Over the summer, Priory Translations were thrilled to host Loretta, who was in the final stages of an MA in Translation Studies at Durham University, for a four-week work experience placement to learn about the different aspects of working at a translation company.
As students settle in to a new academic year, we have chosen our top five reasons to consider spending time working in industry as part of a college or university course.
1. You can apply your studies to real-world situations
Using what you have learnt at university in a workplace setting can increase your confidence in your skills and your understanding of how your academic knowledge will be applied in a professional context. This can be useful experience when starting out in the world of work, whichever role you choose.
My work placement has allowed me to put my theoretical knowledge into practice and has given me invaluable insights into the language services industry. Loretta, MA in Translation Studies at Durham University
2. It can help you decide which areas of the translation industry might suit you best
Many language companies are specialists in a particular service, language combination or subject field, so if you're studying for a joint degree or interested in a specific discipline, a placement could help you decide if you would enjoy working in these areas. Or, if you're not sure what areas of specialism to choose, a placement could highlight which ones you prefer – and which ones you definitely don’t!
I have learned the importance of translating each word uniquely in intellectual property translation. Loretta, MA in Translation Studies at Durham University
3. It offers you the chance to work with more experienced colleagues in your industry
Meeting and working with people who are already in a profession can improve your skills quickly and help you build a network of contacts who can support and advise you when you're starting out. Working with colleagues can also give you different perspectives, develop your communication skills and help you gain a better understanding of the language services industry.
I have experienced the benefits of working collaboratively on translations. Loretta, MA in Translation Studies at Durham University
4. You can explore aspects of the industry that you might not have thought about
Not everyone who works in the language industry is a translator, and while some companies offer placements in translation or interpreting roles, they may also provide experience in areas such as project or account management, marketing, finance, copywriting, editing or business management. This can be really helpful if you're not sure that translation or interpreting is for you, or if you are thinking of setting up your own freelance business or company.
I have expanded my horizons, realising that, like Priory, I can offer monolingual editing services alongside translation services. Loretta, MA in Translation Studies at Durham University
5. It provides you with hands-on experience of tools and techniques used by professional translators
Spending time in a professional setting may give you the opportunity to access a wide range of resources such as CAT tools, machine translation software, corpora, glossaries, interpreting suites and training resources that may not be available at your university, and using them regularly can help you develop skills that will be important once you have finished your studies.
I now feel much better prepared to enter the language services industry. I would like to thank Priory Translations for providing me with such a fantastic opportunity and for readily answering all of my questions. Loretta, MA in Translation Studies at Durham University