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 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).
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.
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 iaith a ddatblygwyd gan fyfyrwyr wrth astudio Safon Uwch (neu gymhwyster cyfwerth) a hwyluso datblygiad eu hyfedredd ieithyddol. Mae'n canolbwyntio ar ddatblygu rhuglder a chywirdeb wrth ysgrifennu a siarad Sbaeneg, 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 Sbaeneg Proffesiynol iddynt, gan ddarparu sylfaen yng ngeirfa a defnydd Sbaeneg Busnes iddynt. Cynhelir y dosbarthiadau yn Sbaeneg yn bennaf. Mae'r modiwl hwn yn cael ei astudio'n aml ar y cyd ag MLS160B. Mae fersiwn cyfrwng Saesneg o'r modiwl hwn ar gael hefyd, sef MLS160A. 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.
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.
The aim of this module is to develop and refine students' translation skills by working through a dossier of textual materials illustrating distinct text types, and distinct aspects of source language culture and society from both Spain and Spanish America.
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 culmination of advanced level study of Spanish which will equip students with the skills needed to communicate orally and in writing at a near-native level. This module aims to consolidate and extend the language skills developed by students from the beginners and advanced language pathways. It concentrates on developing clarity, fluency, organisation, structure and accuracy in written and spoken Spanish, establishing a firm understanding of the finer points of the language relating to grammar and discourse, and extending students¿ vocabulary to read, write, and speak about issues related to contemporary Hispanic society and culture. Classes are mainly conducted in Spanish. It is typically taken in conjunction with MLS300B. There is also a Welsh-medium version of this module: MLS300AW.
The module deals with translation from Spanish into English. Workshops will discuss a series of simulated translation projects dealing with different domains and text types, from the point of view of the requirements of the participants (e.g., commissioning agency, client, target-language readership) and comparative analysis of relevant areas of English and Spanish language and culture. Assessment is based on two additional projects not previously discussed in class, but detailed feedback on the first one will be provided before the second Assignment is undertaken (to be submitted at the end of the module).
In 17 weekly two hour small-group seminars running through Semester 1 and into Semester 2, students will translate, discuss and annotate both non-technical and technical texts. Practice assignments will grow progressively longer to reflect real-world conditions and students will on occasion be expected to work together, critiquing and editing each other's work to produce a collaborative finished version. Techniques for discovering domain-specific knowledge and translating technical terminology will be explored and developed. Assessment will be by three test translations in different domains done through the year under exam conditions (2 hours with dictionaries and/or electronic resources), each counting for 25% of the marks of the module, plus one Terminology Project or Wikipedia Project counting for the final 25%.
This module is only available to students coming to Swansea on an approved, single-semester M-level exchange from a translation and/or interpreting school in Europe (e.g. from the METS consortium). Teaching and assessment are identical to either the first or the second semester of the existing 20 credit, 2-semester Advanced Translation modules MLSM01 (Spanish to English) OR MLSM03 (English to Spanish), OR an approved mixture between them. Students taking MLSM60 will attend the same classes and submit the same two written assessments as those taking the corresponding semester of the longer module(s).
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.).
