I have a BA in Translation and Interpreting from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (UPC) and a joint PhD in Spanish (Applied Linguistics) from the University of Ottawa and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). After working as a postgraduate researcher at the ESRC Centre for Research on Bilingualism in Theory and Practice (Bangor University), I joined Swansea University in 2012.
I have a PGCert Teaching in Higher Education and a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification.
I teach a range of modules in the areas of Spanish language, translation, and interpreting at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
I support teaching by supervising undergraduate dissertations and projects, and postgraduate dissertations and theses. I am interested in supervising projects in applied linguistics, language learning, translation, and interpreting, particularly if they have a multidisciplinary perspective.
My interests and expertise lie in the general areas of applied linguistics, Romance linguistics, and more specifically in the areas of second language acquisition, bilingualism, and psycholinguistics.
In my research I have investigated linguistic and environmental factors and their effect on the acquisition of grammatical phenomena in English and Spanish (e.g. compound nouns, tense and aspect, grammatical gender) by analysing language data and processes. I am interested in the application of this type of research to the teaching of foreign languages and translation.
Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellow. PR100431
This module introduces you to the practice of research and dissertation writing in the field of Modern Languages and will guide you in the first part of your dissertation preparation. Areas covered include: selecting a relevant topic, asking relevant research questions, preparing and writing up a literature review, preparing and writing up a research proposal, research methods and library research tools, making use of foreign-language sources, structuring your dissertation, analysis and argumentation, compiling a bibliography. In addition to lectures and seminars, you will have three meetings with your supervisor. By the end of the module you will have developed your dissertation topic, know what methodology you will use and have acquired knowledge of how to organise and lay out your dissertation. Assessment for the module consists of a literature review, a research proposal and a presentation.
This module provides students with the opportunity to research one aspect of French, German, Italian or Hispanic culture in detail, and to present the findings of their research in a dissertation of 8000 words. The module will be taught by means of four practical seminars on research and writing skills, and through three formal supervision sessions with a dissertation supervisor. Your supervisor will help you to find a topic, suggest research strategies, agree a suitable title, discuss the structure of your dissertation, and will read closely and comment on one draft chapter. The topic may relate to a module you are doing at Level 3, provided that this does not involve a duplication of material and is agreed with the module coordinator in advance. The dissertations may be written in English, in your target language, or in Welsh (where Welsh-medium provision is available).
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting students (Year 1)
2 hour weekly Study Group for Advanced and Beginners Spanish students (Year 1)
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting students (Year 2)
2 hour weekly Study Group for advanced and beginners Spanish students
2 hour weekly Study Group for advanced and beginners Italian students
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting students (Year 3)
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages (French)students (Year 3)
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages (Spanish) students (Year 3)
2 hour weekly Study Group for Modern Languages (German) students (Year 3)
2 hour weekly Study Group for MA Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting students
This module is the foundation of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students with the skills needed to use Spanish in general and professional environments. The module aims to consolidate and extend the language skills developed by students at A level (or equivalent) and to facilitate their progress in linguistic competence. It concentrates on developing fluency and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm grammatical understanding of the language, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, interpret and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. The module aims to enhance students¿ employability by introducing them to Professional Spanish, providing a grounding in the vocabulary and use of Business Spanish. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS160B. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS160AW.
This module is the foundation of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students with the skills needed to use Spanish in general and professional environments. The module aims to consolidate and extend the language skills developed by students at A level (or equivalent) and in MLS160A and to facilitate their progress in linguistic competence. It concentrates on further developing fluency and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm grammatical understanding of the language, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, interpret and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. The module aims to enhance students¿ employability by introducing them to the ideas underlying Sustainable Development (SD) in Spanish, providing a grounding in the vocabulary and use of Spanish in SD-related contexts. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS160A. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS160BW.
Mae'r modiwl hwn yn gosod sylfaen ar gyfer astudio Sbaeneg ar lefel uwch, a fydd yn galluogi myfyrwyr i feithrin y sgiliau sy'n angenrheidiol i ddefnyddio Sbaeneg mewn amgylchiadau cyffredinol a phroffesiynol. Nod y modiwl yw atgyfnerthu ac ymestyn y sgiliau a ddatblygwyd gan fyfyrwyr wrth astudio am Safon Uwch (neu gymhwyster cyfwerth) ac yn MLS160A a hwyluso datblygiad eu hyfedredd ieithyddol. Mae'n canolbwyntio ar ddatblygu rhuglder a chywirdeb wrth siarad ac ysgrifennu Sbaeneg ymhellach,gan sefydlu dealltwriaeth ramadegol gadarn o'r iaith ac ymestyn geirfa'r myfyrwyr i'w galluogi i ddarllen, ysgrifennu, dehongli a siarad am faterion sy'n berthnasol i gymdeithas a diwylliant Hisbaenaidd cyfoes. Bydd y modiwl yn ceisio gwella cyflogadwyedd myfyrwyr drwy gyflwyno'r syniadau sydd ynghlwm wrth Ddatblygu Cynaliadwy iddynt yn Sbaeneg, gan ddarparu sylfaen yng ngeirfa a defnydd Sbaeneg mewn cyd-destunau sy'n ymwneud â datblygu cynaliadwy. Cynhelir y dosbarthiadau yn Sbaeneg yn bennaf. Mae'r modiwl hwn yn cael ei astudio'n aml ar y cyd ag MLS160AW. Mae fersiwn cyfrwng Saesneg o'r modiwl hwn ar gael hefyd, sef MLS160B. This module is the foundation of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students with the skills needed to use Spanish in general and professional environments. The module aims to consolidate and extend the language skills developed by students at A level (or equivalent) and in MLS160A and to facilitate their progress in linguistic competence. It concentrates on further developing fluency and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm grammatical understanding of the language, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, interpret and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. The module aims to enhance students¿ employability by introducing them to the ideas underlying Sustainable Development (SD) in Spanish, providing a grounding in the vocabulary and use of Spanish in SD-related contexts. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS160A. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS160BW.
This module is the foundation of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students who have previously taken MLS130 and MLS131 Beginner Spanish (or equivalent) with the skills needed to use Spanish in general and professional environments. It concentrates on developing fluency and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm grammatical understanding of the language, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, interpret and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. The module aims to enhance students¿ employability by introducing them to Professional Spanish, providing a grounding in the vocabulary and use of Business Spanish. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS270B. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS270AW.
This module is the foundation of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students who have previously taken MLS130 and MLS131 Beginner Spanish (or equivalent) with the skills needed to use Spanish in general and professional environments. The module aims to consolidate and extend the language skills developed by students who have previously taken MLS130 and MLS131 Beginner Spanish (or equivalent) and MLS270A Intermediate Spanish, and to facilitate their progress in linguistic competence. It concentrates on further developing fluency and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm grammatical understanding of the language, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, interpret and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. The module aims to enhance students¿ employability by introducing them to the ideas underlying Sustainable Development (SD) in Spanish, providing a grounding in the vocabulary and use of Spanish in SD-related contexts. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS270A. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS270BW.
Professional translators typically need to be able to offer 2 languages pairs. Translation MA students who may have given up another language on leaving school can take this opportunity to pick it up again at Intermediate level and develop more advanced translation skills. This module combines the post A-Level first year General Language programme with, in the second semester, the corresponding Level 2 Translation Workshop (working into English). MA students join first and second year groups as appropriate, attending all classes and taking all assessments for the relevant modules. The final mark for the MA module is composed of the overall averages for the L1 General Language and L2 Translation Workshop modules, weighted 2:1. NB: this module involves 3 hours/week of classes in semester 1 and 4.5 hours/week in semester 2, and is only offered subject to satisfactory timetabling arrangements being available.
This module, compulsory for students of the BAs in Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting, and English-Chinese Translation and Interpreting, introduces concepts central to the academic study and the professional practice of translation and interpreting. It is designed to initiate the transition from simple language-learner to well-informed language services provider which students will undergo in the course of their degree, and to act as a foundation for subsequent modules. Topics covered include: size, structure and composition of the worldwide language services market, types of translation and interpreting and their various contexts, relevant international legislation and standards, professional organisations, business interaction of suppliers with clients, fundamentals of linguistic analysis, domain research methods, and quality assurance. Assessment will be by individual Case Study (50%) and written examination (50%).
This module, compulsory for students of the BAs in Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting, and English- Chinese Translation and Interpreting, introduces concepts of English grammar and meaning relevant to translation and interpreting. A significant part of this module consists of learning the language to deal with the scientific study of human languages. Mastering this metalanguage is essential for any course with involves language and forms the basis for the formal study of English language and literature, modern foreign languages and linguistics. The module is taught in a weekly two-hour lecture covering linguistic fundamentals of English language (word classes, morphology, grammar and semantics), and a one-hour seminar focusing on these fundamentals of linguistic analysis in English compared to other languages studied as part of the translation and interpreting degrees. Assessment will be by examination: in class Test (30%) and written examination (70%).
This module, which builds on the introduction to Interpreting provided in Year 1 by MLT100 Concepts in Translation and Interpreting, will develop practical strategies and techniques for performing Dialogue Interpreting between parties who do not speak each other's language, as well as oral translation of relevant documents at sight. There will typically be a mixture of short lectures on relevant aspects of Interpreting Theory (especially professional ethics), live bilingual and multilingual scenarios, and language laboratory practical sessions in preparation for assessment. The assessment will be two Sight Translations, one in each direction (40%) and one Dialogue Practical Class Test (both directions) in the Lab (60%). A wide range of materials will be available on Blackboard to practice sight translation and interpreting in your own time.
This module will develop strategies and techniques to perform sight translation and dialogue (or bilateral consecutive) interpreting in the context of Local Government, covering a selection of topics in the areas of council services, social services, environmental health, and education. There will be lectures/workshops on voice confidence, note-taking, and ethics, and practical sessions (live sessions and language laboratory sessions using the latest technology) to enhance your learning. A range of materials will be made available on Canvas to practice the different modes of interpreting in your own time. This module will also prepare you for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, examined by the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL). This is optional and takes place in June every year (registration by February; CIoL fee applies).
This module will help students develop strategies and techniques to perform Consecutive Conference Interpreting as well as Simultaneous Conference Interpreting. It involves the advanced development of multilingual skills, as well as interpersonal/intercultural communication skills (active listening, memory retention, time lag, anticipation, reformulation, delivery). Students will typically be exposed to authentic talks, lectures, conference papers, debates and speeches delivered by United Nations delegates, European Parliamentarians, TED.com Presenters, the UK's Political Speech Archive, BBC World Debate programmes, YouTube The Why Channel, and other countries' politicians, lecturers and experts in various fields. The contexts are Current Affairs and topics of political, sociocultural, economic, scientific, technological and environmental impact in both cultures and their corresponding terminologies. Students will also be encouraged to research and read parallel texts for confidence building and knowledge expansion. Training will take place in a fully-equipped Interpreting Suite (delegate units and booths). The assessment will take the form of two recorded oral examinations, as follows: one from Language A to Language B (50%) and the other from Language B to Language A (50%). A wide range of material will be available on Blackboard for in-class and extra practice. The textbook for the module is Conference Interpreting - A Student¿s Practice Book, by Andrew Gillies (2013 edition). Students will be encouraged to attend lectures and symposia to widen their knowledge and practise their skills. Successful candidates will be well prepared to apply for placement opportunities at the European Commission Directorate-General for Interpretation and/or The Internship Programme at the United Nations Offices either in Geneva or in New York.Students are expected to do extensive guided private study, which should include exercises, e.g. mental agility exercises, bi-directional clozing, numerical contextualization and simplification tasks, reformulation and improvisation exercises, as well as tasks for mnemonic activation (to activate and automatize linguistic reflexes through the use of synonyms, antonyms, definitions, paraphrasing, hypernyms etc.).
