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The following Training Protocol for translation internships was prepared by Alain Otis, Director of the federal Translation Bureau in Moncton. The document is useful for both the intern and the employer, offering an intern training model, objectives to be met, etc.
The Training Protocol is divided into three parts. It enables an intern and the organization providing the internship to:
• Review the candidate’s abilities at the beginning of the internship;
• Describe the internship program;
• Assess the outcome of the internship; for the information of both the intern and a prospective employer.
Part One, Observations, should ideally be filled out shortly after the intern’s arrival in the host organization (1 to 2 weeks). The trainer, in consultation with the intern, fills this part out as thoroughly as possible, in order to provide an accurate description of the intern’s level of experience upon arrival in the work environment.
Part Two, Knowledge Development, is based on the first part, in the sense that the abilities and skills to be developed are relative to the intern’s level of experience. This part provides a general description of the abilities and skills that will be acquired; the objectives are theoretical rather than quantitative.
Part Three, Summary, is used to assess the experience and skills acquired during the internship. In this part, it is suggested that numbers or a definite indication of the intern’s abilities be provided ( e.g. completes 1000 words/day; can format a text in Microsoft Word, etc.)
The Training Protocol, in its three parts, should provide enough objective information to enable an employer/trainer to effectively rate the candidate’s level of experience.
Guide to Preparing a Training Protocol
The protocol’s purpose is to set forth the fundamental elements of an internship in translation. It focuses on the basic skills needed to practice this profession: translation, work procedures, terminology, and possibly working on a computer, if applicable.
Translation is the main and the most easily recognizable element: it means rendering a message in another language. The work procedures refer to the ways in which the profession is practiced, and may vary depending on the work environment or the training.
Terminology means working with documentary sources and recording the findings, and the results of the research, either electronically or by other means.
Even though the percentages are not given, an internship should ideally comprise at least 75 percent translation work for a first year intern. For a second year intern, the percentage could be even higher.
PART ONE - OBSERVATIONS
The intern’s background and experience
Education - List diplomas awarded, courses taken, etc., including the pertinent academic training.
Placement periods during studies - List all job placements during the intern’s studies. Although nothing should be omitted initially, the internships should be translation-related.
Related experience - Indicate any experience in translation or in any other related fields. This experience must be relevant, to a certain extent, to the education referred to earlier.
Memberships/certification - State if the intern is a member, or an associate member, of either a translators association or another professional association (must also be related to education).
Abilities - After 2 or 3 weeks of work experience, the intern and the trainer establish the intern’s abilities. These may be expressed as follows: the intern translates 300 words per day. Abilities, in this section, are understood as quantitative productivity.
Special skills - For example, the intern is familiar with Word and AmiPro computer software and knows the library very well.
PART TWO - KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT
Program provided to the intern
Work methods
Work scheduling - Explain how work is conducted in the office so that the intern knows exactly what to do in the production process; for example, work is handed out by the trainer, the intern then gives the text back for revision, and once the text is revised the intern gives it to the clerical staff, who take care of the rest.
Rereading and QA - Explain how rereading and quality assurance are done. For instance, the intern receives the revised text from the trainer or the typist, the intern then revises the text one last time before the final correction, the intern corrects (his/her) own text, etc.
Team work - Clarify if the intern is part of a team and, if so, with whom. For example, the intern works with a trainer, a typist, and a documentalist; or, the intern works solely with a trainer, etc.
Other - State all other information pertaining to the subject of work procedures.
Terminology Consulting reference books/files - Does the intern have access to a documentalist, or does he/she have to learn how to use the library, and its tools, such as the document retrieval database?
Terminology records - Does the intern have access to a terminologist, or does he/she prepare the terminology records himself/herself?
Use of computerized tools - Does the intern have access to a local computer network, to the Internet, etc.?
Other - State all other information pertaining to the subject of terminology.
Translation Short and varied texts - Does the intern begin by translating short and varied texts?
Longer texts - Does the intern begin by translating longer texts, or does he/she gradually, after x weeks/months, translate longer texts?
Difficult texts - Assess the progress of the intern. For instance, the intern begins with short texts of a varied nature; and then, after x number of weeks, is given longer texts of a greater level of difficulty. Or, the intern begins on day one translating long and difficult texts.
Specialization - Do you plan to specialize the intern in one or two fields?
Other - State all other information pertaining to the subject of translation.
Working on the computer
Keyboarding - Does the intern know how to type his/her own texts? Will he/she do it after a certain time? Will he/she be taught how to type his/her own texts?
Formatting - Does the intern know how to format his/her own texts? Will he/she do it? Will he/she be taught how to use word processing and formatting programs?
Other - State all other information pertaining to the subject of computer work
Training
Professional - List the professional training that will be offered to the intern. For example, the intern automatically is registered for developmental workshops; he/she will take x type of course at x place.
Technical - Indicate if the intern will have access to technical training courses, e.g. learning programs such as Windows 98, Microsoft Word, etc.
Other - State all other information pertaining to the training.
PART THREE - SUMMARY
Abilities
Work procedures - Describe how the intern assimilated the unit’s work procedures
Terminology - State if the intern was able to make good use of terminology tools; that is, if he/she made terminology records, if he/she was able to work with documentary resources, if he/she was able to organize a research, etc.
Translation - Assess the quantitative productivity of the intern, and also determine the quality of the work.
Working on the computer - Determine if the intern was able to produce a text on the computer, and if he/she had a good knowledge of the computer software used in the work unit.
Training received - Report on the training received during the internship.
Special skills - State any skills that the intern might have perfected or acquired during the training session. For example, learned how to code HTML, worked on Excel since he/she is familiar with spreadsheets, etc.
Once the first session has ended, the Training Protocol is filled out and given to the intern. If there is a second session, the receiving organization will write up a report and prepare a new Protocol. The elements and facts from Part Three of the initial Protocol will be used to prepare Part One - Observations of the new Protocol and draw up a new training program in Part Two - Knowledge Development of the new Protocol.
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