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Staff Profile

Dr JC Penet

Reader in Translation Industry Studies

  • Email: jc.penet@ncl.ac.uk
  • Address: Old Library Building
    Office 5.02

    In semester 1 of the academic year 2024-25, my office hours are Tuesdays 10-11 and Fridays 11-12.
Background

Dr Penet is a Reader in Translation Industry Studies. He is the author of Working as a Professional Translator (London: Routledge, 2024). He is also a Certified Personal and Executive Coach (Level 7).


Teaching profile:

Dr Penet joined the School of Modern Languages in 2010. He has since taught across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Translation Studies (including translation theory; the language service industry; CAT tools and translation project management; institutional translation; AI literacy for translators; and interpersonal relations, emotions and wellbeing in the translation profession) as well as occupying leadership roles in the School (e.g. programme directorship at both UG and PG level). Back in 2016, he was awarded the prestigious Vice-Chancellor's Education Excellence Award in recognition for his dedication to outstanding education. The same year, he also gained Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Nationally, Dr Penet sit on the Executive Committee of UCFL (University Council for Languages) as elected representative for translation and interpreting (2024-28). Previously, he also served as elected President of  APTIS (Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies, UK and Ireland) (2017-2021), which he co-founded with Dr Olga Castro. Besides these roles, he also has extensive experience working as an External Examiner and external subject reviewer for programmes in Translation Studies, e.g. University of Leeds (2019-23), The Open University (2020-25), Swansea University (2021-25) and Herriot-Watt University (2024-27).


Research profile:

Dr Penet's research interest lies in the field of Translation Industry Studies (see the 'Research' tab for more information). Through his various research project, he has established deep connections with some of the UK's key professional associations (e.g. ITI and ATC ). In 2024, he organised a ground-breaking international conference on the topic 'Ethics and Self-care in Translation and Other Profession'. He currently serves as the School of Modern Languages' Ethics Convenor.

Dr Penet is keen to hear from translators, translator trainers or other prospective postgraduate students with an interest in translation who would like to pursue PhD research on today's translation industry, especially with regard to wellbeing, self-care and issues of sustainability for the translation industry. Other potential, related topics involve translators' status and working conditions, and the impact of automation in general, and generative AI in particular, on the translation profession. Please do not hesitate to email email if you would like to explore the possibility of completing a PhD under his supervision.


Association Membership:


Relevant CPD:

  • PG Diploma in Coaching (University of Warwick, started in 2024)
  • PG Certificate in Coaching (University of Warwick, 2023)
  • Enhancing Programme Leadership (Advance HE, 2021)
  • Effective Online Course Design (University of Oxford, 2020)
  • International Summer School in Translation Technology (University of Leuven, 2018)
  • PG Certificate in Advanced Studies in Academic Practice (Newcastle University, 2012; Distinction)




Research

Dr Penet's research explores recent developments in the language industry and their impact on the translation profession(s). More specifically, he researches the impact of what can be called the 'technological turn' - with the relentless automation of the industry in the last 25 years - on the industry's production models (e.g. outsourcing) and the nature of the job of professional translators (e.g. PEMT). How do these developments influence the way translators perceive the sustainability of their profession? What is their impact on the financial, physical and psychological wellbeing of professional translators? Beyond professional translators, how do these changes affect the rest of the language industry and wider society as large?


Another question his research seeks to answer is the impact these changes have on the way we understand and deliver translator training. How can translator trainers better help trainee translators to thrive in this complex and fast-changing industry? To that affect, he also investigates the way(s) in which Trait Emotional Intelligence theory - and what we know about the role of emotions in professional translating - can be applied to translator training to help students develop the adaptive expertise they will need to thrive in the language industry. 


Current research projects:

  • "Chasing Status: The Sustainability of the Freelance Translation Profession in the United Kingdom" - Co-Investigator with Dr Callum Walker (Leeds, Principal Investigator) and Dr Joseph Lambert (Cardiff, Co-Investigator). British Academy Small Research Grant awarded in March 2023 (£9,060).


  • "Let's talk about emotions: Exploring the role of Trait EI in translator training" Phase 2 (2022-2023) co-led with Dr Maria Fernadez-Parra (Swansea University). 
  1. The first phase of this project (2021-2022) won the APTIS Award for Great Pedagogical Practice 2022 (November 2022, Leeds University).
  2. As part of this research project, Dr Penet trained as a coach (PG Certificate in Coaching) with the University of Warwick in 2022-2023.



Past research collaboration:

  • Associate Partner of the research project EFFORT ("Towards a European Framework of Reference for Translation"; Funded by Erasmus : 2020-23): effortproject.eu. Lead institution: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
  • Partner of CATO ("Competence Awareness in TranslatiOn"; 2018-date) - Pan-European project surveying MA Translation students' self-awareness of competences they are developing on their course (based on EMT Competence Framework). Lead institution: Université de Paris, France.


Past funded projects:

  • Translation Networks (2014-18)
  • NU InterComs - Intercultural Competence for University Students (2016-19)


Dr Penet regularly host webinars on translator education for the Association of Programmes in Translation and Interpreting Studies Studies (APTIS).

Teaching

Dr Penet teaches at both UG and PG level. He teaches translation theory, professional and socio-cultural aspects of translation as well as institutional translation. He also teaches more practical (workflow-related) aspects of translation such as CAT tools, project management, terminology management and quality control.


In particular, he is the module leader for:

  • TRI1002: Translation Theory & Practice 1 (UG)
  • TRI4002: Translation Theory & Practice 3 (UG)
  • SML8023: The Language Industry (PG)
  • SML8024: Translator Entrepreneur (PG)
  • SML8025: Translating for a Big Institution: The EU - A Case Study (PG)


Dr Penet has extensive experience supervising UG and PG Translation Studies dissertations. He welcomes dissertation proposals from students wishing to explore the following topics:

  • Translation and/in Industry e.g. Translators in the age of language technology/automation (e.g. AI); Translation Quality Assurance [especially the gap between academia and the industry]; Collaborative translation and crowdsourced translation; Institutional translation; User-centred approaches to translating; Video-game translation/localisation; Translation and marketing/Transcreation; New trends emerging in the language industry etc.
  • Translator skills/competences e.g. Role of (inter)cultural competence in translator competence; role of emotions in translator competence [psychological dimensions] etc.
  • Translators and/in society e.g. Translators' status and working conditions; Translators' (professional) sub-cultures and identities; Translators and (self-)censorship etc.


Here are a few examples of dissertations I had the pleasure to supervise in the last few years:

  • 'Surviving Solo? A Comprehensive Investigation into Freelance Translator Wellbeing and Flow during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK.' (Lauren Evans, 2024)
  • 'Rethinking Translator Education: The Efficacy of Prompt Training on Trainee Translators.' (Gloria Ruoan Deng, 2024)
  • 'Spanish Cultural Representation: A Textual Analysis of Netflix’s Audiovisual Translation of Money Heist.' (Eva di Micco, 2024)
  • 'Translating Japanese culture through anime: a comparative analysis of English and Spanish subtitles.' (Tia Manka, 2024)
  • 'Beauty Across Borders: The Influence of Culture in the Translation of Print Advertisements Published in ELLE Magazine' (Olivia Pocock, 2024)
  • 'Redefining Translation: Generative AI’s Impact on Trainee Translator Creativity' (Madelyn Miller, 2024)
  • 'A study into Google Translate’s suitability for translation of literary prose from French into English.' (Matthew Richmond, 2020)




Publications