Throughout the day I worked alongside fellow alumni Greg with four groups of pupils. To start with, students were asked several questions, such as “Do you feel homework should be banned?” and “Should we be required to wear school uniform?”. This led to a very interesting group discussion and really helped to break the ice.
The students were then divided into two smaller groups, alternating between the volunteers. They were encouraged, within reason, to ask us anything they liked about our experience at school, our university studies and our professional careers. There were sample questions on the board in case they were struggling for inspiration or feeling shy.
The students asked me some very good questions about many different aspects of my career pathway. These led to fruitful discussions that touched on the types of clients that I work for, the kinds of projects that I would typically receive, how I added Spanish and Portuguese along the way having only studied French at Shire Oak, the rates that I charge and how much certain clients are willing to pay, among other things.
One student even asked me about the impact AI might have on my profession in the future — a very timely question indeed considering the Institute for Translation and Interpreting (British Translator’s Association) has just set up a working group for this very topic, as well as a section dedicated solely to AI developments in the translation industry on its website.
This latest bit of outreach work was very different to my talks and the workshops that I usually run, but I enjoyed every single minute of it, especially as I was able to draw on my experience of setting up and building my own business — an insight that could potentially prove useful to any inspiring entrepreneurs in the year group.
So once again, I would like to thank Nia from Future First for the invite and the opportunity to return to a school that did so much for me during my seven years there.
I’ve even spoken to Monsieur Bey about heading back to Shire Oak to give a talk or workshop on translation for languages students.”
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