Multilingual & Multicultural Master Student meets TermCoord

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TowersAB_PEThe perks of studying ‘Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Context’ are numerous. The MA programme offers its students, inter alia, internationally held courses and symposia, lectures with renown international experts and valuable connections to the private and public sector, including the European Institutions, enabling the students to gain work experience through short-term internships.

Accordingly, I had the opportunity to do a 3-weeks study visit at the TermCoord Department of the European Parliament in January 2016 during which I was focussing on terminology research. Having done the study visit after the first semester of the MA programme, I had not yet followed a course about Terminology at the University of Luxembourg. Nonetheless, even though my prior knowledge of terminology was rather basic, I was eager to gain a practical experience in a new field and a new institution which I could later deepen with a theoretical course.

This probably unconventional approach allowed me to acquire most of my knowledge of terminology and terminology research by means of action-oriented learning. During my three weeks at the TermCoord Unit I had the opportunity to do terminology research, IATE work and collecting terminology resources, learning not only about terminology itself but also about the practical use and application of terminology research. Moreover, I gained an insight in TermCoord´s additional tasks, such as coordinating and preparing terminology projects for translation trainees or organizing training sessions and workshops. The study visit also allowed me to spend one morning in the French translation unit, learning at first hand about the work procedures of translation work for the European Parliament

The advantages of my ‘practice-before-theory’ approach are, that when I start following a course on ‘Terminology in the EU’ I will be able to revise, deepen and build on the knowledge that I have previously acquired. From experience, I know that theoretical knowledge tends to be more easily lost and forgotten if one cannot link it to existing emotional or practical memories. Having this practical relevance prior to starting the lectures will surely increase the learning experience. Accordingly, I feel that I was and will be able to profit to a maximum from the opportunities offered by the University and the European Parliament regarding the field of Terminology.

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Thanks to the connections of the Master in ‘Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts’ at the University of Luxembourg with the European Parliament, students following this programme have the amazing chance to make such valuable experiences and to benefit to the most of their study time in Luxembourg. I especially appreciated how welcoming and supporting my supervisor, Viola Laci-Pongracz and the other trainees and staff were, helping creating an unforgettable and valuable experience of my 3-weeks study visit in the TermCoord Department.

If you have the opportunity to do this study visit, you should definitely grasp it.

 

 admin-ajax.phpWritten by Vera Rosa Seitz
Study visitor at TermCoord

 

 

 

Read more on how to apply for a Study Visit at TermCoord here.

And if you are interested in applying for a traineeship at TermCoord click here, and at any other EU institution here.