Papers by Hayley King
T&I Review, 2017
This paper explores the links between translator education programs and the translation labour ma... more This paper explores the links between translator education programs and the translation labour market. These links contribute to portraying graduate career development as being linear and progressing through stages. However, careers these days are impacted by chance, opportunity and changes in circumstance; they follow a chaotic rather than linear progression. My larger project drew on sociology of education and translation studies, and involved ethnographies of one university translator education program in Spain and two in Australia. This paper draws on eighteen months of fieldwork at all three sites, which included observations, informal chats, semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire, and consideration of curriculum documents. The study revealed that a minority of learners expect to enter the translation labour market, and that there are minimal prospects of full-time translation work. These findings highlight the need for translator education programs to include employability skills that are flexible and relevant to varied labour markets, which will prepare learners for chaotic careers. Offering translator education programs concurrently with, or as an added qualification to programs from other fields could be one way of achieving this.
Higher Education Research and Development, 2016
Drawing on 18 months of fieldwork, this article discusses the use of physical, virtual and social... more Drawing on 18 months of fieldwork, this article discusses the use of physical, virtual and social space to support collaborative work in translator education programs. The study adopted a contrastive ethnography approach that incorporated single- and multiple-case design rationales for site selection. Extended observation, informal chats and semi-structured interviews were used to examine space and collaborative learning at two translation programs – one in Spain and the other in Australia. The study revealed that students were innovative in their exploitation of virtual space when physical space was limited. Interestingly, even when ample physical space was available to support collaborative work, virtual space continued to be the preferred method of collaboration. These findings highlight the need for higher education programs to include various dynamic spaces for the completion of collaborative work, with flexible virtual spaces being of particular importance.
Conferences by Hayley King
This paper explores the impacts of a high-stakes translation test in Australia. The notoriously d... more This paper explores the impacts of a high-stakes translation test in Australia. The notoriously difficult and expensive National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters’ (NAATI) certification test can be attempted within a translator education program to increase one’s chances of passing. My larger project drew on sociology of education and translation studies, and involved ethnographies of one university translator education program in Spain and two in Australia. This paper draws on three months of fieldwork in the two Australian sites. I observed three practical translation courses, had informal chats and semi-structured interviews with educators and learners, and also considered curriculum documents and NAATI’s testing procedure. The study revealed that impacts were evident on both individual and societal levels. For individuals, successful completion of the NAATI certification test is required to enter the translation profession; it is also linked to migration outcomes. On a societal level, NAATI’s sophisticated testing system facilitated government control and supported social cohesion.
Drawing on 18 months fieldwork, this article explores how translator competence models and NAATI ... more Drawing on 18 months fieldwork, this article explores how translator competence models and NAATI act as links between translator education programs and the translation labour market. These links contribute to portraying career development of translation graduates as being linear and progressing through stages. However, careers these days are far from linear and are impacted by chance, opportunity and changes in circumstances; they follow a chaotic rather than linear progression. Integrating trends in Sociology of Education research with Translation Studies, the study adopted an ethnographic case study approach that examined three translator education programs in-depth in two countries – Spain and Australia. The study revealed that a minority of learners expect to enter the translation labour market, and that they have minimal prospects of securing full-time work as translators. These findings highlight the need for translator education programs to include employability skills that are flexible and relevant to varied labour markets, and that will prepare learners for chaotic careers. Offering translator education programs concurrently with, or as an added qualification to programs from other fields could be one way of achieving this.
Physical spaces available to learners affect their ability to engage in student-centred learning ... more Physical spaces available to learners affect their ability to engage in student-centred learning and specifically in collaborative work. Student-centred learning is established in Anglo-Saxon education systems, it involves viewing education from the perspective of the student, with the focus being on what is learned, rather than on what is taught. It promotes collaboration or teamwork so that it is the learners who actively create knowledge, rather than passively receiving it from the educator (Baeten, Struyven, & Dochy, 2013: 14-15). The Bologna process, while attempting to harmonise tertiary education in Europe, advocates a student-centred, outcome-based learning approach (Vercruysse, 2010: 15). Learning outcomes explicitly state the skills that learners will achieve upon completion of the relevant course of study, many of which include generic skills that are transferable across professions; one such example is the interpersonal skill teamwork. In an effort to maximise the benefits of student-centred learning, modern classrooms are being designed with the intention to blur the traditional student-teacher boundary. Furniture is easy to move and arrange in ways that facilitate group work, and so the educator is free to move around the room. But how equipped are universities to embrace this education approach? How are physical spaces used to promote or hinder collaborative work among students?
In this presentation, I will discuss how an outsider view of a translation practice course in Spain has revealed barriers and supports to enhancing a student-centred learning approach. Preliminary results from an ethnographic study that contrasts two translation practice courses operating in different contexts: one that is based in Australia and one in Spain will be presented. Classroom observation, interviews with education staff and students, and photographs of learning spaces are the basis for discussion. Physical spaces available within an education institution affect how affect the extent to which they support or inhibit collaborative work in a student-centred learning approach.
Student expectations from a translation practise course give an insight into how they view the tr... more Student expectations from a translation practise course give an insight into how they view the translation profession and their post-graduation aspirations. In Australia, certification of translators is a way of setting an industry benchmark for graduates entering the workforce. The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters’ (NAATI) examination is integrated into translation programs. Students are highly motivated to study such programs; as if successful they will be eligible to be recommended for certification by NAATI. In Europe, translator competence models pioneered by PACTE and later developed by Kelly and the EMT project focus on market demands of the translation industry and what skills employers expect of graduates; interpersonal competence is recognised by each model as a desirable graduate skill. In each context a close connection between the translation curriculum and the industry is made, but do students want to become translators? Why do they study translation and what are their aspirations once they graduate in a context where certification is not offered through completion of their degree?
In this presentation, I will discuss how ethnographic research has revealed contradictions between a translation qualification, the profession, and the youth labour market. Preliminary results from a study that contrasts two translation practise courses, one that operates outside the influences of NAATI and one that operates within its constraints will be presented. Classroom observation, responses to a pre-module questionnaire and interviews with students are the basis for discussion. Student expectations of an undergraduate degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies, and of a specialised translation practice course in particular, reveal contradictions between what students value in such a course and what they hope to do once they graduate.
Thesis by Hayley King
Translator education within a higher education context aims for student-centred learning that is ... more Translator education within a higher education context aims for student-centred learning that is collaborative and that produces employable graduates. Curriculum is designed with learning activities that encourage collaborative, project-based learning with authentic assessment tasks. There is a close connection between curriculum and the translation labour market, with two mechanisms ensuring that market demands in Europe and Australia are met: competence models and NAATI. In Europe, translator competence models, which were pioneered by the PACTE (Process of Acquisition of Translation Competence and Evaluation) Group and then later developed by Dorothy Kelly and the EMT Project, influence curriculum design so that it reflects student-centred principles and remains closely aligned with translation market demands. In Australia, the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) similarly connects translator education with the translation labour market. The opportunity to attain NAATI Professional certification is included in programs which are designed to produce employable graduates for the translation industry.
This research uses an ethnographic case study methodology to investigate features that support and inhibit learning in translator education programs. In order to do this, I selected two quite difference places: Spain and Australia. Given the number of differences between the two settings – language, culture, education systems etc. – one was not strictly compared with the other. Rather, contrast was used to emphasise these differences and to provide insights by highlighting areas as interesting and curious where they would otherwise be considered ordinary. Fieldwork, including observations, informal and semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, was undertaken at one site in Spain over the course of one academic year, and at two sites in Australia over the course of three months for each site.
The research revealed that high-stakes, student-centred translator education programs that are grounded in understandings of employability have to contend with washback and testing consequences and impacts. This was particularly the case in Australia, where NAATI certification is integrated into education programs. However, it was equally the case at the site examined in Spain where competitive practices secured learners a place in the program, and then continued to impact learning that took place in the classroom.
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Papers by Hayley King
Conferences by Hayley King
In this presentation, I will discuss how an outsider view of a translation practice course in Spain has revealed barriers and supports to enhancing a student-centred learning approach. Preliminary results from an ethnographic study that contrasts two translation practice courses operating in different contexts: one that is based in Australia and one in Spain will be presented. Classroom observation, interviews with education staff and students, and photographs of learning spaces are the basis for discussion. Physical spaces available within an education institution affect how affect the extent to which they support or inhibit collaborative work in a student-centred learning approach.
In this presentation, I will discuss how ethnographic research has revealed contradictions between a translation qualification, the profession, and the youth labour market. Preliminary results from a study that contrasts two translation practise courses, one that operates outside the influences of NAATI and one that operates within its constraints will be presented. Classroom observation, responses to a pre-module questionnaire and interviews with students are the basis for discussion. Student expectations of an undergraduate degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies, and of a specialised translation practice course in particular, reveal contradictions between what students value in such a course and what they hope to do once they graduate.
Thesis by Hayley King
This research uses an ethnographic case study methodology to investigate features that support and inhibit learning in translator education programs. In order to do this, I selected two quite difference places: Spain and Australia. Given the number of differences between the two settings – language, culture, education systems etc. – one was not strictly compared with the other. Rather, contrast was used to emphasise these differences and to provide insights by highlighting areas as interesting and curious where they would otherwise be considered ordinary. Fieldwork, including observations, informal and semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, was undertaken at one site in Spain over the course of one academic year, and at two sites in Australia over the course of three months for each site.
The research revealed that high-stakes, student-centred translator education programs that are grounded in understandings of employability have to contend with washback and testing consequences and impacts. This was particularly the case in Australia, where NAATI certification is integrated into education programs. However, it was equally the case at the site examined in Spain where competitive practices secured learners a place in the program, and then continued to impact learning that took place in the classroom.
In this presentation, I will discuss how an outsider view of a translation practice course in Spain has revealed barriers and supports to enhancing a student-centred learning approach. Preliminary results from an ethnographic study that contrasts two translation practice courses operating in different contexts: one that is based in Australia and one in Spain will be presented. Classroom observation, interviews with education staff and students, and photographs of learning spaces are the basis for discussion. Physical spaces available within an education institution affect how affect the extent to which they support or inhibit collaborative work in a student-centred learning approach.
In this presentation, I will discuss how ethnographic research has revealed contradictions between a translation qualification, the profession, and the youth labour market. Preliminary results from a study that contrasts two translation practise courses, one that operates outside the influences of NAATI and one that operates within its constraints will be presented. Classroom observation, responses to a pre-module questionnaire and interviews with students are the basis for discussion. Student expectations of an undergraduate degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies, and of a specialised translation practice course in particular, reveal contradictions between what students value in such a course and what they hope to do once they graduate.
This research uses an ethnographic case study methodology to investigate features that support and inhibit learning in translator education programs. In order to do this, I selected two quite difference places: Spain and Australia. Given the number of differences between the two settings – language, culture, education systems etc. – one was not strictly compared with the other. Rather, contrast was used to emphasise these differences and to provide insights by highlighting areas as interesting and curious where they would otherwise be considered ordinary. Fieldwork, including observations, informal and semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, was undertaken at one site in Spain over the course of one academic year, and at two sites in Australia over the course of three months for each site.
The research revealed that high-stakes, student-centred translator education programs that are grounded in understandings of employability have to contend with washback and testing consequences and impacts. This was particularly the case in Australia, where NAATI certification is integrated into education programs. However, it was equally the case at the site examined in Spain where competitive practices secured learners a place in the program, and then continued to impact learning that took place in the classroom.