MAIT-6: Revision, exams and Bath Fringe!

¡Hola de nuevo!

This time I’m going to talk about the loooooooooong REVISION period and EXAMS.

We had a really long break between the end of lessons and the beginning of our exams, which added up to pretty much a whole month. This made us all quite anxious because we didn’t want to let our skills slide (which is really easy to do) and it meant we had to be strict with ourselves. I’m not a morning person but I got into the groove of getting up around 9 and to campus by half ten, doing some interpreting practice in groups (mostly to get feedback which was one of the most important things for me), then do a couple of translation mocks and head to the gym, either after lunch or at lunch-time. This meant that by 6 I could call it a day, go home and relax. It was quite nerve-racking to try to keep up and improve my interpreting skills; there are so many different topics, many of which I’m unfamiliar with and don’t have the correct vocabulary for. I was just hoping I would get something I’d be comfortable with on the exam. I’ve learnt to bullshit my way through some speeches, but that’s not the point of interpreting.

Because days were so monotonous and not much of interest was going on, I made a point of organising stuff to do in the afternoon. I’m not going to lie, as the introvert I am, that mostly meant binge-watching Queer Eye but we also hung out as a course, did board game nights and I also managed to go for some food with Amélie, Vidushi and David, who was back in Bath from Mauritius to visit. It was cute to have part of the Brendon Gang reunited after five years!

The exams themselves were strange. Translation was alright; I didn’t really like the texts but I did what I could. We also had a heat-wave during revision time, which didn’t help with motivation and also made it a struggle to wear smart clothes to our interpreting exams… I was super nervous running up to exam week but once exams came round I’d reached that point of ‘I can’t be bothered with this anymore, I just want it over and done with’. I knew I wasn’t going to be great, but hey, English isn’t my mother tongue and I already knew French wasn’t my strongest language going into the masters, I just needed a pass. I just went into the lab, sat in front of a jury made up of 6 to 8 professional interpreters from different organisations and did my best. Once it was over it was time to finally celebrate with some drinks and a barbecue at Alan’s house. It was great to all hang out together, pretty much the whole group. Although we’d meet up throughout the week not everybody came along so it was nice to have most of the MAIT peeps together for an evening of bbq and drinkies. We made it to the end, folks.

I didn’t get exam results until the middle of July. I was happy with most of my marks, not amazing but not bad either. They averaged with my previous marks and were more or less what I expected. French interpreting was dire, but PSCI saved my overall average. And you know what, no re-sits needed! WOOHOO!

BUSMS BATH FRINGE

For the past few years, BUSMS has taken part in Bath Fringe, which generally takes place on the first week of June, right after Summerball. Rather than one, this time they decided to put on two shows: Tegan directed Ordinary Days (about the daily lives of four New Yorkers) and Angel directed [title of show], a play about writing a play.

Initially, I was only going to audition for cast. But because this was my last opportunity to be involved in a BUSMS production and because I knew it would be tough to get cast, I decided to increase my chances and try for producer. This was no mean feat, as it would mean producing both shows, not just one. One week of rehearsals. I landed the role and it was time to get going before exams.

It was pretty cool being on PT and getting to know all that goes on behind the scenes. It was sort of stressful because they were two productions to handle at the same time, there was drama with members dropping out and having to problem solve, room-changes, cross-casting and generally keeping track of everybody, what they needed, where they had to be, what they were meant to be doing. But despite the setbacks, it was a great experience and I’m amazed by how driven and hard-working BUSMS peeps are.

I loved sitting through auditions and seeing all the talent that BUSMS members have. I auditioned too, but it was fair enough they didn’t cast me as they wanted to involve as many people as possible and I was already on PT. It was also great to see the shows come together, to work with MDs and Directors to cater for the show needs and to push for sales. Rehearsal week was really intense; I had to sort out rehearsal times, room availabilities, props with no budget and changes in schedule as well as deal with the issues we faced, particularly with the [ToS] MD. But it all worked out in the end and I managed to squeeze in some dissertation translation in during the week too! Both shows sold out one performance each and cast was amazing! I can’t wait to watch the DVD!

Aftershow was in Oldfield which meant it very different from other times, but it was nice to hang out after a long week of hard work and say some last good-byes.

Alright, I have one more post coming at you soon, to finish the life updates. I can’t believe I’ve managed to do this blog thing during my whole university experience… No mean feat. Thanks for coming along!

Zoe x

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MAIT-5: London, Glasgow, Feminism and other shenanigans!

Hey y’all. Update number 3. We’re doing good.

LONDON

Back in March I went to visit Megs in London to make up for the missed birthday weekend due to the snow. It was a short visit but it was lovely to see her. I took the coach there after class (and watched some Queer Eye on the way), arriving on Friday night. She came to pick me up at Brixton because there’s nothing I hate more than arriving at a new place when it’s pitch black and having to take the bus when I can’t recognise my stop.

It was lovely to see Megs. She now lives with Hannah, a gal I met in Bath, in Herne Hill which turns out to be a really nice neighbourhood. We spent some time exploring East London, going to a few food and grocery markets and visiting some charity and vintage shops. We had also managed to score some tickets to the Dior exhibition at the V&A on the week that it opened and it was amazing! All the dresses were magical and I just really enjoyed the exhibition. I do love some costumes.

It was a short but sweet weekend and I knew I’d be back soon to visit.

EASTER BREAK: GLASGOW

During Easter break I decided to stay in the UK. Last year planned out really nicely, working in the library for a week and spending the second week in Athens. This time, I did a similar thing but went on a stay-cation with Megs (we decided it would be a stay-cation after seeing the prices of the trip to France we initially planned…). We booked flights and an Airbnb and spent a couple of days in Glasgow.

The city pleasantly surprised me. First of all, we were there during a heatwave so it literally felt like summer and it was sunny pretty much the whole time we were there, except for the last day. The city is a lot more industrial than Edinburgh, but Glaswegians are so friendly! Our Airbnb hosts were lovely and gave us a few recommendations, but we already had a list of places to visit and places to eat at, as we do.

We walked around loads, visited a few museums, took photos and ate our way through the city. I really liked the University, it felt like Hogwarts! And we also met up with Moni, my friend from Fécamp, who some of you might remember. It was so nice to see her and catch up with her over some coffee.

We also decided to visit Loch Lomond and so ended up taking the train to Balloch. Because the weather was so nice, the place was packed with families but it was still a welcome change from the city. We walked around and sunbathed by the shore.

Overall, I really enjoyed Glasgow. I’m sorry this time round I don’t have the full details of the trip, I do love writing travel posts, but if you’re planning on going to the city, drop me a message and I’ll see what I can do!

FEMINISM

This past year I’ve been trying to be more engaged with feminist activities and issues at the university. I took part in a few different events during International Women’s Week in March, including some lightning talks organised by the Gender Equality society. I really enjoyed these; they had different speakers talk about their experiences as women or allies, covering a wide range of topics such as rape, women in leadership, academia and BAME. During the week they also organised a ‘Reclaim the Night’ march from Southgate to Queen’s Square. A few of us gathered despite the rain, waving banners and listening to the speakers give their speeches when we arrived at the square.

Another campaign I have helped out with is the Free Periods campaign with Bath Minervas. They have been collecting sanitary product donations around campus using their red boxes (if you see them around, please donate!). We’ve then collected them all and delivered them to four different local charities. I helped deliver some donations to Julian House, who work to fight homelessness in Bath, quite a big issue in the city.

Finally, on the 23^rd of March was the annual Women in Leadership Conference. Unfortunately, one of the workshops I had signed up to had to be cancelled because the speaker couldn’t make it, but the four workshops I attended were great. I met a lot of strong women and learnt to further develop my skills. I learnt how to use LinkedIn effectively, learnt how to make my voice heard online at The Voice, learnt how to navigate a male-dominated space from a BAME female barrister and also how to work better as a leader in a leadership skills workshop. The day was really inspiring, meeting like-minded women and learning to support each other.

OTHER SHENANIGANS

During this past semester I also attended a few other events. I went to a talk on hate crime by author Nikesh Shukla which was so interesting! I definitely need to give his book a read! I also attended a talk on sustainability by Green EMP Scott Cato, on how the UK could be more sustainable in its policies.

But it wasn’t all talks. I did some volunteer singing with a few other BUSMS people at Manvers Street Church, a little concert for local elderly people which was lovely. On the same vein I pulled up the courage to sing ‘Kindergarten Boyfriend’ at the BUSMS Alumni Open Mic night at the Bell, which was a lovely evening catching up with former BUSMSers. There was the BUSMS Cabaret on the 15^th of Feb, which I followed by some belated Valentines drinks and random cake and tea at Genevieve and Saul’s house at 2am with other course mates… And of course, the BUSMS End of Year Meal, this time winning the ‘best multitasker’ award for producing two Fringe shows at the same time (more on that on a future post!). I do love the BUSMS End of Year Meal, it is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with everybody’s future plans and have a laugh before exams. I went to the Aquapella concert at Komedia with Leila and Megan, which was ah-mazing! They are just an incredibly talented bunch and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store (their album ‘Telos’ is now on Spotify, so give it a listen!). Georgia’s birthday at the Apex was also a lovely evening; Aquapella and a few others sang and we got to have a few fancy drinks. Finally, there were many-a-pub-quiz-nights with fellow MAIT and TPLS peeps, winning the price a few times because, you know, interpreters have to be on top of their game in all fields of life… And Saul gave us a tour of the city since he’s been working as a guide, just a wholesome afternoon with course friends and also, who knew there is echo in the middle of The Circus?

That’s all for this third post. Sorry that they have been a bit all over the place; because I’ve been covering so many months I haven’t been following the timeline but rather grouping topics together. I hope you’re enjoying them anyway and having a good summer!

Zoe x

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MAIT-4: mental health, career events and theatre!

I’m back with another instalment of Zoe’s Second Semester Saga.

Let’s begin by discussing MENTAL HEALTH. Fun.
As I’ve said, this past semester - heck, this past year- has been tough. Not only academically, really mining my confidence, but also mentally. Although I chose to stay on in Bath because the course there is so prestigious, I have to say this past year has been a bittersweet experience. I had an absolute blast during my final year as a BA student and this time round Bath felt like a whole different place. Most of my friends had graduated and gone off to do things in the world, or had left to go away on placement. Anyhow, there were only a handful of people left in Bath. Even those who were still around were really busy with kids, work or life in general. Fortunately, I got on with people on my new course and we made a point of doing stuff together: going for a much-needed end-of-the-week drink at Brew House, exploring on the weekends, meeting up for study sessions at Carpenter House, going to watch and support each other’s shows and performances. I’m really thankful for that. But man, my mental health went downhill this year.
I would get stressed about the course and then overwhelmed and then start feeling lonely and just want to cry in bed and not do anything. I tried doing all I could. I made myself eat proper meals, I kept going to the gym (which has been a Godsend this year, I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t gone to at least three classes a week), I tried to get my eight hours of sleep. But I still felt like shit and didn’t seem to get out of the hole. I didn’t feel like there was anybody in Bath that I could open up to (me not being one to talk about my feelings often) and my support network there was failing me. I would write about it and then I eventually just had a really bad breakdown and sent my parents a massive note I’d written on my phone. But I guess reaching out is the first step (and I’ve definitely been lucky in this, mind you). I must’ve freaked them out at first but my parents were really supportive and my Mum phoned and we chatted and she kept checking on me and so did my older sister, who also phoned me. Slowly they helped me get through and I also analysed how I was feeling and how to deal with it, which unfortunately for me basically meant pulling through until the end of the exams and once that was done (in about a month’s time), I knew I would start feeling better.
This past year has been weird. I’ve had a few panic attacks which freaked me out the first time they happened. And I probably felt the lowest I’ve ever been. But I’m proud to have got through it with the support of my family. One of my problems is that I don’t like to make mistakes or admit that I need help, but I had to ask for help to pull through and I’m glad I did. Onwards and upwards, right?

CAREER EVENTS

On a different note, a perk of doing the course at Bath is the networking. Interpreting for the institutions seems to be quite a small world, and this small world is full of Bath alumni. We were fortunate enough to have a few different people come over to give talks and lead workshops.
During inter-semester break (“break” lol), we had a series of translation workshops with former ECoJ translator Steve Slade, which were really interesting. We discussed different types of French texts and how we would go about translating them, as well as what the institutional translation exams are like. That week former EU interpreter Helen Campbell attended the PG course Open Day and we got the chance to also ask her questions about the institutions. Other alumni also attended the Open Day, chatting to us about their different career paths and what they did straight out of the course, a period which we are all understandably worried about. Michelle Keating, from the UN, also delivered some workshops on translation. Hers were interesting because she was the first to visit with experience working for the UN. It was really interesting to hear her talking about her long career path before actually passing the exams and how many turns our lives will likely take. 

Later on in the semester we had more interpreting workshops, both for consecutive and simultaneous, as well as meeting preparation workshops, with Marilena Iannidinardi and Reuben Imray, both EU interpreters, and Cecilia Giussani, from the UN. The workshops were tough but very useful and so was getting to ask practical questions on dealing with interpreting issues and about the institutional exams. They were encouraging but also realistic about their answers, which I appreciated.

THEATRE

To end this post on a happier note, this semester I also went to a lot of different theatre and musical theatre shows. Some I really enjoyed, others were just OK. I’d consider them a break from having to work continuously, which was a nice change.
In March I got to see Ian McKellen on his UK one-man tour for his 80th birthday. What goals. Being able to get to that age and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to do a UK tour of me just taking the stage and talking to people about my life and Shakespeare, just because I can’. It was great. My seat wasn’t the best, but it was amazing to see him onstage and interacting with the audience, performing Shakespeare monologues and also bringing in a little bit of Gandalf. Oh, and I got to get my programme autographed… 

I did two other trips to the Royal Theatre after that, the first to watch a play called ‘Home I’m Darling’ which I’d heard about on The Guilty Feminist. It was an interesting one, a mix of modern and 1950s aesthetic, discussing the married life of a couple. The stage was a two‑storey house, I’m not even kidding. It was like a dollhouse. The second show was The Rocky Horror Show in May. Such a nice break from studying; it was absolutely crazy! Ruadhán also went, decked in a Frank-N-Furter costume. The show was hilarious; I’ve never seen so much interaction with the audience before, so many die-hard fans! 

Another musical I was able to see before the end of the semester was Matilda, at the Bristol Hippodrome. I loved the parents and the swings on stage. I can definitely see why my nieces and nephew loved it so much! 

I also went along to a few BUST and BUSMS shows. The Laramie Project back in March was really touching; I thoroughly enjoyed the show even though it was really intense. I loved the angels and everybody was so talented! Legally Blonde was so much fun too. I made a point not to listen to the tracks beforehand or follow any rehearsal videos, so it was all a surprise. It was lovely to see BUSMS alumni and people who had been away on placement coming back for the aftershow and the actual show was impressive! So much hard work which paid off! Finally, I watched Encore, which brought back memories from the Leavers Song last year. So many BUSMSers have graduated this year too!

Well, that’s it for now. A bit of a random mix of topics but I think the next few posts will be the same kind of deal… See you next time!

Zoe x

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MAIT-3: Placement at the European Union and the second semester!

Wow. I have neglected this blog. A lot.
It has been absolutely ages since I updated the blog (like, last year?). This masters has been hectic, no joke. I had initially planned to start writing these updates back in Easter and that didn’t happen because I actually had a fair bit of work to catch up on. I re-attempted after my exams but with tight deadlines for my dissertation work and getting sucked into not actually doing anything when my real responsibilities were more or less dealt with, it’s now August and yet here I am. I can now work on the blog and update you on the whirlwind that the past few months have been. I will split this beast of an update into different posts, so you don’t end up on overload. You’re welcome. Here we go.
Let’s begin by rewinding all the way back to January… 

Back in January I only had two official exams, which were translation. They went quite well, although I’ll never forget the panic when I saw the title of one of the Spanish texts –‘El sarampión’ – and I though, omg, I have no clue what that is in English… But I was saved by the very short glossary stating what the MMR vaccine is. I decided to reward myself for the exams and work over the holidays with two trips to the cinema, to watch two historical films: The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots. I really liked both of them but The Favourite was, sure enough, my favourite *badumtsss*
We did have some interpreting mocks during revision week in January, which happened to be straight after my placement in Brussels. These were quite interesting… But more on that after I talk about my placement…

SCIC VISIT – PLACEMENT AT THE EUROPEAN UNION IN BRUSSELS

My placement was a 3 day study visit organised by DG LINC and DG SCIC (28th to 30th January). Since it was in Brussels and our hotel was paid from Sunday to Wednesday, Manon, Katie and I decided to take the Eurostar on the Saturday and spend an extra night so we could do some exploring. I hadn’t been to Brussels since first year and it felt like I was coming full circle, being back five years later to actually practice in the interpreting booths! Weather was not amazing and it rained (and snowed!), but we did some sightseeing nonetheless! Lots of chocolate samples and waffles were eaten and it just felt like a short but sweet interpreting holiday with my peers.
Actual placement was amazing though! Monday was induction day and we had different staff members give us talks about how the interpreting services work in the EU, what the recruitment process is like, how to prepare for meetings and actually prepare for our Wednesday meeting… It was all so interesting and we had all our questions answered. We went along with some students from Hungary whom we chatted with over lunch and they were so nice! Overall I really enjoyed the first day, it felt unreal!
On Tuesday we were scheduled to go to the European Parliament. It was insane to actually be in the booths while meetings were going on. We got to do some dummy interpreting in small groups for some meetings on the principle of sovereignty and also climate change. I attempted both ways, from Spanish and French to English, and from English to Spanish. It was really hard work and, although I really enjoyed it, I have quite a way to go until I feel confident enough to attempt the exams. Future goals though… 

Wednesday was our final day (I did say short but sweet). The meeting we had been assigned to that day was at the Europa Building, discussing some directives on consumer rights. It was very detailed and complicated, so we were all glad that we had done some meeting preparation beforehand. Our chaperone interpreters were all so friendly and encouraging; it was great to have the chance to ask questions about their careers and what it’s like to work for the institutions.
I think my placement was very useful. It gave me a real feel of what the daily life of an EU interpreter is like (and also a reality-check!). The path to the institutions will be a long one for me but I don’t mind, I have so much more to learn and experience and there is no hurry! I’m only 22…
In regards to the mocks, we had them straight after our placement. Literally, French was on Thursday. We were all super tired but made it to the test. However, that same evening it began snowing quite heavily, which meant the Spanish mocks on Friday had to be rearranged… It ended up being a relaxed day with fellow course mates out in the snow on Bathwick Fields, snowball fight and snowman included. Sadly, the snow also meant that I missed Megan’s birthday weekend in London, but I got to see her in March instead.

THE COURSE

This second semester was intense, like the first one. The bar was raised a fair bit, which I think caught quite a lot of us off-guard. It was now not just learning the technique, but applying it as well as possible. Because the course is so intense, we didn’t really have time to practice our technique and assimilate everything properly and that made us even more nervous about the exams coming up at the end of the semester… Again, we continued with the interpreting units, consecutive and simultaneous for both of our languages, as well as the two translation units. I continued to audit Editing and Revision, I don’t know how because I didn’t really have the time, but it was worth it if not simply for Teresa’s funny remarks in class. I also audited another module called ‘Using technology in the I&T industry’ which was essentially a crash course on MemoQ, a computer-assited translation tool. It was useful but I really have to sit down and practice with the software. 

This semester I had an optional extra interpreting module which was Public Service and Commercial Interpreting. Of course, I chose Spanish and English for it, why make my life any harder? It was fun but it also made me realise how rusty my Spanish has become. I just couldn’t conjure up the words I needed or I’d say a phrase that I knew sounded kind of weird… It’s hard to explain to someone who is not a linguist. How can you start to forget your mother tongue? But I was certainly out of practice, having spoken English for the better part of the last five years. I’m working on it again now, but it’s a slow process. HOW DO MULTILINGUALS DEAL WITH KEEPING UP ALL THEIR LANGUAGES? ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED! What I will say is thank-you for this module for boosting my average because some of my French final marks were dire…
A new element which was introduced this final semester were the mini-conferences. These were small UN-like meetings on different topics, in which some of us would act as delegates and others would be interpreters. They were useful practice as we would be in the booth with another team-member who maybe shared one language with you, but you were basically on your own and the delegates actually needed your interpretation to follow the discussion. It was fairly realistic, although I think we generally didn’t put as much effort as we should have because we didn’t have time to research the topics properly unless you were a delegate and had to make up speeches on the topic (which I was two or three times, both for Spanish and French-speaking countries). Some topics were more interesting than others, but overall they were tiring but useful two-hour sets of interpreting every fortnight (or more often depending on the rota!). 

That’s it for my first update, I will keep the rest coming until I’ve covered what I’ve been up to over the past few months. Thanks for being so patient!

Zoe x

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