Translation Services Intern Review

I really enjoyed it. This experience gave me a good understanding of how the translation industry works and helped me identify its latest trends. It helped me develop relevant skills, which will be useful in future both in my private and work life.

Whenever I showed a can-do attitude or did a good job, they never forget to give me their positive feedback. I was also praised a couple of times on their internal social network. Meetings with my supervisor were monthly arranged, so to discuss what needed to be improved and what was already good.

My colleagues were always patient and happily answered all my questions. Before taking on new tasks, I was given a relevant training by either my supervisor or one of the team.

Overtime I was given more and more responsibilities. As the number of tasks I was assigned to increased, the number of deadlines to meet daily consequently increased. This meant I was always quite busy.

I was given much responsibility as I was managing my own projects. This involved being in touch with clients, communicating with linguists, preparing quotations, dealing with complaints etc.

During the internship I developed both hard and soft skills. I now feel more confident to communicate with colleagues, linguists, and clients. This applies also to the way I feel about the job itself. I feel confident to make changes when proofreading, leave comments for linguists to address, use the browser based CAT tool and translation management system used in-house and by contracted translators.

The work environment was enjoyable. People were smiley and willing to help and always suggested the best way how to go about specific problems. I found it nice that members are helping each other and you have the feeling you are part of a team both in good and bad times. Sometimes however the workload was so heavy, that there were not many chances to interact.

The internship was very well organised. As of the first day you know in detail what you will learn over time, which tools you will be using, what needs to be done before starting, what you need to do in the first day, first week and over the 4 months. You are also given a checklist to keep track of the progress.

The approach here is more 'learn on the job', hands-on. Nonetheless, before taking on new tasks, I was given a relevant training. I was also given an opportunity to swap with a member of the interpreting team, so that I could get a general idea of the kind of tasks performed in their team. Moreover I had the chance to shadow a fellow intern working in the MR department. Thanks to this I also got an insight of what their work is all about.

I was not offered a position, but other interns extended their internship period to 6 months and some were hired afterwards. I have the impression that they are growing their business and progressively acquiring new clients, which means new positions might be opening up soon. Most interns are offered freelancing opportunities once the internship is over.

There was a good social scene, even if there were not many opportunities to go out together after work. This is also due to the fact that London is a huge city and many people are leaving outside it and are forced to commute. The interns however organised dinner together sometimes and on special occasions we went out for dinner all together. At work we have our own Skype group, where we can share updates, ideas, or simply enjoy a nice chat.

The cost of living in London is high. The area around the office is very nice. It is full of places where to eat, pubs, and it is surrounded by small parks. There are also small supermarkets around, where you can get cheap meal deals. There is a super good pizzeria, where I sometimes went with my colleagues for lunch on special occasions. Within 10 minute walking distance there is an amazing food market called Borough Market.

I am not sure, as living in another area, I did not go out there much. As far as I have seen, there are pubs all around which get quite busy especially on Thursday and Friday evenings. The nearest tube station is London Bridge and close to it one of the most luxurious hotel in London. Even if it is quite expensive, I think it is worthwhile paying a visit to the sky-bar in Shangri-La, where you can order a nice cocktail while enjoying a breath-taking view.

There were not plenty of opportunities, but some. A nice social event was organised once. We enjoyed an evening all together in a bowling place close to South Bank. We enjoyed nice food and played many games. As far as I know there are organising this kind of social events ever 4-5 months. Moreover there were opportunities to volunteer and chances to participate to charity events. Yoga classes at the work place were offered for free. At the workplace there is a colourful social area where you can come together with people from the company who are working in different departments.