Pangeanic has worked jointly with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures of California State University, Fresno to help students gain a broader perspective on the international scene of translation.
What does California State University offer?
Named Spanish 115: Basic Principles of Translation, this course is designed to give its students an introduction to the theory and practice of translation by applying different techniques and strategies through diverse, hands-on translation activities. At a more specific scope, the classes also include problem areas and concepts that are specific to Spanish<>English translations.
The course additionally provides the students with authentic material for translation workshops to reinforce the project-based learning pedagogy that the program focuses on. The students are also encouraged to adopt a problem-solving approach as well as to develop skills for terminology management. By joining forces with Pangeanic, the university aims to consolidate the learning process through two webinars that were undertaken by our staff members on one end and the university’s instructor Marc Tamarit on the other. The webinars were intended to explain to newcomers the labour of a professional translation agency and to clarify any unfounded or false notions regarding the field of translation (read more at: 10 Myths about Translation). Based on the practical approach that the program focuses on, the students were also given authentic texts to put their translation skills into practice.
Pangeanic’s collaboration with California State University
Upon the request of the University’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Pangeanic has used its knowledge and savoir-faire to fully inform the students about what to expect when working with a translation agency as an in-house or a freelance translator. We have discussed aspects about the translation field that the students were unaware of such as ISO Standards that we follow (ISO 9001 and ISO 17100), our translation management system XTRF, our QA procedures, the types of services we provide such as DTP, revision, transcription, etc. and our training program for newly-graduated translators.
The students have also been given the opportunity to run a test to access our training program at Pangeanic which is available for all translation, interpreting or linguistic fields learners. Pangeanic has been offering students a training program for years and has hosted students from several universities such as Université Haute-Alsace, Kent State University, ISTRAD, Institut Supérieur d’Interprétation et de Traduction, Universität Hildesheim, Universitat Jaume I, etc. The training typically lasts between 3 to 6 months and is aimed for students to gain experience in the translation field and to provide them with future employment opportunities. Some of our trainees have been hired as in-house translators and most of them are validated as freelance translators.
The webinars have also encouraged the students to inquire about our translation technologies, our fields of expertise, the types of services we provide, human resources practices, quality assurance methods, etc. The questions ranged from “do I have to specialize in a particular field?”, “what are the most in-demand European languages?”, “do I need to learn how to use computer-assisted translation tools to join your team?”, “do I have to do an exam before being admitted to an internship at Pangeanic?” and “how exactly do you select translators at Pangeanic?”. The Q&A session enabled the students to obtain all the information they needed to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Our collaboration with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures of California State University, Fresno and the professor Marc Tamarit has been mutually fruitful, and we are happy to forge a long-term collaborative relationship with the university, who has now become one of our clients, to further bridge the gap between potential translation experts and the increasingly big translation market.