Ten years of public relations work at the INTRAWI (Innsbruck): ‘We were so enthusiastic...’

More than ten years ago, the Department of Translation Studies (in German: Institut für Translationswissenschaft, in short INTRAWI) at the University of Innsbruck founded a working group for communication and school partnerships (AKS). Its aim was to raise awareness of translation studies, to intensify exchanges with schools and to give young people an insight into the diverse career opportunities that translators and interpreters can pursue. More than a decade later, the working group is still active - now with a larger team and new approaches. But how did it all begin? What challenges and accomplishments shaped the first few years? And what does the future hold for this important public relations work? Eva-Maria Tipotsch, former student assistant of the AKS, spoke to two of the founders of the working group: Muryel Derlon (now retired) and Martina Mayer (Senior Lecturer at the INTRAWI).

The beginnings: visions and goals

Few university departments have their own working group for public relations. However, the working group at the INTRAWI was set up in 2013 by Muryel Derlon, Elvira Iannone (now political director of the BDÜ) and Martina Mayer. Their aim was to use sophisticated initiatives to raise the profile of translation studies and inspire young talents for professional activity in the language industry.

“Our main objective was to raise awareness of our field of study and attract young people who would recognize themselves in our professional field and possibly even see a vocation in it. It was important to us to offer them guidance and prospects and also to involve their schools,” explains Muryel Derlon. Martina Mayer adds: “We also wanted to make it very clear that students do not just study ‘languages’ at the INTRAWI, but that translation is a language, text and cultural transfer activity and therefore has a much broader meaning. It opens up a great deal of future potential for graduates of the department.”

Initial successes and sustainable initiatives

During the first four years of the working group, the team of three implemented an impressive range of initiatives:

• Image video: With the precious support of the University's Public Relations Office (in German Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit der Universität Innsbruck, in short BfÖ), an image video was made for the department which is of lasting value and is still being used today. 
• Media presence: An interview with Elvira Iannone on Innsbruck's non-profit radio station FREIRAD ensured media presence among citizens outside the university. 
• School cooperations & a taster programme: Numerous seminars for the regional College of Teacher Education (in German Pädagogische Hochschule Tirol) brought translation studies and the department to the attention of (future) teachers. The introduction of a taster programme for interested pupils also dates to the founding phase.
• Education fairs & open university days: Since the founding of the AKS, the INTRAWI has shown a strong presence at the annual BeSt education fair, soon expanding to include active participation in the fair's stage programme with interviews and interpreting presentations. Furthermore, the Institute's presence at the regional open university days (in German Tiroler Hochschultag, in short THT) was also completely redesigned: One of the milestones was when more than 250 pupils flocked to the department’s interpreting training center to listen group by group to short interpreted presentations on degree programs and career opportunities. All of this happened thanks to a targeted invitation to schools via a specially designed letter that was introduced at the time and is still sent out annually.  
• Hieronymus day & alumni day: Another memorable event was Hieronymus day, which was first organized in 2016, and featured business talks on translation and a networking event for alumni, students, teachers, and researchers of the department as well as representatives of the language industry and associations of professionals. This format later evolved into the university's alumni day. 
• Newly designed resources for information and advertising: In addition, the founding members of the AKS designed various new resources in print-form, such as an INTRAWI flyer, study information, and a roll-up. Furthermore, a comprehensive reporting system with photo galleries of all the department’s events was developed. It goes without saying that in the meantime, all this information is available online thanks to digitization.

“We were so enthusiastic...”, Muryel Derlon recalls nostalgically of the early days, when the small team realized numerous projects with great passion. It quickly became clear how essential it is for successful public relations work in the context of academia to have a strong team of motivated and committed people who support such initiatives with their heart and soul and are willing to invest a lot of time and energy. Without this continuous and intensive cooperation, the realization of the numerous initiatives would not have been possible. 

When asked about their most important memories from that time, Derlon and Mayer's first recollection is of the creative process and the dynamic collaboration in a small team. Muryel Derlon: “We came up with, discovered and implemented a lot of things that are still relevant today, and that are being expanded and adapted to the current times by our successors - something that still gives me great joy.” Workshops in schools were a particular highlight for Mayer: “I was in various schools and was able to experience so much amazement and lively interaction. Seeing pupils decide to enroll with us after such workshops and then watching them as students mature into successful young translators was very rewarding for me.”

The importance of the working group today

The working group now consists of a new team of about ten people who are continuing the activities with various partners inside and outside the university. Martina Mayer explains: “The basic intentions are the same today as they were back then, but in times of artificial intelligence, it is even more important to show people the purpose for which we are training the next generation and what translators do in their day-to-day work. We are operating in a context in which job profiles are changing due to the increased use of modern technologies, tasks are becoming more varied and a dynamic market is giving young people stable opportunities for the future.” For Muryel Derlon, there are parallels to other highly valued professions: “It is important to convey that people are not being replaced by machines, but that technologies support human beings in their work. It is the same with doctors or engineers... they are irreplaceable. The same goes for translators, proofreaders, post-editors, and interpreters.’

Choosing translation studies means to benefit from a wide range of opportunities and committing to constant personal evolution and growth. The working group will certainly be able to communicate this to the public in the future through active contact with young people, schools, and other target groups.

This text is based on an idea and an article realized by Eva-Maria Tipotsch, a graduate of the INTRAWI, University of Innsbruck, in 2024 (cf. https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/newsroom/2024/10-jahre-offentlichkeitsarbeit-am-intrawi/), which was written in collaboration with Muryel Derlon and Martina Mayer.