MR Translation Project Manager Intern Review

I enjoyed my placement because I got to fully experience all that the job as Translation Project Manger involves. I am glad to leave with an idea of the behind the scenes of the translation world and with a greater understanding of the human interaction and the relationships that develop with the job.

My colleagues have never ceased to express their appreciation for my effort in learning, for my work and they've always made sure they expressed their pleasure in working with me. I'm glad that they helped me in every step, but they also trusted me and allowed me to work independently when possible.

From the moment I arrived and been assigned a mentor, I have always had them to help me in every step. They've shared their extensive experience with me, allowing me to follow them when first approaching new task. At the same time, they've also given me time and space to make mistakes, learn and grow.

The amount of work I had on a daily basis varied depending on the period. At the beginning it was very balanced, as I was helping my colleagues with their project. As I learnt more, I started to manage my own project and started to get a bit busier. The workload, however, has never been too much for me.

The amount of responsibility I was given during my placement increased steadily. At the beginning I was shadowing my colleagues, then I started helping them and then I ended up working on projects of my own, first with the help of my mentor/supervisor and then by myself. It's been a very rewarding experience in this regard.

This experience has complemented my degrees in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation and MA Translation and Interpreting, as it has given me the opportunity to experience what happens in the administration side of a LSV. Consequently, I've also become more aware of what I need if I want to work as a translator/interpreter with agencies and what conduct I should assume.

The team I worked with has been completely amazing. Everyone is hard working, but also ready to have some fun when possible. Every single member of my team has supported me in the last six months. It's been very pleasant to come to the office and work with wonderful people on a daily basis.

The work placement was very well organised in terms of the work I needed to carry out. The administrative part could have been smoother and some issues regarding work-from-home, annual leave and sick days could have been handled better. Overall I haven't experienced major problems with my placement.

The company invested in my growth especially in terms of time. Particularly at the beginning, everyone took time off from their tasks/projects to explain to me how things worked and how I had to complete the task I had been assigned. Their help has been invaluable for my learning curve during the placement.

The career progress in the company seems to be very fast, given that you show the skills and pro-activity to deserve the new position. However, the possibility to progress does seem to be linked to the condition that everyone in that position decides to leave. That means that, going up the ladder, it gets increasingly more difficult to progress.

All interns were split in different teams, so there isn't necessarily an occasion to get together and exchange information / ideas / experiences. However, I got the opportunity to get very close with the other intern in my team, and we shared the whole experience. This has been very helpful, as we learnt from and helped each other.

The office is in London, so it's very expensive to have a drink or to eat out. This means that I need to live quite far from work, and that results in a quite tiring daily commute. Ideally, a higher pay should compensate for the higher cost of life in the city.

I haven't experienced much of the nightlife in the area I worked in , because I don't live nearby and I have a one-hour commute to do after work. In the occasions when we went out for drinks / lunch / dinner with the team, we did enjoy the local pubs and restaurants.

The day of work was nine hours (which included one hour break), but that doesn't allow for much time outside work, especially for activity that would require multiple hours in a row, like some kind of sport. The office is in a very central position, tho, so it was nice to walk to the Tower Bride and along the Thames when the weather allowed.