CPD roundup: February 2025
Welcome to February’s CPD round-up! This is where I share a quick summary of the continuing profession development (CPD) I’ve completed during the month.
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting recommends that all members, including Qualified Members (MITIs) like me, do at least 30 hours of CPD per year. I normally end up doing rather more than that, and I normally only include subject-knowledge CPD (and sometimes some translation skills CPD) in this public summary. You can find out about the other types of CPD that the ITI recommends here and my previous summaries here.
Subject knowledge
Why botany matters: The crucial role of botanical skills as the regulatory framework shifts from species to habitat (RSK)
Recording: https://rskgroup.com/events/why-botany-matters/
This webinar did pretty much what it said on the tin! It discussed how identifying different types of landscapes for the purposes of the evolving biodiversity regulatory framework is almost impossible without properly trained botanists. This is because it is very easy to miss signs of important habitats if you do not have a botanist on the evaluation team. It also pointed out that there is a serious lack of these skills and that steps need to be taken to fill this gap.
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) erklärt: Grundlagen, Best Practices und Tipps für Industrieunternehmen
[The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) explained: Fundamentals, best practices and tips for industrial companies
Recording: Not yet available, but probably at https://www.tanso.de/en/webinars
This webinar started by looking at the differences between Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs), Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPDs) and what they are meant to achieve. It then dived into how exactly a PCF is calculated, including the process, where the relevant data can be sourced from and what exactly the benefits of doing so are (beyond regulatory requirements).
Decarbonisation and electrification: are they really quieter? (Institution of Environmental Sciences)
Recording: Not yet available, but probably at https://m.youtube.com/user/IESorg
This was a really interesting whistle-stop tour of four different areas (electric vehicles, renewable energy, air source heat pumps and data centres) to explore what the science tells us about whether the decarbonised/electrified versions are really quieter. The answer is broadly that the sorts of noises they make are different, but not actually any quieter. And as with all areas of the transition, the earlier you involve experts in the design process, the more effective the mitigation and the cheaper.