Translation Project Management Review

The internship was quite beneficial for all the knowledge acquired regarding the translation industry and business and all the process "behind the scenes", the way a translation project is managed from the very beginning to the end.But the tasks are not as varied as in the internship description since the interns are mainly in charge of QAs during all the internship, especially in languages that I can't speak or understand.

The team is always very supportive and provide good advice and help at any time. Most of the tasks are introduced thanks to a personal training to ensure that everything is understood and can be carried out smoothly. However the "intern duties", though quite easy to complete, confine the intern to his status of "intern" and does not really help them to feel as valued as their colleagues, even though they are just temporary members of the team.

My supervisor did always provide me with all the specific training required for me to perform the tasks I was in charge of properly. The other members of the team did guide me during my first steps in the internship and were really helpful regardless of the number of questions I could ask them. All the explanations where useful and clear.

The workload on a daily basis could be very different depending on the period and on the day. Sometimes it could be very quiet and there are busiest moments where you could be overloaded with work. But the different members of the team always tried to have a fair share of the workload and not let me being totally overwhelmed by the daily tasks.

As an intern, I wasn't given that much responsibility, especially at the beginning of the internship. The interns are usually and uniquely in charge of the QAs on a daily basis, so they don't have that much responsibility so to speak. The charge of responsibility increases when the intern begins to manage translation projects, but still I was still under the supervision of my mentor and the other members of the team and I was never given too complex projects to manage either.

This internship helped me to developed my skills in terms of multitasking, time management, setting priorities in order to meet the deadlines required by the clients and anticipating any issues which could happen in the course of a project. It gave me a very interesting and useful insight of the language industry. However, linguistically speaking, I didn't improve any of my workings languages or any translation/proofreading-linked skills.

The general atmosphere in the office is quite international. Members of the different teams are usually very helpful and supportive in any case. I won't say that the atmosphere was "fun" but I think it was a regular and normal atmosphere in any standard office. Colleagues are always professional and nice, the interns are not pu under high pressure while they are working.

I arrived right in the middle of the refurbishing of the office, so the organization was a bit messy at the beginning. A introduction to how the agency works, what were its goals and services, the specific functions of the different team, the goals and targets of the different tasks to be carried out, etc. would have been more than welcome. However the HR department did an amazing job on the administrative aspect of the internship was really helpful.

As an intern, I got several personal trainings to make sure that all the tasks I had to carry out where properly understood and done properly. Different members of the team were responsible of those training. I got monthly catch-up meetings with my mentor to discuss different aspects of my internship and to receive a proper monthly feedback on my progression and the aspect I should still working on as an intern in the company.

At my second month of the internship, I was asked if I was considering extending the internship to 6 months instead of the 4 agreed months or if I would considered working in the future for the company. However, after loads of thinking, I chose not to pursue a carrier in the company as I wasn't really happy about the direction it would lead me to and which was really different for what I wanted professionally speaking. Eventually, no open position was available by the time I completed my internship.

The social scene between the fellow placement students were quite amazing. The interns usually got along together and went to take their lunch together. Some of the ex-interns are still my friends even after they completed their internship. Regarding the colleagues, I can't really provide an opinion, people seemed to get along with each other and there were several social events organized during my internship but I could not take part to them as I'm living quite far from my workplace and the last train does not run very late to my living place.

The company is located in zone 1 which is quite expensive but I rent a room in a share house in zone 4. The rent is not too expensive as I'm very far away from my workplace, but I have to pay the commuting which is expensive. London is a quite expensive city to live in and nothing is cheap especially when you only earn the minimum wage to cover all your expenses. Unfortunately, socialising is not always possible to include in my monthly budget.

As I'm living far way from my workplace I can't really take part to the nightlife of that area otherwise I can't go home with the last train. Otherwise, the nightlife is quite lively around London Bridge, especially in Bermondsey Street which is full of nice pubs and restaurants. The Borough Market is also a nice place to have fun with friends and to enjoy great street food.

You can easily go to pub and restaurants in central London. There are also loads of interesting and amazing museums, markets, historical places to visit. London is very cultural city with tons of activities to do. One of my favourite activity is going to the theatre in the West End to watch incredible plays and musicals. Unfortunately, it's a very expensive activity and I can't personally spend that much on this hobby with my monthly payroll.