The Erasmus+ project ‘PACI - Professional and Accessible Community Interpreting, a Gateway to Migrant’s Integration’ focuses on providing training in public service interpreting and translation (henceforward: PSIT). PSIT encompasses the provision of translation and/or interpreting in public service provision contexts in different sectors (e.g. education, health care, law or public administration).

This partnership project – involving a collaboration between the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia), Palacký University Olomouc (the Czech Republic), the University of Wrocław (Poland) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) – focuses on the development and implementation of a didactic model for PSIT – based on a combination of e-learning modules followed by onsite training for the language combinations Dutch-Czech, Dutch-Polish and Dutch-Slovak – in the three Central European Countries involved in the project.

Due to a lack of qualified interpreters and translators in the aforementioned language combinations, interpreting/translation services for Dutch-speaking people in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia often goes via a third language (e.g. English). This situation may result in communication problems and misunderstandings, which can ultimately harm the quality of life, safety, and integration of people in the destination countries. In situations where a third language is involved, it is difficult for public service providers to guarantee the same quality of service compared to situations in which they can rely on public service interpreters and translators having Dutch as one of their working languages.

Click here to read more about our intellectual outputs

About

Project

goals

The project involves a unique pioneering approach to providing sustainable training in PSIT for Languages of Lesser Diffusion (LLD's). The project's primary outcome has been a PSIT didactic model that can also be used as a basis for PSIT training in other language combinations. Based on the concept of blended learning, PACI’s didactic model requires students to combine (independent) online learning with onsite training.

The overall project goal led to developing seven intellectual outputs (click here for more info).

The learning objectives and materials in PACI’s PSIT didactic module are in line with market needs related to the provision of PSIT services in the countries of the partners involved in the project.

Strategy

Given the great demand for professional training of PSITs in languages of limited diffusion (LLD's), the three Central European university partners – i.e. the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia), Palacký University Olomouc (the Czech Republic) and the University of Wrocław (Poland) – decided to join forces with the Department of Linguistics & Literary Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). VUB has many years of experience in training translation and interpreting students, on the one hand, and in offering courses on terminology and translation/interpreting technologies, on the other hand.

Since each partner individually cannot address all aspects and competencies considered necessary for PSIT training in the respective language combinations (Polish – Dutch; Czech – Dutch and Slovak – Dutch), the project benefited from a supranational partnership within the Erasmus+ framework. Each project partner contributes its own expertise to the development of PACI’s didactic model. The Comenius University of Bratislava initiated the PACI partnership. The university has a long tradition of providing translation training to students enrolled in its Dutch studies curriculum.
The PACI didactic model – available in Dutch and English – can serve as a template model in PSIT professional training for other language combinations. It is currently offered as a separate PSIT training module within the existing university curricula of the Philology Departments in the two Central European universities in Poland and the Czech Republic and a professionalisation track within the Comenius University in Bratislava’s translation studies curriculum.

Past events

Project meeting

Bratislava, Slovakia

30.1.2018

Thematical session community interpreting

IVN colloquium

Leuven, Belgium

27 - 31.8.2018

Project presentation in a block session

Project meeting

Olomouc, Czech Republic

26.10.2018

Regionaal colloquium neerlandicum

Bratislava, Slovakia

23-25.5.2019

Multiplier event

IVN_PACI_presentation.pdf

Thematical session abstracts

Powerpoint presentation

IVN_PACI_presentation.pdf

Project poster

Dissemination

Information
and links

Intellectual outputs (IO)

1. Four e-learning courses

Terminography and Translation Technology in the practice of Public Service Interpreting and Translation
Community/institutional translation: context and techniques
Praxeological, institutional and ethical aspects of community interpreting and translation
Community interpreting: context and techniques