Traducthon

Initial situation

Several recurring observations led to the development of the project. On the one hand, courses on the technical aspects of translation, project management, and related technologies are often taught in isolation, without any real opportunity for cross-disciplinary application. On the other hand, students express the need to better connect this theoretical knowledge to realistic situations, allowing them to experience its relevance and complementarity.

Furthermore, discussions with alumni reveal a gap between the training received and employers’ expectations, particularly regarding soft skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and problem solving. These skills have become crucial in the recruitment process but remain difficult to work on formally in 90-minute classes.

In this context, the translation marathon was designed as a space and time dedicated to actively experimenting with these skills. It also breaks down barriers between teaching units and encourages interaction between students from different Master’s programs and different working languages by bringing them together around a common project.

Project implementation

The translation marathon takes place over a day and a half, on a Friday afternoon followed by a full Saturday. It involves around fifty students divided into five teams of ten people. Each team is given a translation assignment based on a real-life project, with a substantial corpus of around 30 pages on a topic with a strong societal dimension—in this case, a strategic document on gender equality, originally produced by a Swiss institution.

Friday is devoted to setting up the project. After an introductory session explaining the process and possible roles, students are assigned their tasks based on three preferences they have expressed in advance. Five main roles are defined within each team: project manager, technology specialist, terminologist, translator, and reviser. Intergroup sub-teams are formed for terminologists and technology specialists to facilitate methodological exchanges. A final cross-functional team is responsible for communication: it conducts interviews, takes photos, posts on social media, and documents the experience from the inside.

On Saturday, the teams enter the operational phase. Using the initial corpus and a detailed roadmap, they must divide up the work, draw up a quote, prepare the translation using a memory from the previous version of the text, extract thematic terminology, and produce the final translation. The entire process relies on the use of professional tools already covered in class (CAT software, terminology databases, comparative analysis systems, etc.). The activity concludes with a brief oral presentation by each team, focusing on the problems encountered, the solutions implemented, and the group dynamics, followed by a social gathering and an awards ceremony highlighting the cross-disciplinary skills observed: best budget management, team spirit, customer communication, creativity, and stress management.

Assessment is based on the students’ active participation throughout the translation marathon and their involvement in the oral presentation. No written work is required, but an evaluation questionnaire must be completed at the end of the event.

Thoughts and advice

The first edition of the translation marathon was a resounding success, both from the perspective of the students and the teachers involved. The activity helped to strengthen cohesion among the master’s students, break down barriers between different courses, and create a dynamic learning space where everyone was able to acquire practical skills for their future profession. One of the most appreciated aspects was the collaborative and non-hierarchical atmosphere: students were able to see that the teachers themselves were in a learning position, which strengthened mutual commitment.

However, several points require attention. The preparation time beforehand is considerable: choosing the assignment, adapting the corpus, assigning roles, and planning logistics (workspaces, supervision, meals). It is also important to provide students with clear guidance beforehand, offering an informative session while leaving room for initiative in the internal organization of each team. It may also be a good idea to plan icebreaker activities at the beginning of the session.

The text to be translated must be carefully divided into sections, as this involves a significant amount of revision work afterwards to ensure consistency; this is carried out by the teachers.

Finally, a few practical adjustments are worth considering : avoid organizing the event over a full weekend if possible, provide enough workspaces close to each other, and above all, do not underestimate the importance of breaks and socializing. The Saturday lunch, funded by the faculty, greatly contributed to the quality of the exchanges and overall satisfaction.

This project has attracted the interest of other teachers who would like to participate or use it as inspiration for other training courses. It provides a solid basis for developing similar initiatives in the longer term, provided that the spirit of openness, collaboration, and professional realism is maintained. The participation of teachers in support roles also represented an important lever for changing teaching practices, in a dynamic of shared learning.

Student feedback

“I like the idea of giving us the opportunity to have an experience that is close to reality over a weekend. The meal was definitely a success, as were the goodies. It was nice not to be with just people from our language unit for once, but to be able to connect with other people than usual. I really appreciated the communications team. On Saturday, I enjoyed doing what I had to do. I found myself with a more defined role within the team compared to Friday.”

“I don’t really feel that the role of project manager during the Traducthon allowed me to do anything different from what I had already done in the other project for the Project Management course (redundancy). In the end, everything remained quite “artificial”: the data entered into LSP Expert will never be reused, the quote was ‘doomed’ to be unrealistic (difficult to know market prices, among other things), the use of the portal was superfluous (all participants were present at the same time and the event was short), etc.”

“The assignment was real, it wasn’t just a fictional situation, so the work had to be taken

very seriously. Collaboration with students from different departments, because normally we all tend to stick to our own groups. A glimpse into the reality of the working world. Extremely rewarding in relation to the time invested in the task. ”

“The translation activity was more like post-editing, which I found less stimulating than I had expected. The simplicity of the task also meant that my involvement lasted only 30 minutes, which is not much compared to the 10 hours of the event. ”

“Overall, it was a very rewarding experience, offering great networking opportunities and particularly valuable training for roles such as project manager or terminologist. It also gave us an insight into the type of content we will be translating later in our careers. The organizers were always available and encouraged us despite our lack of experience, with a lot of patience and openness.”