“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to them their own.” Benjamin Disraeli
How do you grow yourself and others? By giving back of course, and AUSIT’s mentoring program is a good example of how translators and interpreters can ‘give back’ to those in, or wanting to join, the profession.
But what is a mentor? And how do you become one? Read on and all will be revealed.
The international recruiters, Michael Page, have a section on their website devoted to mentoring, and define a mentor’s role as encouraging the personal and professional development of a mentee through the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and experience.
AUSIT describes it as a process in which an experienced individual helps another person develop their goals and skills through a series of time-limited, confidential, one-on-one conversations and other learning activities.
It’s certainly not a one-way street, with AUSIT also noting that benefits to mentors include:
- The satisfaction gained from helping others
- Enhanced leadership skills
- The opportunity to learn, and
- 20 PD points as detailed in NAATI’s Recertification PD Catalogue
So, if you want to be a mentor, how do you get involved? Well, it’s pretty simple and all online at the AUSIT website as long as you are an AUSIT member. In fact, AUSIT are currently asking for mentors to volunteer for the program.
Not convinced? Let me share with you the experiences of both a mentor and mentee.
Saeid Zarandaz Bagheri, mentor, was very enthusiastic about the program and said:
“That this was a great opportunity to pass on experience to the future of the T&I profession, to have a say in forming the future generation of our everyday evolving profession, and the chance to roll up your sleeves and get involved with training, learning and achieving.”
Ying Yan, as a mentee, said that she was taught how to communicate with potential clients, how to deal with unexpected situations during interpreting, how to use the CAT Tool to facilitate the translation work, how to better prepare for the NAATI examination, and how to enhance overall English proficiency.
These are powerful statements from just two of the many translators and interpreters that have participated in program.
There is much to give and learn by becoming an AUSIT mentor, so why not enroll now? All you need is to be an AUSIT member and have at least five years of professional experience.
The value of this program in your own professional development cannot be overstated, and its why NAATI ascribes 20 PD points for each person you mentor. It is a unique opportunity to develop your own skills and help others better understand, and contribute to, the T&I profession.
Let me finish this post with an old Chinese proverb.
“If you want a harvest in one year, grow a crop. If you want a harvest in ten years, grow trees. If you want a harvest that will last a lifetime, grow people.”
