This summer, we organised two training courses specifically for the Ukrainian community in Nottinghamshire. Both courses – one delivered in-person and one online – were available free of charge thanks to generous funding from the Nottinghamshire County Council Homes for Ukraine community fund.

In June, we welcomed 11 trainees from up and down the county to join a four-day course at the Nottingham Central Library. The group had a really positive energy, a desire to learn, and they brought out the inner Hollywood stars when we role-played challenging community interpreting scenarios.

“This course was the most useful and interesting for me. The best course I have done. The course was well organised. We discussed very useful information for me.” Myroslava

Barbara and Halima shared their knowledge and expertise, and gave tips on how to deal with difficult situations (and people) when interpreting for the community.  After a triple assessment at the end of the course, all 11 passed with flying colours. A few of them have been putting their newly-acquired skills to good use during the past month as they joined the Voices in Refuge freelancing team, delivering interpreted sessions to a variety of clients and expanding our provision of languages.

“I really liked the flow of the course. Everyone was engaged and the material was interesting, ppt was colourful. We had interesting homework, which I enjoyed doing. The teachers were brilliant, and friendly and worked with high professional standards Thank you so much! Hope to see you on the next course or have a chance to volunteer or work for you.” Tamara

Over six evenings in July, we ran an online course for those budding interpreters who were unable to join us in-person or have other commitments during the day. It was a mixed group of experienced and novice interpreters, but all eight of them agreed the course was interesting and useful.

“Thank you for the course. Cardinal rules are universal and applicable in any situation of interpreting and even wider in life. Barbara and Halima offered interesting and useful cases for discussions, detailed and comprehensive explanations to any questions asked, showed themselves as professional interpreters and devoted teachers. The course was well organized. All the materials (presentations, cases, tasks) were sent to us immediately after lessons. I would definitely recommend the course and wish you can provide more courses like this to help people assimilate in a new country and improve their life.” Olena

After both courses were finished and everyone passed their exams, we organised a graduation celebration at Nottingham Refugee Forum. It was a lovely occasion where most of the participants from both courses could attend, together with their family members. Everyone received a certificate, and we feasted on a dinner and dessert buffet prepared by our multitalented Halima.

We can say with certainty that the summer interpreting courses for Ukrainian community were a success: new friendships were forged between the 19 graduates, their skills and confidence were amplified, and Voices in Refuge gained several new team members. We are grateful for the financial support from the Nottinghamshire County Council, and look forward to offering more courses for the diverse communities of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

See more photos from the courses and graduation party below.