Würzburg interpreting school
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The Würzburger Dolmetscherschule (WDS) is a private, state-recognized specialist academy and vocational school for interpreters , translators and foreign language correspondents as well as a vocational school for European secretaries in Würzburg . It also has an evening academy for foreign language and company training and a seminar center for management assistants.
Today the school has around 350 pupils and students in full-time education as well as a teaching staff of around 50 mother-tongue and German, state-approved teachers. It belongs to the ESO Education Group, which is one of the largest associations of private education providers.
education
The training offer is aimed at pupils with an intermediate level of maturity as well as high school graduates. Three training courses are available for high school graduates :
- State-certified translator or state-certified translator / interpreter - Duration: 2 to 3 years
- State-certified foreign language correspondent - shortened duration: 1 year
- International Diploma in Administration (or Marketing ) Management ( European Secretary ESA) - Duration 2 years
The following training courses are offered for students with an intermediate level :
- State-certified foreign language correspondent - Duration: 2 years
- State-certified euro correspondent - duration: 1 year
Numerous training courses can be linked to one another in a module system and result in different Bachelor and / or Master courses in Germany and abroad (double degrees).
History and basics
Until 1933 there was no foreign language school in Würzburg, only independent lecturers with private lessons. It was not until 1933 that the United Language Schools of Germany (“Bénédict Sprachschulen”), which had been founded in Lausanne in 1928 and were quickly represented in numerous major German cities with their franchise concept of the “direct method”, also settled in Würzburg and institutionalized one here modern, business-related foreign language lessons (commercial correspondence). After the end of the Second World War , the need for foreign languages increased again sharply due to the presence of American troops. In addition, the Nuremberg Trials 1945–1949 brought the new simultaneous interpreting to the attention of the general public and generated a corresponding demand. To ensure quality, the state examination for translators and interpreters in Bavaria was introduced in 1952 and the new professional association of the German Interpreters Association (DDB, from 1954 BDÜ) was founded in Munich, so that the 30-year-old process of consolidating a modern foreign language profession was completed and a prerequisite for private new interpreting schools were founded.
History of the school in Schönbornstrasse 5 / Barbarossaplatz
The Uehlein interpreting school in Würzburg was founded in 1954 by the translator and interpreter OK Uehlein, who initially wanted to train young interpreters and translators for his own translation office and therefore already advertised his school nationwide. From 1964 the school operated under the official name “Würzburger Dolmetscherschule”. The location of this Würzburg interpreting school, which already had the status of a state-approved substitute school, was at Schönbornstrasse 5 (administration) and at Barbarossaplatz / corner of Haugerpfarrgasse (training) in Würzburg. In addition to language training, the Würzburg Interpreting School also offered a complementary scientific (medical-technical, biological-technical and chemical-technical assistant) and a business and commercial training profile (business assistant) from the mid-1960s. On the basis of this specialist know-how, the scientific and economic specialist language focus developed in the translator and interpreter training at the Würzburg interpreting school in the 1970s.
The Breitfeld language school (headed by Betsy Breitfeld, from 1962 Irene Steidle and Mrs. von Rossen), which was probably a personal continuation of the Bénédict location of the "United Language Schools" in Würzburg since 1933, was founded in Würzburg in 1950 shortly after the currency reform ( new) and, according to its own advertisements, offered up to 14 different languages to interested parties in the Würzburg area in the 1960s. She had the knowledge of systematic foreign language teaching at the beginner's level, with translation teaching at that time being a central component of foreign language teaching in modern, living foreign languages. It was not until the 1970s that translation exercises were outsourced from the didactics of modern foreign languages in favor of communicative competence.
Both schools therefore had a common basis for their foreign language teaching in technical and general language translation didactics. In 1970 the Würzburg interpreting school was taken over by Pierre Semidei (1940–2009), a French translator and language professor. In 1971 he also made the Breitfeld Foreign Language School an offer to take over and merge. Irene Steidle, the previous partner of the Breitfeldschule, became the new headmistress of the "United Würzburg Interpreting Schools", which was now present at three different locations in Würzburg, alongside the managing director Pierre Semidei.
History of the school in Herzogenstrasse 8
In the late autumn of 1971, the three previous locations (Haugerpfarrgasse, Schönbornstrasse, Theaterstrasse) were merged with the move to the new training location at Herzogenstrasse 8. The new managing director of WDS, Pierre Semidei (1940–2009), had already founded the “Euro-Language Schools” in 1966 in Aschaffenburg and in 1969 in Bamberg. The result was a small north Bavarian school association, which later developed into the nucleus of one of the largest private educational institutions in Germany ( Euro Schools Organization ). Today's "Würzburger Dolmetscherschule" was created in 1971 as the "United Würzburg Interpreting Schools Uehlein-Breitfeld" through the merging of the broad general and technical language skills of both language schools in Würzburg on the initiative of Pierre Semidei . As a result of this merger, the Würzburg interpreting school was able to develop into a “competence center” for foreign language professions in Lower Franconia and nationwide in the course of the following decades. Shortly after it was founded, the number of students rose from 280 (1971) to over 400 (1972). This made the WDS (after the Hamburg Foreign Language and Business School) the second largest private language school in Germany. Over 1000 alumni from 4 decades are in contact with WDS today and guarantee a close connection between theory and practice of professional training.
The first headmistress of the "United Würzburg Interpreting Schools" was Irene Steidle from 1971 to 1987, who had managed the Breitfeld language school as a partner before the merger. Under the management of Pierre Semidei, the WDS quickly received state recognition as a vocational school (April 1, 1973) and a technical academy (August 1, 1977) for foreign language professions and was able to play a major role in shaping the relevant curricula (1996–1997 vocational school, 2000–2002 Fachakademie) contribute to the expansion of the Bavarian school system. At the same time the WDS became an examination center for the chambers of commerce in Paris, London and Madrid. In 1990 WDS was converted into a non-profit GmbH. The business and commercial roots of the "WDS" have been continued since the early 1970s as part of the training to become a bilingual and trilingual European Secretary (ESA) to this day. The Würzburg interpreting school also had a girls' boarding school at Eichhornstrasse 6 from 1972–1993, and an apartment dormitory at Schiestlstrasse 13 / I from 1994 to 2005.
Right from the start, the Würzburg interpreting school relied on modern didactics and high-quality technology in foreign language training. In addition to the native speaker principle, contemporary brochures not only emphasize the extensive use of maps, slides, records and tape recorders. Typing with shorthand, which was customary at the time, was also taught using the highly modern method of fully programmed teaching in the 1970s. This openness to modern didactics and high-quality technology in foreign language teaching has remained a corporate characteristic of WDS to this day.
Site architecture
From 1971 to 2011 the interpreting school was located in a striking glass concrete building from 1970-71, now a listed building, at Herzogenstrasse 8 in downtown Würzburg, also known as the Bata House. The well-known architect couple Walther and Beatriz Betz from Munich, who had also been active in Würzburg since 1965 and designed houses, schools and university buildings (reading room of the natural sciences), were responsible for the construction of the building. The client was the Alte Leipziger Versicherungsgesellschaft. The building was erected in the last vacant lot at Herzogenstrasse 8 / Eichhornstrasse, as the surrounding area had already been completely rebuilt after the destruction of the war. Externally, the building is characterized by a striking "Brise-Soleil" made of exposed concrete and large, continuous glass surfaces. Inside, the building rests on a few exposed concrete pillars that run through all floors and support the outer glass-metal body. Right-angled floor plans inside are rather the exception. The building with a Bata shoe shop on the ground floor was named "Bata House" in reference to the tradition of similarly designed Bata houses of the Czech shoe fashion group - the most famous model is still in Prague today. Without a doubt, the building is aesthetically inspired by Le Corbusier's architecture, but the Brise-Soleil could not prevent extreme heating in summer. The lower and ground floor were designed as retail space, the remaining floors originally as (divisible) living and office space. It was precisely the French influence that was felt and the noticeable publicity that seemed to have motivated Pierre Semidei when he founded the school for this location decision, because WDS was the first to move into this new building and adapted the room layout to the needs of the school at the time. The color scheme was black and bright red metal windows, which were set off with deep blue curtains.
History of the school at Paradeplatz 4
The constant growth of the school and changed technical framework conditions for foreign language training made a change of location urgent. Since March 2011 the interpreting school has been located at Paradeplatz 4 (between the residence and the cathedral) on over 2000 m².
The Scherschule is currently pursuing a dual strategy - internationalization and bachelorisation on the one hand, and professional relevance on the other. Since 2006, this has included supporting the establishment of the technical college degree course in "Technical Translators" (FH Würzburg), the connection to Bachelor courses in Germany and abroad (especially in England, the USA and Australia), a modern technical infrastructure (CAT terminology databases , integrated administrative database , intranet, MacBook classes with WLAN , professional software for advertising and design) as well as a stronger professional relevance of the training (CareerDays, promotion of internships abroad, teaching projects in cooperation with companies and organizations, interpreting booths).
With its diverse range of services, the interpreting school sees itself today as a supra-regional foreign language center with pupils and students from all over Germany. Participation in the European Leonardo program (international student exchange with internships) and plans for participation in the European Erasmus program (international student exchange) underline the increasing internationalization of the training offer.
Site architecture
The post, telegraph and telecommunications office, later simply called "Paradepost", has been the dominant building on Paradeplatz opposite the back of the cathedral since 1905. Around 1920 the parade ground was still green with horse chestnut trees, and low sales pavilions enliven the center of the square. Around 1928 these trees were felled, the square was paved and a memorial was erected for those who died in the First World War . In 1935 an aerial bomb was also erected on a plinth with the inscription "Luftschutz tut not", and before the end of the war a large extinguishing water pond became a further design element of the parade ground. Finally, in 2005, the Paradeplatz received another memorial - the memorial for the deported Sinti and Roma. Today, Paradeplatz, with its old cobblestones and green trees, takes on accents from the era around 1928. Due to the close proximity of the University of Music, the faculties of the University of Würzburg, the Würzburg interpreting school, the elementary school and the church facilities of the cathedral school, a spiritual center between the cathedral and the residence is once again emerging on Paradeplatz.
Around 1955, the entire ensemble on Paradeplatz was rebuilt after the destruction in March 1945 using modern functional buildings (AOK building, Mozart high school, Paradepost). For the new "Paradepost", parts of the old arcades from the early 20th century are being restored, but combined with a modern five-story administration building instead of the destroyed building fabric. This public, representative building of the "Paradepost" immediately attracts well-known artists. The sculptors Fried Heuler ("Postreiter", around 1956), Julius Bausenwein ("Taubenbrunnen") and Lothar Forster (sculpture "Communication", 1987.) immortalize themselves on the Paradepost building. The basic theme of "communication", initially symbolized by post and telecommunications, is reinterpreted in terms of content after the Würzburg interpreting school has moved in. Throughout the entire school area of the Würzburg interpreting school, wall quotations on the philosophy of language and translation / interpreting can be found in four languages, which take up the basic theme of "communication" in a new interpretation.
Founding member of TRANSFORUM
The Würzburger Dolmetscherschule is a founding member of today's TRANSFORUM, which was founded in 1981–1983 as the "Schwerter Kreis" in the BDÜ to improve cooperation between practice and teaching among translators and interpreters. The then BDÜ President Hans-Thomas Schwarz appointed Dr. Irene Steidle, headmistress of the Würzburg interpreting school (in addition to the SDI Munich and 5 West German universities with translation training) personally in the coordination committee. This is how today's TRANSFORUM arose. The Würzburg interpreting school is now represented in numerous other national and international bodies.
management
- Dr. Irene Steidle (1971–1987)
- Dr. Harms Kaufmann (1987–1992)
- Dr. Klaus Götze (1992–1995)
- Annette Sommer (1995-2010)
- Dr. Jürgen Gude (2009–)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ "A pioneer of the European idea" , obituary in the Main-Echo online service from March 16, 2009
- ^ Ulrich Karl Pfannschmidt, Houses and Others. Thoughts on architecture part 12, in: number sixty-two. Journal for Culture in Würzburg and Coburg, 2,2011, pp. 27-29
- ^ "Building description for the documentation of buildings in the DBZ" ; Architect Beatriz Betz, May 2011
- ↑ Ernst Lauterbach: Würzburg interpreting school in new rooms. In: Main-Post . March 22, 2011, accessed April 10, 2015 .
- ↑ Dr. Eva-Suzanne Bayer, "Communication"
- ^ "Karl-Heinz Stoll, Transforum - 20 Years of Dialogue Practice and Teaching", in: Internationales CIUTI-Forum, ed. by M. Forstner and Hannelore Lee-Jahnke, Frankfurt 2004, pp. 149–174
- ↑ Irene Steidle turns 95 in a spirit of freshness . In: Mainpost . April 12, 2012, accessed April 10, 2015 .