Universities Contact Group
Higher Education engagement with international organisations – collaboration between trainers and employers
The Universities Contact Group (UCG), International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP) and Working Group on Training (WGT)
The International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications, originally set up by the UN some 30 years ago, currently represents all major international organisations and is the forum for the Heads of the Language and Conference Services of these organisations. Its secretariat is in the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It meets once a year to discuss issues affecting all IOs, such as the status of the language professions, quality management, performance indicators, new technologies, shortages of skills, training and other related issues.
The Universities Contact Group is part of IAMLADP and its Working Group on Training (WGT). UCG acts as a liaison point between universities from around the world and international organisations (IOs). Comprised of representatives from both groups, it aims to facilitate cooperation between the two in professional language skills training.
IAMLADP and WGT are vigorously promoting co-operation with universities as they fully understand that training in language skills relevant to IOs starts at universities. The last decade saw many IO staff take retirement ─ in some cases the careers of senior staff went back to the 1960s. This departure of staff has created a shortage of language skills and linguists in IOs which has become acute and is likely to become more so in the next decade. English-mother-tongue linguists are in particularly short supply. Therefore international organisations are looking into ever closer links with universities regarding language skills training. IOs are seeking recruits and are ready to provide expert advice on curricula, hands-on training in relevant skills, and work experience. Universities are now increasingly offering training courses to the staff of IO language services and organising training initiatives at the lowest possible cost.
UCG has two Co-Chairs representing international organisations and universities respectively. The chairs rotate every three to four years to ensure even representation between interpreting and translation/documentation sectors. The current (2007-2011) Co-Chairs are:
Helen Campbell – DG Interpretation SCIC, European Commission
Svetlana Carsten – University of Leeds, the National Network for Interpreting and Professional Languages at Universities Group, UK
The Group meets once a year in Brussels to report on its activities and to propose a new mandate to the International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP) and its Working Group on Training (WGT).
More on UCG
More on IAMLADP
Information on training provision of IO staff
