Interpreter trainers go from DG Interpretation to assist the teaching on masters courses for conference interpretation
Teaching assistance in universities
Teaching assistance, or 'pedagogical assistance' (PA) as it is called in-house in DG Interpretation, is assistance given in situ in the universities with whom we cooperate and who are training conference interpreters.
If you think you are eligible to receive this assistance you can apply and request specific training modules.
The aim is to share our know-how from many years of training the kind of interpreters we need in-house with the universities, in order to help prepare graduates to take and pass our tests.
PA is also a way for us to talk about professional standards and expectations with the universities doing the training. Whilst students are often already in contact with working interpreters (their trainers) it is very valuable for them to 'hear it from the horse's mouth' from a staff interpreter working at the European Commission, who can provide first-hand information about the EU – from current EU issues to job prospects and the reality of life as a conference interpreter at a European institution.
There are three different types of PA: training for students, training for trainers and presence at examinations – aptitude, mid-term or final. Universities choose which type they would like. For students' training assistance there are a number of different modules to choose from.
The Training Menu and applications (download the file under 'On site assistance')
The PA trainers are staff interpreters who have been trained in-house to train students and/or trainers. They are equipped with training material that has been developed by our senior trainers.
Professional support to staff interpreters
Further training tips on SCICtrain
Over the last 3 years, an average of around 350 days of PA has been given to over 50 universities each year in member states and candidate countries.
Assistance to third countries: Capacity Building
Assistance is awarded on the basis of need (languages are categorised as priority 1, 2 or 3) and according to a number of different criteria – for example the university should have a track record of success, or be the only university training students with rare languages, etc.
If you would like to find out more about our PA system, or if you would like to tell us about how you support conference interpreter training we would like to hear from you. Please create a community and share your knowledge or post on the forum!