26 TheLinguistAPRIL/MAYwww.iol.org.ukFEATURESSocial media can boost your career and help you to keepup with changes in your field, says Marta StelmaszakWide and free access to information is one ofthe most important benefits of social media.thanks to the user-generated format and thefact that messages are published instantly,knowledge is distributed much faster andmore widely than with traditional methods. Wecan access almost boundless information onlanguages from all over the world, and get intouch with professionals in our fields who arewilling to share their professional experience,which is particularly important for the manylinguists who live in professional solitude. As a marketing tool, social media can helpyou to get noticed. No other marketingstrategy enables such a thorough promotionof your services for no financial cost. You mayhappen to connect with someone online whoneeds their texts translated or a speech writtenin your languages; and jobs are increasinglycirculated on social media platforms. twitter allows you to search for tweets onthe topics you are interested in and is a greatway to keep up-to-date with developments inyour field, as 'tweeters' often share news fromsmall or regional publications that you mightotherwise miss. this micro-blogging platformenables you to follow professional linguistsfrom anywhere in the world, gain feedback onideas and get simple answers to questions inreal time. Language-related exchanges i havefollowed recently covered experiences withcAt tools and the translation of '?'. if you are unsure where to start, you couldtry groups such as @LinguaGreca/translation-languages and @translatetrad/translators-and-writers, both of which have about 460members. Using keywords will help you to findpopular tweeters in your area of interest: type'linguist' in the search box, for example, andyou will find Linguist List (@linguistlist), BenZimmer of the Visual thesaurus (@bgzimmer),and linguist Lynne Murphy (@lynneguist). hashtags are another way of findingusefulcontent. to identify updates with a particularsubject, event or person, tweeters include ahashtag followed by the relevant word orcode, for example #xl8 (meaning '#translate'),#l10n ('localisation') and #translation; formore see http://translationbiz.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/short-report-what-twitter-h. With about 200 million users, twitter stilllags behind Facebook. the world's mostpopular social media site, it has more than 800 million users and around 3 million pages,allowing you to browse for people linked toyou by common interests, join groups, followpages and add specialists in your field as'friends'. Facebook groups can be valuableplatforms for discussion and networking. it is simple to set your privacy settings toscreen who has access to your Facebookpages and switch off the most interactivefeatures, such as the 'wall', on which peoplecan write messages. You can make contentavailable to select groups only (eg, 'family','colleagues', 'potential clients'), which isadvisable if you are using the site for business. For linguists, the most relevant Facebookpages are created by other languagespecialists and language service providers,and you can often add your own content tothese pages. When you 'like' a page itsupdates appear on your home page.proz.com runs an interesting Facebook page,with almost 6,500 followers; interpreting forEurope has more than 17,000. For a purely professional platform thatfocuses on your career, try Linkedin, whichallows you to upload your cV to your userprofile. With more than 120 million members,it is all about making connections withprospective clients and helpful colleagues.Building up a network takes time, but it isworth the effort. You not only have access toyour direct contacts but you can also ask to beintroduced to their contacts (+1), and even tocontacts who are further removed (+2 and +3).Joining a professional Linkedin group allowsyou to enter various forums and can improveyour professional standing, demonstratingyour expertise and interest in a particular field.Users also share interesting articles and set upinformative discussions. Among the mostactive groups are English Language Servicesprofessionals, the Freelance translatorsLounge, professional translators andinterpreters, and Writing for translation.About 2 million companies have Linkedinprofiles, making it a great way of approachingcompanies and getting introduced to the rightpeople. these profiles enable companies topost relevant updates in their fields, and allowusers to follow their activities and browse forjob vacancies. Well-known businesses, such asLingo24 and thebigword, list their employeeson the platform. You never can tell who mightneed your services. At your fingertips© iStockphoto

Vol/51 No/2 2012ApriL/MAYTheLinguist27FEATURESThe series continues with a look at the public service interpretingscenario in PolandHow much of a need for public serviceinterpreting is there in Poland?the level of immigration is not as high as insome EU member states, so the need is notas great, but there is a demand, particularlyin English, French, German and russian.Among the so-called 'rare languages' arethose of neighbouring countries, such asUkrainian, Belarusian, czech and Slovak.Are there best practice standards thatrequire equality, irrespective of language,and support the development of PSI?it is sworn translators (meaning bothtranslators and interpreters) who work for thepublic services, serving mainly as interpretersfor the courts and police, and as officialtranslators. the code of Sworn translatorswas prepared in 2005 as a compendium ofethics and good practice. it is used by theMinistry of Justice's commission of Sworntranslators' professional Accountability, as anofficial source of reference.What has been achieved by way ofestablishing national PSI standards?the Sworn translators' profession Act of 2004requires candidates to pass a state specialistexamination in legal translation and courtinterpreting. it provides for disciplinarymeasures, and obliges sworn translators tokeep a register of commissions received, tocomply with the rules of good practice,professional ethics and confidentiality, toupgrade professional qualifications, and notto refuse a court or police commission. it isone of the most demanding among similaracts passed by European states. the act stipulates that four of the ninemembers of the commission of Sworntranslators' professional Accountability, andthree of the eleven members of the StateExamination Board, must be representativesof translators' associations.To what extent has training towardsthese standards been established?the act includes a duty 'to upgradeprofessional qualifications', and in the last 10years about 40 polish universities have set upcourses for legal translators and interpreters.tEpiS (the polish Society of Sworn andSpecialised translators) has been holdingregular quarterly workshops or 'repetitorium'for many years, and in 2011 it organisednine-month courses for candidates for Sworntranslator, which ran on weekends.Are PSI qualifications from othercountries recognised?A 2010 regulation by the Ministry of Justiceprovides for an adaptation course and acompetence test for translators andinterpreters with qualifications from EUcountries. these are tailored to the individual. What has been achieved in terms of thetraining of public service personnel onhow to work with PSIs?A series of meetings is planned for 2012within the framework of EULitA (the EuropeanLegal interpreters and translators Association)activities in poland. tEpiS is alreadycollaborating with the National School forJudges and prosecutors in order to launch aninterdisciplinary course on how to work withinterpreters and translators in the courts.Have there been any developments interms of securing working standards?No working standards have been determinedby law, but the code of Sworn translators iswidely accepted as an approved source ofsuch standards, except for fees. Fees were setby the Ministry of Justice in 2005, at just ?9per hour, and have not increased, which hasled to complaints and protests, so far in vain.What would you like to achieve in thenext five years?A statutory duty for translators to be taughttranslation skills and techniques. An increasein the official rates for legal interpreting andtranslating services, which are well belowEuropean standards. the distinction betweenthe profession of interpreter and translator tobe established by law. improved internationaljudicial cooperation and the exchange ofbest practices with the support of EULitA.Danuta Kierzkowska, President of TEPIS.Global insightsFees were set by the Ministry of Justicein 2005, at just ?9 per hour, and have not increased© SAMikEiNäNEN, 'hoUSEoFJUSticE', 22/7/05 ViAFLickr(cc BY-SA 2.0) SEAT OF JUSTICEThe Supreme Court of Poland, Warsaw