In the voluntary work you have like 8 competences to develop. Of course everyone is skilled or aims to something specific. I open myself and this time I tell you my concern. Why do I feel concern? I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT SUITS ME!!
The key competences
I put you here a summarize of what the key competences are based on. Thus you can have a slight idea if you’re not familiar within it:
- Multilingual competence: the ability to use differents languages for communication and to understand and express thoughts, feelings and facts orally or in writing.
- Personal, social and learning to learn competence: the ability to learn to learn, to manage one’s own learning an reflect on oneself.
- Citizenship competence: the ability to act responsible citizens and to fully participate in civic and social life based on understanding of social, economic, legal an political concepts as well as global developments and sustainability.
- Enterpreneuship competence: the capacity to act upon opportunities an to turn ideas into action that has values for others.
- Competence in cultural awareness and expression: it is understanding of how ideas are creatively expressed in different cultures, through differens arts.
- Digital competence: it involves the responsible use of digital technologies, communication and collaboration, media, digital content creation, safety, intellectual property, problem solving and critical thinking.
- Mathematical competence and competence in science, technology, engineering (STEM): the ability to use mathematical thinking to solve problems in everyday situations.
- Literacy competence: the ability to understand and express thoughts, feelings and facts orally, in writing or in other forms, and to interact with others.
Myself
Quite extensive, isn’t it? Well, that was my first thought too. Then, which one can suit me? The first thought would be according to my studies, sure. I’m student of Translation and Interpreter then Multilingual and Literacy competences would be suitable, don’t you think? STOP there are more competences in translation and interprerter. A translator/interpreter must solve problems and have strategies; That is literally the Personal learning competence. And do you think translators use books and paper to translate? No, we follow all the new tendencies, so we prefer to have advanced technology for typing and investigation. Digital and Science competences would also be covered. If you’re not convinced of Science, the market of the scientific translation is the most popular and the most wanted. And finally, the translator/interpreter is an hidding enterpreneur who work between societies! No, I don’t mean we are spies; I mean that we get involved in social and cultural changes and we work on it. Thus we create a business (Enterpreneur competence) of changes and interaction in the culture of the people (Citizenship and Cultural awarness competences).
Can you see? IT IS IMPOSIBLE TO DECIDE! Then, should I make it based on my preferences? These preferences are. I would like to stay in Austria and use all my knowledge to work and to live here; Once again, all competences. Should it be the preferences of the country? C’mon, Austria is a wonderful country! They are involved in all of those competences like me. My project? Exactly like the previous question. There are no one that I can focus on?
Conclusion
Exactly, there are nothing that you can focus on. A voluntary work consists on the max enedeavour that you can offer. Maybe at the end you can see what it developed more or what it did the less. This is not confusion then, it’s the truth that you are helping, that you are important and that we all thank your work. Perhaps my path is not that clear as far as you can see and I’m still not decided what should I focus on, but I know a thing: give your best on what you are doing and all it’s comming together.
José M. Gómez