Master-Class by Paolo Torrigiani at the Caspian Higher School of Interpreting and Translation

Last week, MA students of the Caspian Higher School of Interpreting and Translation had an opportunity to practise interpretation together with Paolo Torrigiani, the Head of the Italian Unit of the Directorate-General for Interpretation of the European Commission.

Although the second-year MA students have already participated in such master classes, for the first-year ones it was a real acquaintance with the future profession. They could not only get some useful advice but also understand some challenges of their future work and how to address them. Some of the MA students have changed not only their vision of the future profession, but also of how they should organize their studies in order to fully develop their skills in all types of interpreting and translation.

During the classes, Paolo Torrigiani told the students about the peculiarities of the interpreter's profession, gave examples from his own wide experience, advised on how to avoid excessive emotional stress, as well as told the first-year MA students about the principles of note-taking in consecutive interpretation.

Paolo Torrigiani had prepared an intensive programme for the second-year students, including simultaneous and consecutive interpretation of speeches on relevant issues. He also focused on the self-training technique, the importance of constant self-development, gave some practical advice on memory technique improvement, teamwork and compiling glossaries. Paolo answered numerous questions of the students about interpreter's note-taking technique improvement, stress management during interpreting, voice training for consecutive and simultaneous interpretation and professional ethics.

Paolo Torrigiani acted as a teacher and motivator, guiding future interpreters to achieve better results. The master class was preceded by an event that appeared to be a challenge for the first-year MA students — an aptitude test. During this exam, Paolo was getting acquainted with each of the MA students. Together with the School trainers, he evaluated their skills that are extremely important for mastering the profession of an interpreter — foreign and native language skills, memory, analyzing skills, background knowledge and many others.

Paolo Torrigiani is a true professional in his field. He not only shares his experience with MA students but also teaches them to love their job and move forward constantly, proving by his example that an interpreter never stops learning and developing.