Program for Improving the Employability of Translation and Interpreting Graduates: A Case Study

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the content of the program for improving the employability of Translation and Interpreting graduates, implemented at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) between the courses of 2011–2012 and 2014–2015. The purpose of the program was to improve the professional insertion of graduates, not only to increase the chances of employability, which among our graduates is very high, but it also aimed that the graduates could obtain an adequate position and remuneration with the studies carried out. Interventions of various types were designed to achieve this purpose so that students can know how the labor market can work — specialties, workflow, accounting, and tax management. With those interventions, they become aware of their abilities; they can provide the necessary documents for an active job search, like a professional portfolio, a curriculum, and a motivation letter; the students can choose the entrepreneurship path because they are familiar with the construction of a professional or commercial project. The actions carried out consisted of lectures, workshops, visits to companies, curricular practices, preparation of the final course work related to an entrepreneurial project, practical classes, conducting a skills test, dissemination of job offers, and personalized tutorials.