Bianca
and Francesca met as interpreting colleagues, fellow researchers and interpreter trainers at the Johannes-Gutenberg University of
Mainz/Germersheim in 2017. Brought
together by our common passion for conference interpreting and
pedagogy, we soon started collaborating on our courses. Together,
we developed training materials, designed new methods to increase
classroom engagement, observed each other's classes providing feedback
and engaged in discussions with our
students to improve our methods.
Indeed, times are a-changing and may challenge our plans. Francesca was planning to move to China
and our research and interpreting work was demanding more and more of
our time. However, all difficulties didn't change our determination to work together on creating systematic courses based on sound
pedagogical principles.
If we wanted to keep doing what we loved, we
had to find a way to overcome spatial and temporal limitations and make our courses available to anyone, at any time,
anywhere. We started off developing online and blended-learning courses on our research topics and then moved on to providing online coaching as a team.
As we received invitations to provide seminars and courses as a
team with increasing frequency, an idea started to take shape... We were going to develop an online
interpreting academy — a space where we could
create and share innovative courses. We would stay loyal to our systematic, research-based approach to teaching and spice it up with a fresh, playful style. Through our courses, we
were going to help our students learn effectively while having fun! Nevertheless, we would provide each student with personalised guidance and concrete solutions to their
individual needs. Our online academy would be their academy.
This is how we chose its name: InterpreMY— my interpreting academy.
More
and more people are now joining us and supporting us with their expertise and advice. Our trusted advisors, testing our
courses before their release and providing us with insightful feedback,
make it possible for us to implement our continuous-improvement cycle and make our courses more effective and engaging.
Conference Interpreter (MA) PhD candidate and Trainer
Interpreting Technology Expert
Bianca graduated summa cum laude in Interpreting (MA) from the University of Bologna/Forlì in 2015. Her working languages are Italian, English and German. She is a member of the German association of Conference Interpreters (VKD). Over the past 5 years, Bianca has been researching Computer-Assisted Interpreting (CAI), both from a pedagogical and a cognitive standpoint. She is currently a PhD candidate at the JGU of Mainz/Germersheim. As of November 2020, she will join the teaching staff of the Certificate Course Interpreting with new media at the Postagraduate Center of the University of Vienna.
Francesca Maria Frittella
Conference Interpreter (MA) and Trainer
Instructional Design Specialist
Francesca graduated in Conference Interpreting (MA) from the Johannes-Gutenberg University of Mainz. Her working languages are Italian, German, English and Chinese. She concluded her first research project on the Simultaneous Interpretation of numbers publishing a book on the topic in 2017. She then conducted research on effective Instructional Design practices to facilitate the acquisition of interpreting skills. She continues developing her knowledge and skills in e-Learning Design.
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