LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Career destinations of modern languages graduates in Northern Ireland 2005-2009

Integration of university careers and volunteering services, curriculum provision and local voluntary organisations

The diversity of language services

Every year the schools in the two national networks, translation and interpreting (NNT and NNI), receive representatives from various agencies who are looking into recruiting our postgraduate students not just for work in translation but in jobs classed as ‘translation projects’ where linguists are expected to fulfil such functions as project managers, terminologists, translators, localisers, revisers, editors and publishers. The interpreting services of international organisations talk to our students about remote and ‘chat room’ interpreting, where interpreters reproduce a verbal exchange on a computer screen. And if subtitling used to be exclusively the job of the translator with knowledge of specialised software, nowadays subtitling agencies are keen to recruit simultaneous interpreters. The discussion in this presentation will focus on the diversity of language services.

Engaging with employers at the University of Liverpool

This paper presents initiatives recently introduced at the University of Liverpool to engage employers in a range of activities in the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies. The paper shows how employers have contributed to the School’s employability agenda outside of a formal career management module. It also demonstrates the importance of a partnership between an academic department and a careers service in order to develop and maintain links with employers.

Storm clouds with a silver lining: New opportunities for language programmes
Although university language programmes have undergone many difficulties during recent years, there have also been success stories. In this paper, the author balances the negative and the positive, encourages institutions to face the commercial argument head-on and provides a list of perspectives which language course providers can use to promote take-up.

New contexts for university languages: the Bologna Process, globalisation and employability
So far, the Bologna Process is changing university studies in all countries except the UK. However, the author posits that the globalisation and commercialisation of HE may overtake the Bologna agenda and goes on to discuss this paradox. Prior strategies for emphasising employability have perhaps been badly-implemented and so suggestions for future improvement are included.

Meeting the current challenges: the humanities and employability, entrepreneurship and employer engagement
Event date: 23 October, 2009
Location: Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HQ

Employability and professional learning
Event date: 25 April, 2008
Location: Sheffield Hallam University, Owen Building, Room 223