News & Events

University of Galway has officially launched its new state-of-the-art conference interpreting suites and teaching facility An Teanglann, marking its position as the lead institution in Ireland for educating interpreters and translators. The facilities mark a significant milestone in the advancement of language interpretating training, education and research in Ireland and their development was made possible thanks to collaboration of the European Commission, the Department for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media and University of Galway. Director General for Interpretation at the European Commission (DG SCIC), Genoveva Ruiz Calvera, officially opened An Teanglann. Ms Calvera said: “It is an honour to attend the opening ceremony of the interpreting suite and to see that the long-lasting cooperation between DG SCIC and University of Galway is bearing fruit with young interpreter graduates already providing Irish interpretation for the EU Institutions.” Thomas Byrne T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, said: “I am delighted that my Department, in conjunction with the European Commission, has been able to provide the funding for this hugely impressive conference interpreting training suite at University of Galway. Having state-of-the-art facilities available for students to learn the craft of conference interpreting is a great achievement and I have no doubt that the addition of the conference interpreting training suites will attract many students to the MA in Conference Interpreting and will lead to a steady stream of skilled interpreting graduates with proficiency in Irish and in other languages who are available to take up important roles in Europe.” Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of University of Galway, said: “The launch of these Conference Interpreting Suites represents a momentous occasion for our University and for Ireland as a whole and they are a strong symbol of our value of excellence and the opportunity for the highest standards in education. “I would like to acknowledge the invaluable support of the European Commission and the Government for this project to train the next interpreters for Europe and around the world. It is enabling the empowerment of our students as future leaders in the field of conference interpreting and underscores a commitment to promoting multilingualism and the highest standards of interpreting in the EU and beyond.  “We warmly welcome the Director General Genoveva Ruiz Calvera to our University, whose presence underscores the significance of our collaboration and the mutual commitment to advancing language interpreting education and practice.”  Professor Rebecca Braun, Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, said: “Through collaborative efforts and innovative initiatives, University of Galway remains dedicated to shaping the future of language interpretation education and advancing cross-cultural communication on a global scale. We are delighted to see the opportunities that the conference interpreting facilities presents for our students, as well as for developing and sustaining the relationships with organisations such as the EU and the UN and professionals in the sector.” Susan Folan, Professional Conference Interpreter and Programme Director for the MA in Conference Interpreting, said: “The new facility confirms University of Galway’s standing as the sole institution in Ireland offering specialised training for future conference interpreters. These new suites allow for multilingual meetings with interpretation in six different languages simultaneously. The technology links our students with professional trainers and interpreting researchers all over the world from right here on campus. Graduates are entering a dynamic and global profession having experienced a dynamic and comprehensive classroom.” An Teanglann is made up of three interpretation suites, with a total of six booths, each of which has standard two interpreter consoles and is equipped with the latest technology. All three suites can be connected to allow for larger meetings, with greater language coverage, and also allow for remote simultaneous (RSI) training, which has become a market reality post-Covid. The suites are designed to facilitate immersive learning experiences, further advancing interpreter education and hybrid teaching, which involves University trainers, who are all practising professionals, and interpreters working in international partner institutions such as the European Commission, European Parliament, European Court of Justice and the United Nations, which enriches the learning experience and ensures relevance to real-world scenarios.  The facility is being used by those studying on the MA in Conference Interpreting, which currently takes 15 students a year. Students on the Masters programme this year come from Ireland, Canada, Spain, Colombia, Italy and France, with a spread of languages native to each country, as well as German and English. The programme has capacity to cater for other languages, depending on demand. Ends  

University of Galway has today marked Earth Day 2024 by announcing the winners of the Student Sustainability Leadership Awards 2024: Molly Hickey and Peter O’Neill.     Molly Hickey is a second year BA with human rights student from Co Laois and the Students’ Union Environmental Awareness and Sustainability Officer. Molly said: “I am delighted to be a sustainability leadership awardee because it gives me the opportunity to continue working on increasing the University's sustainability and getting more students involved in it.”    Peter O'Neill is a first-year history student from Ballymacward, Mountbellew, Co Galway. Peter has been involved in youth activism for four years, culminating in representing Ireland at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum. He said: “Sustainability has become a defining feature of my work and studies, and I'm really excited to work with the University to encourage an interest in sustainability with students and to get discussion going about the SDGs and what we can do here in Galway.”    Both students receive a €4,000 prize and will take part in an 8-week internship with the University’s new Sustainability Office this summer.      The office has been launched to lead and promote sustainability in all aspects of university activities including teaching, learning, research, operations, governance, and engagement endeavours. Its aim is to empower the University’s diverse communities of staff, students and partners to work together in the development of a sustainable campus and to deliver on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).     University of Galway President Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: “As a university that is committed to serving the public good and whose community has defined sustainability as a core value, I am delighted to announce the winners of the Student Sustainability Leadership Awards and the launch of the new Sustainability Office. We are delighted to be recognised as Sustainability Champions and are determined to do more. I hope that through this office our sustainability efforts will continue and intensify and that we will use the office to highlight the breadth of activities our students and staff are undertaking to advance sustainable solutions and to share our learning with others, playing our part in tackling climate change and preserving our precious biodiversity for generations to come.”    Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, Deputy President and Registrar and Chair of the University Sustainability Advisory Board, said: “Our sustainability progress to date is rooted in the commitment over and above the day job of academics, professional support staff and, crucially, students. Through this new Sustainability Office, we are now formalising our support for them and building on our success in this space. Accelerated by the Office, the vision is that in a few short years’ time every student graduating from University of Galway will have confronted diverse aspects of sustainability and the UN SDGs in their degrees. Galway graduates will have learned about sustainability, learned to live by it, and will go out to lead as global, responsible, and inspiring citizens. That is where our sustainability journey is taking us.”     Ends 

Study of brain activity sees no difference in impact of self-view video conferencing on men or women   A study of brain activity has confirmed users’ fears that viewing your own image on video conferencing calls leads to mental fatigue.  A newly published study conducted by academics at University of Galway has found that people who took part in meetings on Zoom become more fatigued when they can see themselves on-screen.    Led by Professor Eoin Whelan, of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at the University, and Dr Ann O’Brien, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, and Dr Denis O’Hora, School of Psychology, the research also found that men and women become equally fatigued when viewing their own image, a finding which contradicts prior research which suggested women experience more fatigue from self-view video conferencing than men.  The research team conducted an experiment using electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring of 32 volunteers - 16 men and 16 women – all of whom participated in a live Zoom meeting, with the self-view mode both on and off at different times.  EEG non-invasively records spontaneous electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the head and can detect the onset of mental fatigue.  The monitoring confirmed that fatigue levels were significantly greater during the times participants could view their own image.  Prior research, which largely relies on self-reported data gathered through surveys and interviews, has suggested that women experience more Zoom fatigue than men. Reasons offered for this gender difference centre on the increased self-awareness women have of their appearance when they view themselves in a mirror.  The University of Galway study, which measures fatigue at a neurophysiological level, questions whether gender differences actually exist for video conferencing fatigue.  The findings not only contribute to our understanding of fatigue incurred as a result of the dramatically increased use of video conferencing in the workplace but also offer practical insights for organisations aiming to protect employee well-being in the era of hybrid and remote work.   Speaking of the findings, Professor Eoin Whelan said: “The use of video conferencing platforms exploded during the lockdown. They continue to be heavily used in work and education today and offer some advantages over in-person meetings. But people often report feeling exhausted by video conference meetings. Our study shows that those feelings of fatigue you get during video calls are real, and seeing your own reflection makes it even more tiring. Simply turning off the mirror image can help offset fatigue in virtual meetings.”  Ends