Translation Team Intern Review

I thought the placement was generally quite enjoyable. There were obviously high points and low points, like in any job, but I thought overall I felt welcome by the team, I learned a lot and gained valuable experience. I would say there were days I thought were more challenging than others, but those were the days I enjoyed most. Overall, a generally pleasant experience.

I definitely felt as though I was a proper member of the team. By that, I mean that from day one, I felt integrated and kept in the loop about what was going on in the team, each team member's role and how my role fit into the general structure. Without a doubt, I felt valued - the team often commented on how much of a help I was and that I had become an crucial member of the team, so much so that it was a shame to leave!

I always had a mentor who I would meet up with on a monthly basis. She was very professional, and taught me a lot about working as part of a team in an office. However, I did feel at times she was somewhat unapproachable, and I did not think she gave me as much guidance or support as other members of the team. Overall though, I was given sufficient support throughout.

This varied, at first there was a lot to learn, so I did feel it was a slow start. There were multiple times during the day that I had nothing to do, so I had to ask other members of the team if there was anything I could assist with. On the other hand, due to the nature of the work, there were moments where suddenly and unexpectedly I had a lot to do - multiple tasks to balance and complete within tight deadlines. The level of 'being busy' was not consistent, but that's just part of the nature of project management.

At first, not a lot, and to be honest I was slightly disappointed. However, with time and with training I was gradually given more responsibility, and by the end I was trusted to manage larger and more complicated projects. Generally however, I thought I was given an adequate amount of responsibility throughout the internship - however I would have liked to be stretched and challenged a little bit more.

I completed this internship after I graduated. My degree was in languages, Chinese and Spanish. With regards to how I was able to put into practice what I learned in my degree, I felt it was somewhat minimal. I came into this internship hoping to get a lot of practice actually doing translation, however I soon realised this was a project management role, meaning I didn't get to use my languages or translation skills a great deal, which was somewhat disappointing. On the other hand, what I did develop were professional skills, so I did gain a lot out of the experience on a professional level.

The office was a pleasant place, people were friendly and I felt it was quite relaxed and not too 'corporate'. The office was clean and well maintained. People were hard working, however it was always acceptable to have a little chat with colleagues, which I personally think is important for building rapport. Overall not too bad.

This is an company that was a well established internship programme, therefore I did feel that it was generally well organised. I had my mentor (line manager), and also there was a dedicated employee who dealt with all internship related responsibilities, meaning that I was in no doubt that if I had a problem, I could go to someone. There was an internship handbook to fill out, and specific goals to meet each month. Overall - very well organised.

Personal training was taken somewhat seriously, and I definitely felt as though I was a valuable member of the team and I could see directly how my work helped my colleagues and the business as a whole. However, I do think this internship role is a way for the company to keep costs to a minimum (considering there are 8 interns at one time in the whole company), so I guess the invested a little, but not a great deal.

Not particular appealing. I have realised that I definitely do not want to become a project manager or project executive. I found the work to often be quite stressful (luckily I was an intern so I didn't have to deal with too much difficulty). However, I witnessed colleagues who had to deal with a great deal of fiddly and time-consuming tasks, whilst having to meet tight deadlines. Overall, not for me - but an interesting experience nonetheless.

At first, I was invited to go to the pub after work with colleagues, and we occasionally did team activities, including going to a restaurant which I thought was nice. As there are a lot of interns in a relatively small company, it meant it was quite easy finding colleagues from similar backgrounds you could relate with. So overall, not bad.

This company is based in central London, meaning that costs were obviously very high. Going to the pub after work was always quite an investment, meaning I did have to be very careful with money and how much I was spending. However, this was easily managed, as the office was in close proximity to two parks, meaning you could bring your own lunch and eat it there.

I did not experience the nightlife in the area I worked that much, as I lived in another part of London. However, the office is located in a very swanky and 'hip' part of London, meaning there are plenty of bars and restaurants just around the corner. I definitely felt it would be a great place to hang out in the evenings.

In terms of getting involved with activities with other colleagues, apart from the occasional after work pint with colleagues, there were not a great deal of activities to get involved in, which is somewhat disappointed but also, if you already have friends in the city, it is not a huge let down. Colleagues were pleasant, and you could definitely organise things with other interns who were always up for doing something at the weekend.