International cooperation as a contribution to the development of a complex profile of future public service interpreters

Abstract

The paper describes a particular platform for international bilateral and trilateral cooperation in the field of public service interpreting education in Slovakia, Austria and the Czech Republic. In this regard, the paper highlights the contribution of the initiative of the Working Group on Public Service Translation and Interpreting and Languages of Lesser Diffusion (WG PSIT & LLD) of the European Masters´ in Translation network (EMT) under the umbrella of the European Directorate General for Translation (DGT) of the European Commission, which promotes the exchange of information and experiences of good practice between European countries and thus contributes to raising awareness of the importance of translation and interpreting in the processes of migrants' integration into the receiving societies. The paper presents the cooperation between the Department of Translation Studies of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (Slovakia), the Centre for Translation Studies of the University of Vienna (Austria), and the Department of German Studies of the University of Ostrava (Czech Republic). It describes the current forms of joint activities for students from the three countries and evaluates their effectiveness. The article also suggests further possibilities for deepening contacts within the international academic environment and practice.