My name is Carole and I’m from South-East France. I’ve just spent four weeks with The Translation People and it’s time to look back on my work placement.
This work placement forms part of my degree in Foreign Applied Languages with English and Spanish. I’ve always wanted to keep up both my languages and I love travelling. I spent the third and final year of my degree at the Translation and Interpreting College in Granada, Spain, where I learnt a lot about translation and I decided to set my sights on a career in legal translation. However, my English language skills had dropped so I decided to look for a company in an English-speaking country where I could do my work placement.
I got a very warm welcome at The Translation People’s Birmingham office where the atmosphere is professional but relaxed. In particular, I would like to thank my tutor Jasmin Schneider, Operations Manager, for her commitment, her care and for integrating me into the team. I now know how a translation agency works and how they deal with clients and translators. Since I wish to one day become a freelance translator, I truly believe that all I’ve learnt of the process, in particular what agencies are looking for, will fare me well. I also enjoyed the fact that the team listened to me, answered my questions and advised me on my future.
In addition, I was given the chance to work with TRADOS, the very complex but indispensable translation memory software. This will certainly be useful in my future career.
My day to day tasks involved helping the Account Managers with proofreading and formatting of translations, as well as translating content for the French website. It made me realise my love of translation, because I love languages and I love helping people. To be honest, I was a little worried that translating all day may have been boring, but I am pleased to say that this work placement has only confirmed my ambition to work as a translator.
It was a lively and varied experience, which has reawakened my interest in the English language, and enabled me to improve my language skills, as well as having the opportunity to visit the surrounding area. It was a delight to spend four weeks at The Translation People’s Birmingham office and I think it has been the ideal placement for a student from a professional and personal development point of view.
