by Michelle Deeter

The 2026 Spring Consecutive Interpreting Mock Conference was held on 23 and 24 April 2026, at the interpreting suite at Newcastle University. The university invited six speakers from China and all over the UK to take part in the two-day conference, giving our interpreting students a chance to learn about new industries and interact with experts in their fields.

For the first time, I invited the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, John Worne, to attend the conference. He gave the first speech of the conference, entitled The Landscape for Linguists, in English. Newcastle University MA Interpreting students then interpreted the speech into Mandarin, taking notes when needed.

John’s speech was a good fit for this year’s Mock Conference because it gave students up-to-date information about the state of the industry and he made sure the information was relevant to interpreters. At the end of his talk, John also introduced students to a number of free resources that they can use on the CIOL website. I was so pleased that he was generous with his time and that he was able to adapt to giving a speech with interpreters so quickly!

Mock Conference is held twice a year at Newcastle University, in December and April. The speakers for the conference come from a range of backgrounds, and they change from year to year. This year, we invited representatives from the finance industry to computer science industry and the language industry, among others. Some speakers are currently working in academia, while others are working in the private sector.

The variety of speakers and topics not only gives the students a chance to learn about different industries, but they also get a chance to ask questions so they can learn what it is really like working in a particular job.

Students are also asked to help plan the conference, so they learn how to act as a master of ceremonies, how to engage with speakers, and how to make sure an event with 30 participants runs smoothly! I was pleased to see that all of the students were used to the microphones and felt comfortable enough to focus on their presentation skills.

The message was clearer and the overall effect was more pleasant as a result.

If you are interested in studying a Translation MA or Interpreting MA at Newcastle University, you can visit the Newcastle University website and find out more here or click the Newcastle logo below.

If you’re interested in helping to educate and train the next generation of interpreters by giving a speech at the next Newcastle University Mock Conference, you can email Michelle Deeter or contact her on LinkedIn.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-deeter/

Michelle Deeter MA, MCIL is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, a regular conference and webinar speaker and holds the CIOLQ DPSI in Chinese (Mandarin).