Dan Chen

Biography

Dan is a highly accomplished interpreter, lecturer, and a full member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. She has a robust academic background, having taught consecutive and simultaneous interpreting at Newcastle University since 2009 before teaching at Essex University. With over two decades of interpreting experience, Dan has contributed her expertise to numerous high-profile events, including prestigious conferences and forums. Her passion for science and technology has led her to interpret for some of the world’s leading scientific figures, including Nobel Laureate Professor John O’Keefe (of cognitive neuroscience), Nobel Laureate Dr. Richard Henderson (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology), Professor Sir Alan Fersht FRS (a pioneer of protein engineering), Professor Sir Ian Wilmut (known for cloning Dolly the sheep), and Professor Martin Rees, the esteemed astronomer and cosmologist from Trinity College, Cambridge. Dan’s background in Business Management, along with her unique blend of academic insight, extensive professional experience, and industry expertise, enables her to integrate subject knowledge into the cognitive development of student interpreters. This approach helps students effectively acquire specialized terminology, develop essential skills, build up contextual understanding and improve their processing speed in technical domains such as molecular biology, medical research, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, fintech, and ESG. Dan also emphasizes the importance of technology, AI assistant and user interfaces for interpreting and language-related jobs. With a strong focus on enhancing employability, she incorporates the latest apps and technical devices into classroom practice, helping to equip students with the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) skills and tools needed for today’s job market.

Qualifications

• MA in International Business Management (Newcastle University)

• MA in Interpreting (Newcastle University)

• Full member of Chartered Institute of Linguists

Appointments

University of Essex

• Program Director of MA Translation and Interpreting (Chinese - English), Essex University (1/6/2012 - 1/9/2017)

• Program Director of MA Conference Interpreting and Translation, Language and Linguistics, Essex University (1/10/2018 - present)

• Interpreting lab Steering Committee member, language and Linguistics, University of Essex (12/1/2015 - 17/11/2015)