essays that students submit.

Students complete a series of preparatory tasks for the workshop elements of each module.

Methods of Assessment

The range of assessment methods (essays, portfolios, reflective journals, practical assignments) draw together students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject, in particular the relationship between theory and practice, their subject-specific skills, and their cognitive and transferable skills.

Demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in business practice

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

All teaching is seminar and workshop-based, thus facilitating the focused application of knowledge and theory to practice.

Students present seminar papers, and play an active role in determining the subjects to be discussed.

Extensive independent reading is expected in advance of seminars, and is required for the essays that students submit.

Students complete a series of preparatory tasks for the workshop elements of each module.

Methods of Assessment

The range of assessment methods (essays, portfolios, reflective journals, practical assignments) draw together students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject, in particular the relationship between theory and practice, their subject-specific skills, and their cognitive and transferable skills

Identify a range of electronic and software-based resources, and work with the principal ones in areas of task-based preparatory work.

Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies

All teaching is seminar and workshop-based, thus facilitating the focused application of knowledge and theory to practice.

Students present seminar papers, and play an active role in determining the subjects to be discussed.

Extensive independent reading is expected in advance of seminars, and is required for the essays that students submit.

Students complete a series of preparatory tasks for the workshop elements of each module.

Methods of Assessment

The range of assessment methods (essays, portfolios, reflective journals, practical assignments) draw together students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject, in particular the relationship between theory and practice, their subject-specific skills, and their cognitive and transferable skills.