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Staff Profile

Staff Profile

Dr JC Penet

Senior Lecturer in French and Translation Studies

Background

I am a Senior Lecturer in French and Translation Studies.

I joined Newcastle University's School of Modern Languages over a decade ago (after a stint at Dublin City University and the University of the West of England in Bristol).  I am the Director of the BA Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting (aka "DPD R9Q9" in the university's lingo).

Over the last ten years at Newcastle University, I have designed, developed and managed a number of new Translation Studies modules for our specialised translation programmes (BA and MA):

  • Translation Theory and Practice 1 (BA)
  • Translation Theory and Practice 2 (BA)
  • Translation Theory and Practice 3: Professional Issues (BA)
  • Translating for a Big Institution: The EU - A Case Study (MA)
  • Translator Entrepreneur (MA)

Nationally, I founded  APTIS (Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland) with Dr Olga Castro (Warwick) in 2016-17. Following our inaugural AGM, I became the Association's first President in September 2017 and remained in this post until November 2021. I am a Member of European Society of Translation Studies and CTER (Consortium for Translation Education Research).

I am an External Examiner for UG and PG programmes in Translation Studies at Leeds University (2019-23), The Open University (2020-24) and Swansea University (2021-25).

I am a recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's Education Excellence Award (2016) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Recent CPD:

  • CTER Training Seminar for Translation Teachers (Jagiellonian University Krakow, 2017)
  • International Summer School in Translation Technology (University of Leuven, 2018)
  • Effective Online Course Design (University of Oxford, 2020)
  • Enhancing Programme Leadership (Advance HE, 2021)




Research

My research interests lie in the field of Translator Education.


I am currently working on a new textbook for Routledge "Working as a Professional Translator" which is due for publication in 2023. It will form part the "Routledge Introductions to Translation and Interpreting" series edited by Dr Sergey Tyelenev (Durham University)


I also carry out action research as part of national and international projects. 


Current national research collaboration:

"The Personal Meets the Professional: Enhancing translator training with the use of emotional intelligence theory." Co-lead with Dr Maria Fernadez-Parra (Swansea University)


Current international research collaboration:

EFFORT ("Towards a European Framework of Reference for Translation"; Funded by Erasmus : 2020-23). Associate Partner. Lead: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.


CATO ("Competence Awareness in TranslatiOn"; 2018-date) - Pan-European project surveying MA Translation students' self-awareness of competences they are developing on their course (based on EMT Competence Framework). Lead: Université de Paris, France.


Past funded projects:

  • Translation Networks (2014-18)
  • NU InterComs - Intercultural Competence for University Students (2016-19)


In September 2019, I organised the international conference "Inside the Academy/Outside the Academy" at Newcastle University (23-24 November). This conference explored the ways in which academic research can support professional translation and how current professional practices outside academia can be integrated into translator training programmes.


I regularly host webinars on translator education for the Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies Studies (APTIS).

Teaching

I teach at both UG and PG level. I teach the main theories of translation, professional and socio-cultural aspects of translation as well as institutional translation. I also teach more practical (workflow-related) aspects of translation such as CAT tools, project management, terminology management and quality control.


2021-22 Teaching:

BA Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting:

  • TRI1002: Translation Theory & Practice 1 (Module Leader)
  • TRI2002: Translation Theory & Practice 2 
  • TRI4002: Translation Theory & Practice 3 (Module Leader)

MA Translation & MA Professional Translation for European Languages:

  • SML8023: Profession, Processes and Society (Module Leader)
  • SML8024: Translator Entrepreneur (Module Leader)
  • SML8025: Translating for a Big Institution: The EU - A Case Study (Module Leader)


I regularly supervise BA (final-year) and MA dissertations in the field of Translation Studies. More specifically, I welcome dissertation projects on the following topics:

  • Translation and/in Industry e.g. Translation in the age of language technology/automation; Translation Quality Assurance [especially the gap between academia and the industry]; Collaborative translation and crowdsourced translation; Institutional translation; User-centred approaches to translating; Video-game translation/localisation; New trends emerging in language industry etc.
  • Translator skills/competences e.g. Role of  (inter)cultural competence in translator competence; role of emotion in translator competence [psychological dimensions] etc.
  • Translators and/in society e.g. Translators' (professional) sub-cultures and identities; Translation and (self-)censorship; Translation as a form of cultural appropriation? etc.
Publications