Resources to support outreach work

Interested in getting involved with outreach work but unsure where to start or what is required? Don't worry, there's a whole section on our website dedicated to outreach, providing members with the support and guidance you need to get involved.

Schools, universities, business and networking groups – ITI members have been actively promoting the translation and interpreting professions through outreach activities in these settings for many years. Many of the ITI Networks have formed strong relationships with local educational establishments and a number of our Corporate members already go out to universities to talk to students about career opportunities. 

Members have lots of reasons for wanting to get involved in outreach work. For many, being able to communicate their love of languages and of translation or interpreting to a younger generation gives them great satisfaction, and a feeling of being able to “give something back” to the profession. With the decline of language learning in schools, anything that we can do to inspire interest and enthusiasm among primary and secondary schoolchildren is incredibly valuable, and we often hear positive experiences from our members who have gone in to speak to their children’s schools or taken part in careers events.

Others are happier giving more practical advice about getting started in the industry, or sharing their experiences of changing to a translation or interpreting career at a later stage in their life. There’s nothing quite like hearing the real-life stories of a language practitioner alongside your academic studies to prepare you for life after university!

Many members have previously worked in other roles prior to becoming a translator or interpreter, and are keen to help the business community increase their understanding of how using professional language services can help them grow their business. Writing blogs and speaking to networking groups are just a couple of ways in which our members have helped companies to better understand how to approach finding and working with a translator or interpreter.

In short, there are lots of different outreach opportunities out there; it’s a case of having a think about which is the right one for you. Outreach work also counts towards your CPD so make sure you log any outreach activity that you undertake!

Alongside outreach opportunities that our members have created, there are also other organisations with existing outreach programmes in place. You may have heard about the inspiring work being done by Shadow Heroes, and the Stephen Spender Trust and Queen’s College Translation Exchange both offer opportunities for ITI members to get involved. Every year in September World Kid Lit month is celebrated, with a focus on promoting children's literature in translation amongst young people. Business Language Champions have established strong relationships with a number of schools and the Inspiring the Futures programme matches up volunteers with schools across a whole range of sectors.

To find out more about outreach, the different opportunities that exist, and to access resources to help you on your way, there's a Member outreach section on the ITI website. It's only accessible to members so you’ll need to log in to view it. A number of the resources have been provided by existing ITI members and we would like to extend our thanks to them for their support. 

Take a look and have a think about how you might be able to get involved in outreach over the coming months.