The aim of this series was to get an insight into the different aspects of the translation industry.
The first talk in the series, “Game On! Exploring the Exciting World of Video Game Localisation”, was delivered by Silvia Terribile, who is a PhD researcher with experience in the video game localisation industry. Silvia introduced to us about the fascinating world of video game localisation, the skills needed for the localisation market, and the career possibilities in video game localisation. We learned about the main challenges involved in the localisation of a video game, and discussed some real examples on cultural differences in video games. We even played an online video game!
On the following day, we had a very interesting round table with Helen Carey and Andrew Leigh, our MA translation tutors who are also professional translators. The title of the session was “What is it like to be a professional translator?” and Helen and Andrew explained how they got started in the translation industry. We heard about the pros and cons of being a freelancer, the importance of joining a professional association and the impact of machine translation and post-editing in their jobs. It was very interesting to know what a day in the life of a professional translator is like, as well as how new technologies are shaping the role of professional translators.
The third talk in the series was delivered by two of our current MA Translation Studies students, Cilian Hanna and Beth Sreeves, who talked about What is subtitling and how a degree in languages helps in this field. We heard how their undergraduate degree in Modern Languages helped their learning in the MA. After an introduction to the field of subtitling, they showed us some practical examples from the clips they had subtitled as part of the MA module ‘Theory and Practice of Subtitling and Dubbing’, giving us an insight into the course and how they are now researching subtitles as part of their MA dissertation. Cilian focused on subtitling queer language, and Beth talked about subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing.
These sessions allowed students to learn about the different fields of translation, such as localisation and subtitling, identify the skills they need for the translation industry market as well as to find out what it is like to be a professional translator.
The Translate like a Pro! series was sponsored by the Student Experience Enhancement Fund.
Information on our next event - Translators round table - can be found here.