Laura Holcomb of the Glendon MCI and Lauren Michaels of the Ottawa MCI have joined forces to bring you co>lab, a week-long practice intensive for conference interpreting professionals.

Co>lab is called an intensive because you will indeed spend the majority of the day in the booth or with your notepad. But co>lab also relies on co>laboration: participants support their colleagues by taking a turn as a presenter and offering feedback to colleagues with their language combination.

An amazing opportunity to meet other professionals and students who are willing to practice in a safe and fun environment.

-Past Co>lab Participant

Inspired by Brazil’s Hiit Course and similar to Europe’s WISE workshop, Colab provides a structure for both newly minted and seasoned professionals to hone skills, experiment, and explore new territory in a way that’s difficult to do on the job.

We think of co>lab as our yearly training camp, where we can play with certain language combinations, subject domains, and modalities. It also serves as a chance to learn from our colleagues and challenge any fixed ideas of ourselves and our vocation.

Co>lab is also about community. After spending a week in the trenches with both freelancers and staffers, alums from a neighboring MCI, interpreters of varied linguistic backgrounds and places they call home, you’ll come away with an expanded network at the least, if not a few lifelong friends.

Other course highlights include our Reporting Live! peer news segment, co>lab conversations, where we stick our noses into the dark corners of our profession, a happy hour, and a final celebratory co>lab meal together.