Project Manager Ben leads the translation workshop
Ben leads the translation workshop

Taking place in over 100 countries with over 10 million participants worldwide, Global Entrepreneurship Week is the largest global movement of entrepreneurs. Its objective is to inspire and support the nation’s budding entrepreneurial talent. As part of the week-long programme, pupils from Tapton School in Sheffield were given the opportunity to experience life in the translation industry. Our Director and founding TransAction team member, Maryline Tergella, opened the visit by discussing the workings of a translation agency and the vital role played by our freelance translators.


Pupils Jo, Elsa and Michael during the translation workshop
Year 9 pupils Jo, Elsa and Michael

Inspiring students to consider using their language skills to start their own business as freelance translators or interpreters is in keeping with Global Entrepreneurship Week’s focus to encourage entrepreneurship. The scheme’s motto is ‘Make a job, don’t take a job’, a 1% increase in self-employment rates would boost the UK’s GDP by around 1.5% and add approximately £22bn to the UK economy.

Year 9 Tapton pupil Elsa with Project and Marketing Manager Annika
Elsa with Project and Marketing Manager Annika

The visit provided the Year 9 class with an insight into life in the translation industry. The pupils were given the chance to see Optical Character Recognition and Translation Memory software in action before they tried their hand at their very own translation project. One student, Emma, who is considering continuing with Spanish at GSCE level commented that working as a translator ‘would give you the chance to work with both language and business at the same time’. Delphine Glize, a French and Spanish teacher and Head of Modern Languages at Tapton School was also eager to underline the importance of such events to motivate students ‘to consider the many benefits that learning a language can bring to their professional and personal lives’.

The TransAction team with our visitors from Tapton School
Tapton Students and the TransAction team

We will be hosting another event later this week: one of 4,000 taking place across the UK to celebrate and encourage entrepreneurship. ‘Hosting events such as these is an essential way of opening students’ eyes to the importance of languages in the world of work’, Maryline remarked, ‘as it allows students to see beyond textbooks and to realise how they can put their knowledge to use in the real world.’

More information on Global Entrepreneurship Week can be found on their website.