Lexacom English Law Course

About six months ago I decided that I want to specialise in legal translation. Having no legal background at all I quickly concluded that a short training course was the way to go. Not only would this be the perfect way to test the waters, but it would also give me the opportunity to learn something valuable for my future career; not to mention, the opportunity to meet other translators and interpreters in working in my chosen field.

So began the task of seeking out a course. A Google search returned plenty of results, but only two offers really caught my eye: the City University range of legal translation courses and the Lexacom Legal English courses run by David Hutchins. The City University courses were certainly the less expensive option, but they didn’t start again until September, so not an appealing option. I investigated the Lexacom option. David Hutchins’ Lexacom courses were advertised on the ITI (Institute of Translating and Interpreting) website so I knew they would be high quality, and David Hutchins’ professional experience was certainly impressive. I had made my choice.

The day of the Lexacom course turned out to be yet another of those rain again shine again days we have been having for weeks now, but that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I was the first to arrive at the venue, St. Giles Hotel, being characteristically cautious about delays (my mother’s influence), and was met by David Hutchins. His welcoming demeanour and light (but topical) conversation put me at ease as the other delegates arrived.

Course Review

The Facilities

The course was held at the St. Giles Hotel conference centre less than two minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station, a very convenient location. Not so convenient were the stairs down to the conference centre, but I can’t complain too much about a little exercise. Inside the conference centre was well presented and comfortable. We could even adjust the air-conditioning from inside our meeting room.

The Lunch

By lunchtime I was quite hungry, so I was looking forward to a proper meal. The original plan was to go to a Thai restaurant; as it turned out, we were to be guinea pigs for testing out a new restaurant, the Cote Brasserie on Charlotte Street. I was particularly pleased about this as, having had a few bad experiences, I am not particularly enthusiastic about Thai food. The restaurant was a few minutes walk from the conference centre, and luckily we made our way there in a patch of sunshine. The course fee included a two course meal. I ordered a marinated artichoke and goat’s cheese salad to start, slightly spiced char grilled chicken with a bean salad for main, and a dark chocolate and crème fraîche pot added on at the end. Every single course was perfectly flavoured and the perfect size.

The People

Having worked part-time at a hotel offering conferences for three and a half years, I am used to conferences entirely populated by middle-aged men. However, professional translation is populated by a wonderful variety of people. This was reflected by the translators and interpreters attending the course: they were a range of nationalities and ages, all with a passion for translation. Everyone was easy to talk to, interesting and very willing to impart their wisdom to a newcomer like me. I quickly relaxed from my initial nervous state.

The Course

I am interested in law and legal translation, even so there was never a moment in which my mind wandered because there was always a new fact or link or piece of terminology to note down. The course was never once dry and the atmosphere was comfortable. We were all encouraged to contribute and ask questions if we didn’t understand anything.

David explained the legal concepts clearly, especially when answering a question. He gave examples and linked concepts to each other, an approach I found helped me to remember terms more readily. I never felt that anyone’s question was off-topic or unhelpful because David’s answers always related back to the work we were doing and contributed interesting new information.

David Hutchins is not only knowledgeable about legal matter but also appreciates the distinctions translators need to understand, for example, the different spelling of judgement/ judgment. The materials for the course were clear and well presented but I still had plenty of notes to add to them as we progressed through the day. Although we didn’t quite manage to finish all the material, I got so much information that it will take a couple of days before I can think through it all properly.

I will end with a short note on rates. The course cost around £150. From my previous experience, I know that for a full day conference, including breaks and lunch this is a fair price. Add to that the small class size (we were 9) and David Hutchins’ expertise and high-quality teaching skills, the course is outstanding value.

Conclusions

Highly Recommended: I can’t wait to put what I’ve learnt into practice.

Never Assume

I’ll start with a little background to this post: I am currently applying for jobs, internships and training schemes, as well as building my profiles on networking websites. This means that I have been fine-tuning my CV to show off the skills that are most relevant to translation (French and Spanish to English). I made a few mistakes:

I assumed that potential employers would realise I have a high level of French because I wrote that I am expecting a high Merit/ Distinction for my MA. Apparently not.

I assumed that potential employers would realise that I left two of my jobs when I went to university and one when I moved to France because the dates coincided. Apparently not.

A very kind friend who looked over my CV said the above had completely escaped her and she was making an effort to see the positives. She also pointed out that I had hardly mentioned my French skills.  ‘You’ve said France once.'  

Although she thought my CV was impressive, she was also surprised that I hadn’t mentioned that I have lived in France. Again I had assumed; this time, that since I had mentioned my time in France in my cover letter, potential employers would read this and get this information there. Again, apparently not.

The moral of this story is twofold. Firstly, never assume that someone will understand something you have not stated. Even if it seems obvious to you, potential employers read hundreds of CVs and will not make the connections you want them to without a helping word or two. Secondly, ask a friend, one you know will be honest, to read your CV and pick holes in it. Only someone who knows you well, but isn’t you, can see the potentially important facts that you have missed or assumed the potential employer would realise. 

Writing Clearly: Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace

When my dad read my dissertation, I could see the lines of concentration on his forehead getting deeper and deeper. This is not what I want when someone reads my work. I don't want to give them a headache. Since writing clearly has never been one of my strengths, I invested in a book on the subject: Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace by Williams and Colomb.

My dissertation was my first test subject. I took a paragraph, which, reading it back almost a year after graduating, I struggled to understand, and edited it according to the advice in the book...

Original:

I begin with a brief overview of definitions of Servitium Amoris provided by current scholarship.  I will focus on the works of Copley and Oliver Lyne since they have both written extensively on Roman Love Elegy and specifically on Servitium Amoris. In his paper on Servitium Amoris, Copley highlights this theme as central to Roman Love Elegy; for him the Roman Love Elegists make it ‘a veritable doctrine of love’ in which ‘servitium is virtually a synonym for amor.’ He emphasises as the defining feature of the theme ‘the lover’s humility and abasement’ in performing tasks more suited to a slave as a demonstration of his love. Oliver Lyne likewise emphasises the ‘degradation... humiliation and abasement’ essential to Servitium Amoris, though he argues that the state illustrated by the theme is more realistic and pertinent than has previously been conceded. Lyne affirms that the Roman love elegists expressed romantic love which I will demonstrate is akin to our modern understanding of the romantic concept. The accuracy of Lyne and Copley’s assessment of the importance of Servitium Amoris within Roman Love Elegy will be demonstrated throughout this dissertation; however, it is possible to achieve a more precise definition of Servitium Amoris. (212 words)

Edited Version:

Firstly, I will analyse how scholars define Servitium Amoris.  Copley and Oliver Lyne have not only written extensively about Roman Love Elegy but also specifically on Servitium Amoris. Copley highlights Servitium Amoris as a central theme of Roman Love Elegy, a theme displaying ‘a veritable doctrine of love’ in which ‘servitium is virtually a synonym for amor’, involving a lover who demonstrates his love through servile acts demonstrating ‘humility and abasement’. Oliver Lyne likewise emphasises the ‘degradation... humiliation and abasement’ of Servitium Amoris, but argues that it is more realistic than has previously been conceded. Lyne affirms that the Roman love elegists expressed romantic love; I will demonstrate that it is Servitium Amoris specifically that is akin to the modern romantic concept. Lyne and Copley assess the importance of Servitium Amoris in Roman Love Elegy accurately, as will be demonstrated by this dissertation; however, Servitium Amoris can be more precisely defined. (156 words)

Frustratingly, I struggled to reduce my word count when I was editing my dissertation. I was obviously making life more difficult for myself than necessary and had I used some of the techniques explained in the book (such as avoiding nominalisation and putting the topic at the beginning of the sentence) I could have easily cut words and included more relevant information.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their writing style and their awareness of how they structure their work.

Why am I starting a blog?

Don't worry, I am aware that a blog shouldn’t be all about the writer... Having said that, I would like to christen this blog with a short explanation of the motivations behind it.

Firstly, the super-source that is the internet offers access to a wide range of interesting, useful and inspiring blogs. I enjoy reading other people’s blogs and would like to be able to engage readers as they do. Blogs are not only springboards for interesting conversations, but they are also incredibly informative. They give advice, share solutions to common problems and create a virtual community.

Secondly, I need to practise writing coherently. Hopefully this motivation won’t put off too many of you right away. Although I write well, I would like to practise writing for two main reasons. I want people to easily understand what I write so that we can engage in meaningful exchanges and I need people to understand what I write because I am a translator - being able to skilfully manipulate my target language is an essential skill.

Thirdly, everyone needs a creative outlet. When I was younger it was creative writing. When I am at home it is crafting or DIY. Now, as I am travelling, I need something more compact. So back to writing it is.

Finally - I’m sure there are a fourthly and a fifthly, but I can’t think of them right now - I would like to continuously improve my writing skills and practice makes perfect. 

This blog will probably end up being quite language and translation focused but I don’t intend to limit it too much. It will include helpful guides, reviews, reports and other thoughts.

If this really was too painful a read, I would welcome constructive comments from anyone.