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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY, 2018
LANGUAGE
Perhaps you have a document
that you need to
translate from a foreign language into English (or
fromEnglish to another language), but you don’t know
where to get this done.The Caribbean Interpreting and
Translation Bureau can do it. Located on the UWI St.
Augustine Campus for the past ten years, the CITB
offers translation and interpreting services tomembers
of the university community, as well as to the public.
This office has handled translations of every
type, in numerous subject areas. Documents can be
short and simple – for instance birth certificates,
academic certificates, letters or police reports; or they
can be lengthier reports or papers. Recently, Spanish
subtitling was provided for the local film “Green Days
by the River.” All translations are certified, and CITB
is one of only two institutions in the country officially
recognized by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
as a provider of this service.
Proof-reading of translations is another of our
services.
If a client is seeking to do business in another
country or to deal with a legal matter abroad, CITB
has the capability to provide official translations
into a number of foreign languages, including
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Japanese,
Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Interpreting is a key component in the package of
services. Currently, most requests for interpreting are
handled locally, but if there are no local interpreters
to work in a specific language pair, professionals are
sourced from a larger network outside the country.
Interpreting services have been provided to a wide
variety of clients such as government ministries,
regional and international bodies such as CARICOM
and the United Nations, as well as private sector
Nothing Lost in
Translation
CITB
Marks Ten Years
organizations, at events ranging from one day to
weeks in duration, and can cover any number of
subjects. Even private individuals have access to
interpreting services to conduct their personal
business, which can include marriages and court
appearances.
In 2005, the University acquired professional
interpreting booths and a state-of-the-art wireless
interpreting system, which was later supplemented
by additional booths and a new digital interpreting
system. This means that more than one conference
can be handled at the same time, or in the case of
very large events, there can be up to 24 interpreters
working in three separate rooms at the same time in
multiple languages.
CITB is closely associated with the Postgraduate
Diploma in Interpreting that is offered every two
years. Its first intake was in 2006, and graduates of the
programme have played a key role in the interpreting
services offered by CITB. There are 11 UWI-trained
interpreters and six translators currently working.
CITB was meant to be an incubator for language
students seeking to make a career in the field of
foreign languages.
As UWI celebrates its 70th anniversary, and
the Centre for Language Learning marks its 20th
anniversary, CITB can be proud that after just 10 years
it has become a leader in translation and interpreting
regionally.
Themain translationoffice is located inRoom327,
Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics,
in the Faculty of Humanities and Education, where
you can bring in translation requests – simply walk
in with your documents, make a downpayment, and
collect the translation in a couple business days.
CITB can be proud that after just 10 years it has become
a leader in translation and interpreting regionally.
For The Good Times
Time is running out for you
to catch
the exhibition currently mounted by the
Campus Museum Committee on the
Ground Floor of the Alma Jordan Library.
It’s called Time at St. Augustine and it
will be open until February 9. The display
includes a selection of mainly analogue
time-measuring devices used at the Campus
in administration, scientific experiments
and musical applications. Two vintage
clocks stand guard over the exhibition as
guardians of time.
Dr. Glenroy Taitt, of the Committee,
credits the display to the work of the
“Campus Museum Committee, Amy
Baksh, our former OJT who conducted
the fieldwork, Students of HIST 1901
Introduction to Heritage Studies (Semester
I, 2017-2018), and staff of the West Indiana
and Special Collections Division of the
Alma Jordan Library.”
“Our initial collaboration with the new
Heritage Studies programme is consistent
with one of our goals: the integration of the
Museum into the teaching programmes on
the campus,” he said.
