Bath alumna Morag Neath is the Head of the English and Irish Interpreting Unit at the European Commission, managing a large team of interpreters and regularly interpreting a staggering five languages into English at a wide range of summits and committee meetings.
Read on to discover how her studies at Bath set her up to thrive in this challenging and rewarding career path.
Why did you choose to study at Bath?
I was lucky enough to be able to do both French and Italian as part of my Highers at school in Scotland and was looking for a university where I could study both languages.
There weren’t many courses that offered Italian, and most of those that did were only ab initio which didn’t interest me.
I also didn’t want a very traditional literature-heavy course, which is why the joint BA Modern Languages and European Studies really appealed. I loved the range of modules on offer and the prospect of a year abroad.
Did you have a particular career in mind when you chose your course?
I knew I wanted a career with languages but, beyond teaching, I didn’t really know what other options there were.
The interpreting taster module in the final year looked really interesting and that set me on a career path to becoming a conference interpreter.
Bath’s MA Interpreting and Translating (MAIT) (the equivalent during my time at the University being the PGDip) has the best track record of any English-speaking university when it comes to training interpreters to work for the EU institutions. That’s why I decided to stay on after my BA and do the postgrad at Bath as well.
Can you tell us about your experience of studying here?
Coming from Edinburgh, Bath reminded me a lot of home, with similar beautiful Georgian architecture and surrounding nature – but with a lot more sun!
I enjoyed a lot of the sports clubs in the first year – from kayaking to swimming – and tried out things like jiu jitsu, but I also had a great social life which took up most of my free time.
Bath is a nice compact city with a lot going on, and if you want a bigger city with even more happening then Bristol is just a short train journey away.
Whenever I visit Bath, I always walk up the hill to the University across the fields and stop to admire the views. I love the Bath skyline walk.
Describe your career journey since graduating.
After completing the PGDip in Conference Interpreting and Translation (now the MAIT), I did a couple of translation traineeships with the European Parliament and Commission, along with some freelance interpreting and translation work, before getting my first staff interpreting job working for a small organisation in Brussels.
I worked there for three years and then passed a competition for conference interpreters at the European Commission where I have worked ever since, becoming Head of the English and Irish Interpreting Unit almost three years ago.
I work from French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish into English. I still work two days a week in the booth interpreting from all my languages in a wide range of meetings from summits to technical Commission committees. The rest of my time is spent managing a team of over 50 staff interpreters, and some 180 freelance interpreters, who work from the 24 official languages of the EU into English.
How did your studies help you to develop, professionally and/or personally?
There was a large European studies component to the BA course which has stood me in good stead in my career as an interpreter for the EU institutions. I spent my year abroad at Dijon University which really consolidated my French.
During the postgrad, I was lucky enough to go on a six-week placement at the European Parliament’s translation service in Luxembourg which led to further placements after the end of the course.
One of the great things about the postgrad, now MAIT, is that it’s a joint interpreting and translation course which teaches you both skills; some are better at one than the other, but they are mutually beneficial.
The EU and UN support the course and send trainers and examiners which is a great way to form contacts and a bridge between university and the world of work.
What advice would you give to prospective students thinking about studying your course at Bath?
I can highly recommend both the BA and MAIT at Bath.
Despite Brexit there are still career opportunities for native English speakers in Europe and of course working for other international organisations such as the UN.
If you love learning languages and want a varied and rewarding career in a multicultural environment, then conference interpreting may well be for you. No two days are ever the same; you work as part of a team, you get to travel and discover new places and you never stop learning!
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