Every year, the Center for Advising and Career Services brings together a TILM Career Fair that hosts a wide range of translation, interpretation, and localization management employers.

The 2024 TILM Career Fair will be held on February 16th, 2024, in-person at the MIIS campus. RVSP on Handshake.

Please see the information below for the list of all the currently registered employers and the job and internship opportunities they are currently hiring for!

2024 TILM Career Fair Exhibitors

Acclaro

Acclaro is a localization and translation services company that helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. Our agency specializes in expertly adapting brands, products and services to new language markets.

Current Opportunities:

• Summer internships
• Localization project managers
• Localization coordinators

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The CIA is the US Government agency responsible for collecting foreign human intelligence, providing objective, all-source analytic assessments on critical national security issues for the President and other senior policymakers.
The ability to speak, read, and translate foreign languages, in addition to understanding cultural differences, is vital to the mission of the CIA. Because intelligence priorities can shift, and countries and languages can increase in importance rapidly, the CIA must have employees with foreign language skills to handle both current national security requirements and potentially new missions.
Learn more about working for the CIA. Directorates represented will most likely include Open Source, Operations (Clandestine Service), and Analytical.

Current Opportunities:

• Language officer
• Staff ops officer
• Case management officer
• Cyber operations
• Military Analyst
• Foreign language instructor
• Open source exploitation officer
• Open source targeter
• Case officer

Culture Flipper

Culture Flipper is a localization expert group focused on brand experience. Our work starts by defying translations that are not market-ready. We help product and content creators reach their audiences by going beyond language with target-locale experts that deliver dynamic user experiences.

Current Opportunities: Freelance language experts in the below languages who can potentially turned into in-house staff.

Languages experts that are recruiting:

• English <> Spanish (LATAM and Spain)
• Korean <> Spanish (LATAM)
• English <> Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal)
• Korean <> Portuguese (LATAM)
• English <> Chinese (Mandarin)
• English <> Chinese (Taiwan)
• Korean <> Chinese (Taiwan)
• English <> Japanese
• Korean <> Japanese
• English <> Indonesian
• Korean <> Indonesian

Daikin

Daikin is the world’s #1 manufacturer of air conditioners and refrigerants and provides the North American market with a full range of residential and commercial HVAC products leveraging its advanced core technologies for refrigerant control, inverters and heat pumps.  Located just outside of Houston, Texas, the Daikin Texas Technology Park allows Daikin to consolidate manufacturing, engineering, logistics, marketing and sales in a 4.2 million square feet state-of-the-art manufacturing and business campus.

Current Opportunities: Interpreter (Japanese/English)

Defense Language Institute

The Defense Language Institute teaches 17 language and dialects to military students from all branches of the military. Student body is 3,500. There are 1,700 faculty at DLI, almost all of whom are native language speakers. Aiso Library provides library resources and services to DLI students, faculty and staff. We work with a variety of vendors to acquire native language materials. We are expanding quickly into electronic resources – especially databases from other countries.

Current Positions: Teaching Positions Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Korean, and Persian Farsi)

Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc.

Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc. (HKA) was incorporated in California in 1989. Since then, we have been sending top-tier Japanese-English translators and interpreters to support operations at Honda manufacturing plants in the United States. As the US subsidiary of Honda Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (HK), we have been expanding our business to support Honda associates since October 2017, making use of the expertise of HK.

Current Opportunities: In-house interpreter/translator (Japanese and English)

Interpreters Net

Since we started out as interpreters ourselves over 20 years ago we know the struggles you face making a career out of building bridges of communication between patients and doctors, or students and professors! 

We care a lot about our freelancers and treat them like they are part of our family. We try hard to respect their time and their preferences. 

Current Opportunities: Meet with Interpreters Net to hear about their upcoming positions.

KUDO

KUDO is the market-leading platform for multilingual video meetings, built for governments and enterprises to communicate across numerous languages in real-time around the world. Earlier this year, KUDO experienced an unprecedented surge in growth due to global circumstances that brought business travel and in-person meetings to an overnight halt. KUDO is now helping bridge critical lines of communication for international organizations and Fortune 1000 companies across different languages, cultures, and continents. Our platform achieves this by creating a seamless user experience where human professional interpreters work remotely through our powerful cloud-driven platform to facilitate multilingual video meetings and events built for the New Normal.

Current Opportunities: 

• Japanese for in-house interpretation
• All other languages for freelance (Certified KUDO Marketplace) interpreters.

MediaLocate

MediaLocate is a full-service localization company that provides multilingual solutions to organizations of any size. We offer scalable language services to our growing list of corporate clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. For over four decades, MediaLocate has built successful customized programs for hundreds of companies by providing wide-ranging services: from large-scale technical documentation translation, website localization and software engineering, to global consulting, language automation, audio/video production, staff augmentation, and in-person & over-the-phone interpretation. MediaLocate prides itself on being a true “full-service” localization company.

Current Opportunities: Freelance translators and interpreters

Monterey Language Services

Monterey Language Services is committed to bridging the world’s languages by providing quality, professional and efficient translation & interpretation services in over 175 languages.

We are a group of professionals from different backgrounds working together as a team. Our expertise includes translation quality, translation processes, project management, and multilingual computing technology.

Current Opportunities:

• Translation
• Interpreter
• Project Management

Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue is a worldwide network of creatives, strategists and linguists. From our hubs in London, LA and Singapore, we offer language services, powered by a passion for culture, creativity and communication.

Current Opportunities:

• Localization Intern
• Account Manager

Mount Sinai West Hospital

Mount Sinai West is a full-service medical center with a 24/7 emergency department, proudly serving patients from Midtown and the West Side of Manhattan, New York City, and beyond. We have a rich history of medical innovation, and are well-renowned for numerous specialty clinical services, including orthopedics, hand surgery, breast surgery, colorectal surgery, gastroenterology, vascular surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neonatal intensive care, and urology. We offer special expertise in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage, movement disorders, epilepsy, complex aortic aneurysms, and kidney stones.
We also maintain a strong primary care and specialty physician presence in our surrounding neighborhoods, in order to bring our high-quality clinical services closer to you. As a Mount Sinai West patient, you have access to the full resources of the Mount Sinai Health System, and our outstanding physicians can serve all of your health care needs.

Current Opportunities:

• Spanish/ English intern Interpreter

Riviera Language

Language company focused on meetings and events, in person, hybrid and remote. We primarily provide simultaneous interpreting and translation of related event materials.

Current Positions: 

• Freelance interpreters/translators

RWS

We help organizations remove barriers to communication and find better ways to connect with their audiences – anywhere in the world. Our 7,500+ global team of talented people are united by a love of language and a passion for innovation. Our pioneering technologies are pushing the limits of what’s humanly possible.

Current Opportunities:

• Data Annotator roles
• Future entry level localization Project Management

Stanford Health Care

Great things happen when you put talented people together and then empower them to reach beyond the ordinary. Every day is an opportunity to lift up our patients with the kind of care that has earned us a worldwide reputation for excellence. We are an organization with more than 300 facilities throughout the Bay Area united by our culture of respect. Our C-I-CARE philosophy invites all staff to elevate the patient experience, because every interaction is a chance to make a positive impact in the lives of those around us. That same commitment extends to the way we work together. We prize open communication and intensive collaboration, because that’s how true innovation happens again and again.

Current Opportunities: 

• Part-time and full-time Medical Interpreter
• Translator Positions
• Internship Positions

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health

Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is the largest health care system in the San Francisco Bay Area—and one of the few in the country—exclusively dedicated to pediatric and obstetric care. We serve in more than 65 locations across Northern California and more than 85 locations in the U.S. Western region. As part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that includes Stanford Health Care and the Stanford University School of Medicine, we have access to some of the best innovative minds at the forefront of scientific research to improve children’s health outcomes around the world.

Current Opportunities: Translation and Interpreting (preferred experience in healthcare)

Student Medicover Health Insurance

Founded in 2013, Student Medicover is the largest health insurance plan administrator and healthcare service platform for international students. The company aims to eliminate the information asymmetry in the insurance needs of international students and establish a friendly, transparent, and robust insurance marketplace for international students in the United States and Australia. We currently serve students from 89 countries and 889 institutions.

Current Opportunities: 

• Marketing Specialist
• Bilingual Specialist

Tiller Language Services

Tiller Language Services delivers world-class language services. We provide translation, localization and interpretation (in-person and remote) for domestic and global organizations in the advertising, events, foundation, NGO and PR spheres, furthering the reach of their messages and enhancing their missions.

Current Opportunities: Translator/Interpreter for any and all languages

Translation by Design

We deliver customized language and cross cultural solutions that empower you to effectively communicate in a rapidly changing global community. Our core values are the foundation for all of our services and relationships. Our headquarters is located on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, the language capital of the world.

Current Positions: Primarily Chinese and Japanese freelance interpreters, but open to all languages.

U.S. Department of State – Office of Language Services

The Office of Language Services carries on a tradition of language support for the conduct of foreign policy that dates back to 1789, when it was founded by Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State of the United States of America.
Our small cadre of civil service diplomatic interpreters, translators, and project managers is augmented by hundreds of carefully tested and vetted independent contract interpreters and translators to ensure support in every language required by the White House, the State Department, and other federal agencies.
This roster of freelance interpreters and translators is indispensable to our mission of supporting the conduct of diplomacy and foreign affairs, as well as foreign assistance and exchanges programs.

Current Opportunities:

• Contract interpreters
• Translators
• Program managers
• Technical experts

U.S. Department of State- Bureau of Global Talent Management

The Bureau of Global Talent Management strives to recruit, retain, and sustain a diverse, talented, and inclusive workforce that is prepared to advance U.S. national security interests and American values in every corner of the world. Under the leadership of the Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent, the Bureau of Global Talent Management leads the recruitment, assignment, and career development processes to build an engaged and effective workforce.

Current Positions: 

• Consular Fellows Program
• Foreign Service Officer
• Foreign Service Specialist

Middlebury Institute graduates discuss where they are working today, how the Institute helped them get there, and what advice they’d give to current and future MIIS students. This post was first published in Chinese and was translated into English through the collaboration between Jimmy Yang (MATLM 2020) and Sue Su (MATLM 2025)

My name is Cheng-Hao “Jimmy” Yang and I graduated with an MA degree in Translation and Localization Management from the Middlebury Institute in 2020. My language pair is Mandarin Chinese and English. I interned with LanguageLine Solutions in Monterey, California, and  I am now a freelance translation/localization expert and linguist based in Taipei, Taiwan, ready to make a grand return to the US loc industry should there be the opportunity and VISA support for international talents.

In summer of 2019, my friend Cody Connell and my Career Advisor Winnie Heh referred me to an internship with LanguageLine Solutions. It was a great opportunity where I got to experience an actual US work environment. Plus, I got to utilize the programming knowledge I learned  in our TLM’s Python & Javascript class. My supervisor introduced me to some interesting functions such as pandas for Python that can help us process data in Excel sheet. To a linguist like me, it was truly magical to see what programming can do with the right tool and command.

After graduation, I started off  as a Localization  Project Manager (LPM) on the vendor side including Lilt and Supertext USA. After that, I secured a client side LPM role at DoorDash that exposed me to  LPM tasks that  are vastly different from the vendor side organizations. Through it all,  I continued to pursue my original career goal as a translator/linguist. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to establish  solid relationships with a couple of LSPs. Today, I am still working as a freelance localization expert and linguist with clients including Supertext USA, Lockit QA, Smartling, and Terra Translations, helping them to translate all sorts of content should zh-TW be in scope.

My best advice for current students is:

1. Start searching as early as possible.

2. Make your presence and interests known to people around you so they will think of you when they see an opportunity that may be a match for you.

3. Expect a lot of ghosting and failures: Overall, the job market is challenging for job-seekers and you can feel it as you explore the opportunities. In addition, you have to understand that as an international talent, VISA support could be dragging you down as it requires extra resources/work from the employer.

4. Listen to feedback/comment and improve upon it accordingly: Translation can be a very subjective thing once we pass a certain threshold. As a linguist, you’re going to be turned down by LSPs without any particular reason A LOT. Sometimes, despite your hard work on the translation test, the LSPs would just tell you that they choose not to move forward with your application. Or worse, your translation is reviewed by an automated system and its grading criteria is not “optimized” in your favor. It doesn’t necessarily mean you do not have the skills, but moving forward, it’s best for you to collect as much feedback/comment and save the test file for your own future reference

我叫楊承浩，也可以叫我Jimmy Yang。2020年，我在明德大学蒙特雷国际研究学院获得翻译和本地化管理硕士学位，学习的外语是英语。我曾在位于美国加州蒙特雷的一家语言解决方案公司LanguageLine Solutions实习。目前我住在台北，是自由职业翻译兼本地化服务专家。

2019年夏天，我的朋友Cody Connell和MIIS的职业顾问贺永中（Winnie Heh）老师推荐我去LanguageLine实习。这个机会特别好，不仅让我体验了美国的工作环境，我在MIIS的Python和JavaScript编程课上学到的知识也得到了运用。实习期间，主管带我认识了一些有用的编程函数，例如Python的pandas数据分析库，可以帮助处理Excel表格数据。只要工具合适，指令得当，编程就可以发挥如此强大的效用，我身为语言专业的学生，着实大开眼界。

刚毕业时，我主要担任语言服务供应商的本地化项目经理，先后就职Lilt和Supertext USA两家公司。后来我又到知名餐饮外卖软件公司DoorDash担任甲方本地化项目经理，经手了不同类型的项目管理任务。在供应商和客户两方工作，职责任务大不相同。工作期间，我一直坚持最初的职业发展目标，做好翻译和语言专家的工作，努力培养牢固的业内人脉关系。如今，我仍然是一名自由职业本地化与语言服务专家，为Supertext USA、Lockit QA、Smartling、Terra Translations等多家客户提供各类内容的翻译服务。

我对在校学生有以下几点建议：
1. 尽早展开搜索，寻找机会。

2. 向身边的人介绍自己的身份和兴趣，他们有相关机会时才会想起你。

3. 投递无果、落选是家常便饭，要做好心理准备，坚持到底（如果你是国际学生，雇主还需要考虑签证问题）。

4. 倾听反馈和评价，按建议改进；达到一定水平后，翻译可能要考虑相当主观的要求。

By Julie Montedoro (MATI 2025)

 

It’s not news: online visibility is a key aspect of professional success!

On October 10, 2023, we discussed this topic in a TILM Career Management class featuring two guest speakers who shared their ideas on how to curate one’s social media presence.

Here is my reflection on this very informative session.

 

Maddy Sanchez

(LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maddy-sanchez & Portfolio: msanchez.middcreate.net)

It is easier to work on our goals when we make it something that we resonate with. Searching for a job or clients should fall into that category as well! One way to do so is to realize the importance of making this process not only a professional endeavor but a personal experience. In that sense, curating our social media presence is an opportunity to show the world who we are and why people on the other side of the screen should want to work with us, as a professional in our field and as a person.

This is one of the aspects I liked about Maddy’s presentation. She started by explaining the concept of Branding and how she created her portfolio so that it reflects her professional identity in a personalized way. Her tip was to pick the pictures that you feel represent you, pictures of yourself, of the people and things you care about, and to use them in a color picker to create your color palette. How creative!

Maddy shared another great piece of advice regarding social media Presence, in particular on LinkedIn. Some of us might think “I have created my profile, okay…but now, what do I talk about so I can be more visible?”. Her answer: anything that can showcase your skills, your experience, your interests, and contribute to making your professional profile strong, positive, and unique. Post about your ongoing projects, the talks you participate in on campus, the conferences you attend, the new technology you are interested in, and maybe the clubs you joined, or even lead!

 

Rong Shi Eisenberg

(LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rongeisenberg & Portfolio: re-interpret.com/)

It is said that the human brain learns best with stories and visualizing. These are two ways that can help us comprehend a concept or an abstract idea faster so we can retain it in our memory for future use.

Rong used this technique beautifully during her presentation. She guided us through the steps to create a website by comparing it to creating a garden. It then made it easy to understand how important it is to choose wisely what to plant, depending on what you’d like to cultivate, in other words, carefully select the information you share to attract the right audience.

Once you’ve done so, the same way you would if you were a gardener watering your plants, pruning, and trimming, it is crucial to keep your website up to date (and the same is true for e-portfolio, blog, online profile, etc.). Make sure you regularly publish new content and change or remove information that is no longer relevant. You decide how often and how long it will take you, and it is a necessary step to later harvest the fruits of your labor!

Now that you have a nice website, you also want to ensure you are findable. One way to boost your visibility is to optimize keywords for online searches. Rong pointed out that the tendency today is for people to look for information on their phones. This is why we should also focus on the mobile responsiveness of our website during the creation process (by adjusting the content, size, designs, etc. to match the phone format).

Finally, just like Maddy, Rong highlighted the importance of writing in your own voice to stand out. On her website, she added a blog section where she talks about her more personal identity that she feels comfortable sharing, as well as a testimonial section where her previous clients talk about her and her work. Don’t be shy! Once you’ve started to produce some work, ask your happy clients if they’d like to write about their experience – most of the time, they will happily do it!

2023 TILM Career Fair Exhibitors

Acclaro

Acclaro is a localization and translation services company that helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. Our agency specializes in expertly adapting brands, products and services to new language markets.

Current Opportunities:

• English to French Reviewer, fintech (remote)
• Localization Project Manager (Bangkok, Thailand)
• Localization Project Coordinator (Latin America, remote)
• Latin American Spanish Language Lead (remote)
• Interns, Project Managers, Language Leads, Support Specialists, Reviewers,
  Resource Coordinators, Linguists, Editors, and more!

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The CIA is the US Government agency responsible for collecting foreign human intelligence, providing objective, all-source analytic assessments on critical national security issues for the President and other senior policymakers.

The ability to speak, read, and translate foreign languages, in addition to understanding cultural differences, is vital to the mission of the CIA. Because intelligence priorities can shift, and countries and languages can increase in importance rapidly, the CIA must have employees with foreign language skills to handle both current national security requirements and potentially new missions.

Learn more about working for the CIA. Directorates represented will most likely include Open Source, Operations (Clandestine Service), and Analytical.

Current Opportunities:

• Director of Operations Language Officer
• Sign Language Interpreter
• All occupations. Please refer to our website under the “Careers” tab for additional
  information.

Daikin

Daikin is the world’s #1 manufacturer of air conditioners and refrigerants and provides the North American market with a full range of residential and commercial HVAC products leveraging its advanced core technologies for refrigerant control, inverters and heat pumps.  Located just outside of Houston, Texas, the Daikin Texas Technology Park allows Daikin to consolidate manufacturing, engineering, logistics, marketing and sales in a 4.2 million square feet state-of-the-art manufacturing and business campus.

Current Opportunities: Interpreter (Japanese/English)

Defense Language Institute

The Defense Language Institute teaches 17 language and dialects to military students from all branches of the military. Student body is 3,500. There are 1,700 faculty at DLI, almost all of whom are native language speakers. Aiso Library provides library resources and services to DLI students, faculty and staff. We work with a variety of vendors to acquire native language materials. We are expanding quickly into electronic resources – especially databases from other countries.

Current Positions: Teaching Positions (Russian, Chinese, Korean, Persian Farsi and Spanish and some Arabic dialects)

DS-Interpretation, Inc.

DS-Interpretation, Inc. has specialized in Conference Interpretation Services since 1972. We believe that when it comes to live interpretation, the human element is essential. We use technology to help interpreters deliver their clients’ dynamic and critical message while maintaining industry standards. Our mission is to be compatible with the future. Interpreters will not be replaced by technology. They will be replaced by interpreters who use technology.

Current Opportunities: Please send cover letter and resume to info@ds-interpretation.com

Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc.

Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc. (HKA) was incorporated in California in 1989. Since then, we have been sending top-tier Japanese-English translators and interpreters to support operations at Honda manufacturing plants in the United States. As the US subsidiary of Honda Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (HK), we have been expanding our business to support Honda associates since October 2017, making use of the expertise of HK.

Current Opportunities: In-house interpreter/translator (Japanese and English)

Idem Translations, Inc.

Founded in 1983, Idem Translations, Inc. is a full-service provider of translation and localization services. Idem specializes in certified translations for medical device, biomedical, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as other organizations and entities working in the life sciences sector, such as contract research organizations (CROs), healthcare research centers, and institutional review boards (IRBs). The company is a WBENC-certified woman-owned business and holds certifications to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, and ISO 17100:2015.

Current Opportunities:

• Life Sciences Translation Project Manager Assistant
• Project management Intern
• Quality Control Specialist

LanguageLine Solutions

LanguageLine Solution provides 360 degrees of language access that drives higher-value experiences at the moment of need. We are the industry leader offering the most innovative technology, quality linguists and client support to bridge the gaps in communication anywhere, anytime.

Current Opportunities:

• Spanish Linguist
• Interpreter (German, Russian, Portuguese, Cantonese)
• LanguageLine is always interested in recruiting talented individuals. Recruiting is
  based on company needs.

MediaLocate

MediaLocate is a full-service localization company that provides multilingual solutions to organizations of any size. We offer scalable language services to our growing list of corporate clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. For over four decades, MediaLocate has built successful customized programs for hundreds of companies by providing wide-ranging services: from large-scale technical documentation translation, website localization and software engineering, to global consulting, language automation, audio/video production, staff augmentation, and in-person & over-the-phone interpretation. MediaLocate prides itself on being a true “full-service” localization company.

Current Opportunities: Meet with MediaLocate to hear about their upcoming positions.

Monterey Language Services

Monterey Language Services is committed to bridging the world’s languages by providing quality, professional and efficient translation & interpretation services in over 175 languages.

We are a group of professionals from different backgrounds working together as a team. Our expertise includes translation quality, translation processes, project management, and multilingual computing technology.

Current Opportunities:

• Interpreter or Project Manager/Office Assistant
• Spanish Medical Interpreters in Richmond & Antioch, CA
• Medical and Legal T&I

Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue is a worldwide network of creatives, strategists and linguists. From our hubs in London, LA and Singapore, we offer language services, powered by a passion for culture, creativity and communication.

Current Opportunities:

• Localization Intern
• Account Coordinator
• Account Manager

Mount Sinai West Hospital

Mount Sinai West is a full-service medical center with a 24/7 emergency department, proudly serving patients from Midtown and the West Side of Manhattan, New York City, and beyond. We have a rich history of medical innovation, and are well-renowned for numerous specialty clinical services, including orthopedics, hand surgery, breast surgery, colorectal surgery, gastroenterology, vascular surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neonatal intensive care, and urology. We offer special expertise in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage, movement disorders, epilepsy, complex aortic aneurysms, and kidney stones.
We also maintain a strong primary care and specialty physician presence in our surrounding neighborhoods, in order to bring our high-quality clinical services closer to you. As a Mount Sinai West patient, you have access to the full resources of the Mount Sinai Health System, and our outstanding physicians can serve all of your health care needs.

Current Opportunities:

• Two interns for the following positions: Spanish Interpreter / Translator Monday
  through Thursday 9:00am – 4:00pm

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is a service opportunity for motivated change makers to immerse themselves in a community abroad, working. From leading health campaigns to boosting local entrepreneurship to teaching digital literacy. Offering a range of opportunities for our Volunteers to take on new challenges.

Current Opportunities:

• Health, Education, Youth Development, Community Economic Development, Agriculture, and Environment volunteers.

RWS

We help organizations remove barriers to communication and find better ways to connect with their audiences – anywhere in the world. Our 7,500+ global team of talented people are united by a love of language and a passion for innovation. Our pioneering technologies are pushing the limits of what’s humanly possible.

Current Opportunities:

• Freelance translator for life sciences translations
• Freelance translator for patent translations (claims, specifications, abstracts)
• German <> English Engineering Translator
• French > English Electronics/Physics Translator
• Localization Project Manager
• Vendor Managers
• Linguistic Tester

Stanford Children’s Health | Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Stanford Children’s Health is the largest health care system in the San Francisco Bay Area—and one of the few in the country—exclusively dedicated to pediatric and obstetric care. We serve in more than 65 locations across Northern California and more than 85 locations in the U.S. Western region. As part of Stanford Medicine, a leading academic health system that includes Stanford Health Care and the Stanford University School of Medicine, we have access to some of the best innovative minds at the forefront of scientific research to improve children’s health outcomes around the world.

Current Opportunities:

• ASL Interpreter
• Medical Interpreter/Translator (Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese)
• Relief Medical Interpreter/Translator (Spanish, Chinese)

Stanford Health Care

Great things happen when you put talented people together and then empower them to reach beyond the ordinary. Every day is an opportunity to lift up our patients with the kind of care that has earned us a worldwide reputation for excellence. We are an organization with more than 300 facilities throughout the Bay Area united by our culture of respect. Our C-I-CARE philosophy invites all staff to elevate the patient experience, because every interaction is a chance to make a positive impact in the lives of those around us. That same commitment extends to the way we work together. We prize open communication and intensive collaboration, because that’s how true innovation happens again and again.

Stanford Health Care will sponsor international students’ H1B visa applications.

Current Opportunities:

• Medical Interpreter
• Interpreter/Translator (Spanish, Chinese, Mandarin, Cantonese)

Tiller Language Services

Tiller Language Services delivers world-class language services. We provide translation, localization and interpretation (in-person and remote) for domestic and global organizations in the advertising, events, foundation, NGO and PR spheres, furthering the reach of their messages and enhancing their missions.

Current Opportunities: Translator/Interpreter for any and all languages.

TransPerfect

TransPerfect was founded with a mission to help the world’s businesses navigate the global marketplace by providing a full array of language and business support services, including translation, interpretation, multicultural marketing, website globalization, subtitling, voice overs, staffing services, e-learning and training, and legal support services. TransPerfect is more than a translation company. For more than 25 years, TransPerfect has been the world’s largest provider of language services and technology solutions. From offices in more than 90 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide.

Current Opportunities:

• Language Researcher
• Data Analyst
• Director of Business Development
• Language Annotator
• Account Executive
• Voice Data Collector
• Online Data Rater
• Freelance Linguist
• Audio QAers
• Interpreters

U.S. Department of State – Office of Language Services

The Office of Language Services carries on a tradition of language support for the conduct of foreign policy that dates back to 1789, when it was founded by Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State of the United States of America.
Our small cadre of civil service diplomatic interpreters, translators, and project managers is augmented by hundreds of carefully tested and vetted independent contract interpreters and translators to ensure support in every language required by the White House, the State Department, and other federal agencies.
This roster of freelance interpreters and translators is indispensable to our mission of supporting the conduct of diplomacy and foreign affairs, as well as foreign assistance and exchanges programs.

Current Opportunities:

For freelance intermittent contract work:
1) interpreters
2) translators

For part- or full-time in-house contract work:
1) interpreting project managers
2) translation project managers

Additional Recruiting Sessions

Due to time zone differences or other operational reasons, some employers have decided to reach students outside of the career fair through the recruiting sessions listed below.

Please note that sessions are listed in chronological order, and some may have already passed. The events that have already passed are included to make students aware of employers who are currently showing interest in MIIS students.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is the nation’s first hospital devoted exclusively to the care of children. Since our start in 1855, CHOP has been the birthplace for countless breakthroughs and dramatic firsts in pediatric medicine. Built on a foundation of delivering safe, high-quality, family-centered care, the Hospital has fostered medical discoveries and innovations that have improved pediatric healthcare and saved countless children’s lives. Today, families facing complex conditions come to CHOP from all over the world, and our compassionate care and innovation has repeatedly earned us a spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of the nation’s best children’s hospitals.

Current Opportunities:

• Medical Interpreters (Arabic or Spanish)

Daikin

Daikin is the world’s #1 manufacturer of air conditioners and refrigerants and provides the North American market with a full range of residential and commercial HVAC products leveraging its advanced core technologies for refrigerant control, inverters and heat pumps.  Located just outside of Houston, Texas, the Daikin Texas Technology Park allows Daikin to consolidate manufacturing, engineering, logistics, marketing and sales in a 4.2 million square feet state-of-the-art manufacturing and business campus.

Current Opportunities: Interpreter (Japanese/English)
Date: March 2nd, 2023
Time: 12:10 – 1:00 pm PT
Register on Handshake

Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue is a worldwide network of creatives, strategists and linguists. From our hubs in London, LA and Singapore, we offer language services, powered by a passion for culture, creativity and communication.

Current Opportunities:

• AI Dialogue Writer
• Transcreation
• Internship

Date: February 21, 2023
Time: 12:10 – 1:00 pm PT
Register on Handshake

Supertext

Founded in 2005, Supertext ranked among the top 100 European technology start-ups as early as 2008. Supertext. Our name says it all. As a creative copywriting and translation agency, we write, translate, localize and edit content, websites, apps, videos, and more. With offices in Los Angeles, Zurich and Berlin, Supertext has been putting in a good word for start-ups with global ambitions and multinationals since 2005.

Date: March 14th, 2023
Time: 12:10 – 1:45 pm PT
RSVP in Handshake

Professional identity is defined as “the attitudes, values, knowledge, beliefs and skills shared with others within a professional group,” by BMC Medical Education. I read the words, but found the concept hard to articulate with concrete examples when I became a Career Advisor at MIIS 7 years ago.

It changed when I did a mock interview with a seasoned translator, coming to MIIS to study Localization Management with the goal of becoming a  Localization Project Manager. I asked her questions about how she would deal with various challenges in managing localization workflows. My aha moment came when, time and time again, she kept veering towards the perspective of translators. I thought to myself: “Now I get it. She is still thinking like a translator rather than a Localization PM.” Once I understood the concept, I started to see around me how the inability to change one’s professional identity diminishes their ability to pivot to new career directions.

Karen Tkaczyk has successfully transitioned her professional roles multiple times. Most recently, she has transitioned from a freelance translator to a management role at MasterWord. I sat down with Karen to talk about her journey with the goal of highlighting the how rather than the what. The process is applicable regardless of the professions of your choice.

• Karen, please tell us a bit about the various transitions you have made in your professional journey.

My first professional identity was as a research chemist getting a PhD and then a development chemist working in the chemical/pharmaceutical industry. That was 1994-2000. Then I was a stay-at-home mum from 2001-2005. I started my freelance translation practice in 2005, and my identity was being a highly specialized technical translator, editor and trainer until 2021. Then I became employed again by an LSP in May 2021.

The common thread through all those phases is subject matter expertise. I was always known as the chemistry translator among my peers. And I did much fun science stuff like making the periodic table of cupcakes with my children. 😊

• Let’s talk about your most recent transition. Why did you decide that you wanted to make a change and how did you choose your direction?

The short answer to why is that I reached a tipping point and to how is that I wanted to grow yet keep the SME focus. The longer version dips into the pandemic, into the sort of introspection and reflection common to many during that period, to the fact that we were approaching the youngest of those kids  leaving home, and partly financial: my husband was furloughed for a while, so we wanted benefits. All that got me thinking and opening up to the idea of change after such a long period of stability.

Then what direction? I wanted to rely on that subject-expertise that has served me well. I wanted to stay in language services—that is to say that for both those points, I wanted to use the years of experience I have, not try something new. I knew I had people/organizational skills that would serve me well. At that early stage I was open to both client-side and LSP, to both operations and client-facing roles. I had a target starting salary in mind that matched my typical net annual revenue. As a freelancer I had strong, stable revenue for the 4 years prior to the pandemic so that number was firm in my mind.

• Before we started this interview, you shared with me that you have caught yourself being stuck in old professional identities. How did you build that awareness?  

When I am with freelancers (Say training on editing and proofreading, something I do periodically) I still use the first person, we/I. And I do the odd freelance job from time to time for old clients. I handed off most work to colleagues, but my contract allows for the sideline and I like to keep my skills up. For instance, I can see how various CAT tools look from the linguist side, periodically test whether MT engines are any better these days, and share what I learnt in terms of scientific writing skills with the next generation of freelancers. All of that forms part of my overall approach to keeping up with what’s going on the in the industry.

It’s often a positive though, to be able to look back at that identity: When I am at networking events that are largely client-side and LSP focused (For example, Women in Localization or LocLunch events) and explain my background, I often end up being asked for the freelancer opinion on something. “What’s it really like to…”

The other identity that trips me up sometimes is being a chemist. Sometimes I say “I was a chemist” to clients whose accounts I manage (who are often STEM grads), and more than one has said “You are a chemist” and they’re quite right!

• What is your advice for new professionals who know their career direction, but finding it hard to create a professional identity?

Build awareness of what your strengths are and which roles that might make you naturally better at. It is much easier to identify with something when it is a good fit for your strengths.

Find a mentor or someone to inspire you who has been where you are and has achieved something you hope to get to. So model yourself after others, I suppose until you find yourself.

If you are using a job as a stepping-stone or placeholder on your way to the dream, be careful. Having something else aspirational as a goal or identity can make it hard to shine where you are, as you won’t give your all to the stepping stone. Yet to impress peers and managers, you want to shine along the way. So be aware and make sure you are not being lackluster as you work towards other goals.

I’ll also give you a negative tip. I’m not a proponent of “fake it till you make it,” a fairly common approach, especially to get a foothold in the freelance world. Try to build those skills first before you make claims that you can’t stand behind.

• For people making changes mid-career, what have been the most effective ways for you to transition to a new professional identity?

Own it. Publicly. Tell your family and friends about the change. Tell people on LinkedIn or anywhere else you are networking. I have colleagues who have made a similar transition but haven’t told the world. To me that shows that at heart they aren’t taking the leap to change their professional identity.

What else? Spend time reflecting (say once a month) on the things you weren’t expecting in the new role and think about how the new role has brought you growth and whether you would have experienced that in the old role. That analysis can make the changes clear.

I have a very practical way to transition too: I don’t handle anything related to my freelance life (or for that matter, my personal life) on my MasterWord computer. I have another computer (and my phone) for that. That split means that I focus on the main professional identity during the work day, and only handle the “former” identity in off times. That makes the transition much cleaner.

• Thank you, Karen, for sharing such in-depth and candid insights about how you’ve managed the transition. Any words of wisdom as we close this interview?

It has been a pleasure to discuss this with you, Winnie. To start with you said that the definition of identity included attitudes, values, knowledge, beliefs and skills. I think we have covered all of those here! To close I’ll add that transitions are natural. Let’s enjoy them.

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

A recent article introducing access to interpreters via Microsoft Teams has generated discussions on how it may impact LSPs. Should LSPs worry about the big tech firms entering into the language services market?

While adding means of access to remote interpretation should be encouraged and the efforts to do so should not be trivialized, I would like to shine the spotlight on the core elements that enable the right interpreters to show up at the right time. You’ve guessed it! It’s not Zoom, Teams or WebEx.

I visualize a remote interpretation system with three key components:

Front end: Features that connect multilingual conference attendees and users of remote community interpretation services with LSPs’ core delivery platforms. I think of this as the door into the service platform. The means of access has evolved from any landline phone, to smartphone, video conference system, various meeting platforms, and, also, industry-specific or client-specific user-interfaces (UIs).

Core delivery platform: The technology that powers the delivery of remote interpretation needs to integrate voice, video and data systems. It can be as low-tech as operators manually receiving calls, looking up qualified interpreters, conferencing various parties together and timing the calls. It can be as high-tech as collecting caller information through IVR, routing calls through pre-defined logic and interpreter classification, and timing/billing/invoicing calls automatically.

Back end: These are the users of technology to make sure the right interpreters are recruited, trained, QA’ed and paid. After all,  the whole point of the service is to reach an interpreter. The level of complexity increases, exponentially, when the expected number of languages increases and the time to reach an interpreter decreases. Adding in requirements for specialization and licensure, the work will challenge the best of logistical experts.  

If you look under the hood, there is a wide range of automation levels among LSPs which in turn determines their scalability, margin and growth potential. And, none of the bells and whistles matters if the star of the show, the interpreter, does not perform when the show starts.

Back to Zoom, Teams, WebEx. Sure, they are ubiquitous, but let’s remember that access points can be created on the UI of any system. The possibilities are endless. Twenty years ago, Over-the-Phone Interpretation (OPI) providers competed to program their toll-free inbound numbers on their clients’ phones, then evolving to install video interpretation units at clients’ sites. Now, the new frontier is integrating meeting apps and industry-specific/client-specific UIs with the LSPs’ core delivery platform. The through line here is: enhancing ease of access.

Based on publicly available information from RSI providers, users can access KUDO interpreters via Zoom and Teams. Interactio’s “remote simultaneous platform is compatible with Zoom, Cisco, Webex, Teams, Blue Jeans, Hopin etc.” Interprefy states on its website that they “integrate with over 60 meeting and event platforms.”

On the remote community interpretation side, LanguageLine Solutions says they have “successfully tested the following platforms for SIP connectivity: Zoom, Vidyo, Amwell, Teleport, Caregility.” Boostlingo states that they have “integrated with Zoom, WebEx and other video conference platforms.” Cyracom works with “over a dozen video communication platforms, including Zoom, Webex, Epic Teams, Amwell etc.”

As you can see from the examples above, expanding access to remote interpretation services by integrating with meeting/event platforms and industry-specific/client-specific UIs is a long time coming. In reality, Microsoft Teams is late to the game.

Now, to the question of whether LSPs should be worried.

No, unless meeting platforms such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx decide to make or buy the core delivery platform and the support system to enter into the interpretation services industry.

Yes, because having the ability to receive calls from meeting platforms is no longer a competitive advantage for LSPs. User experience delivered by your core delivery and support systems is what will differentiate you. Access points such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx are the doors that allow users to enter your service. Ultimately, what they find after they pass through that door is what matters.

You may ask: Why then do remote interpretation LSPs focus so much on the means of access rather than the user experience before, during and after the actual interpretation session? The answer is valuation. The performance of tech stocks in the last decade has made anything that is perceived as “technology” attractive for investors. Even a strong company like Netflix cannot escape this pressure.  A recent article by Frank Pallotta on CNN Business discussed how Netflix stock price has dropped because it is “becoming a more traditional media company” rather than being valued as a Big Tech company like Facebook, Google and Apple.

It’s true: technology creates the excitement. As a result, language companies want to look like technology companies. When I consult on M&A deals, analysts are largely in search of unique technology innovations that would revolutionize the field rather than the fundamentals. I am excited to see future breakthrough technologies in remote interpretation. But, I am making the case that integration with meeting platforms is not a breakthrough, at least not anymore. We need to change the conversation.

I applaud the colleagues who have developed the integration between their core remote interpretation delivery platforms with other systems to expand access to interpretation services. That being said, as an industry, we will be well-served to educate clients about the sophisticated work that goes into the service. Bottom line: it’s good for valuation. Equally important, the unsung heroes who make the remote interpretation world go round day in and day out deserve much appreciation and recognition. If we don’t do this, who is going to do it for us?

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

Graduation season is fast approaching. I am privileged to be having critical conversations about their first jobs with my students.

What brings me joy: My students are receiving job offers and, in some cases, deciding among multiple offers.

What makes me cringe: Having “reality check” conversations. I have been working in the U.S. for 30+ years and have grown accustomed to certain norms as par for the course – “at-will employment” being one of them. I feel like I am the one breaking the bad news to my students.

According to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at-will means that “an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, except an illegal one, or for no reason without incurring legal liability. Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason with no adverse legal consequences.” NCSL further stated that “the U.S. is one of a handful of countries where employment is predominantly at-will. Most countries throughout the world allow employers to dismiss employees only for cause.” Among the reasons given for the predominance of at-will presumption is the belief that “both employers and employees favor it over job security.” This may be all good and well in theory, but for someone new to the professional world, this reeks of a submission of all control to their employers. Here is the typical conversation I have with my students on the subject :

Student: “You mean to tell me that employers can dismiss me at any time, without notice and without any explanation?”

Me (taking a deep breath): “Yes,” watching their expression of disbelief.

I then continue with my meager attempt at softening the blow: “In reality, though, that is the exception rather than the rule. Remember, there are always reasons behind these drastic moves, be it a downturn in business or your own unsatisfactory job performance, but legally, they aren’t obligated to provide a reason to you for your dismissal.”

Their raised eyebrows suggest a question that is not voiced: “How is this fair?” I watch the loss of a part of their innocence right in front of my eyes.  During these poignant moments, I ask myself: “What have we (the adults) done to our kids?” I am reminded of the inauguration speech by President Zelensky of Ukraine – about hanging up our kids’ photos rather than a President’s photo and to “look at them each time you are making a decision.” Business leaders, this practice is affecting YOUR kids! O.K. even if you don’t have kids and do not care about this issue, you do care about your employee engagement, don’t you? Know that, with this practice, your employees’ sense of engagement has been chipped away even before they report to work.

I am not here to engineer a change in this longstanding practice per se; that is a much bigger project. I am, however, sharing some of my lessons learned as a resource to these young professionals. This is the core lesson I have learned on the subject throughout my career: Whether at-will employment is present in your job offer letter/contract or not, job security does not really exist. Before you freak out, please hear me out.

Employees somehow assume a fair trade exists between their hard work and a sense of benevolence from the employers. The benevolence is assumed to translate into job security at all costs. But the “trade” only goes so far. First, even the most benevolent employers aren’t immune to changes in their industry or fluctuations in economic cycles. Job loss often happens due to reasons out of the employers’ control. This scenario is close to home now as we fight our way out of a two-year pandemic.

Furthermore, the fair “trade” between employers and employees takes place when the employees have been paid for work rendered. Should the termination of an employment relationship take place, it is the termination of “future” relationships, not a negation of past contributions or relationships. For the employees, it is far more productive to take the energy required to breed resentment and use it instead to invest in one’s future career. 

But how? These are the lessons I have learned:

• Liberate yourself from the expectation that your employer will “give” you job security. They can’t, and, in some cases, they won’t even if they could. Your career is far more secure if you are able to take the control into your own hands.
• A job does not a career make. A fulfilling career is one that looks like a colorful puzzle. Every job contributes to making this puzzle your own. Aspire to keep adding pieces to your puzzle. The more colorful your puzzle is, the more attractive you are as a candidate. Clinging on to a job for dear life works against you. Think about career sustainability, not job security.
• Have yourself a job and a half. My students look at my LinkedIn profile and ask me how I was able to move from being a linguist to HR, to Operations, to Product Management, to Sales & Marketing, and to Technology. (Refer to the previous point about creating a colorful puzzle!) They wonder if I just decided from one day to the next to move to a new role. Of course not! My SOP was: achieve excellence on my current job and look for opportunities to contribute to ancillary functions outside of my current role – expanding my knowledge and network while also adding value for colleagues. Even if pivoting among distinctly different roles isn’t your cup of tea, the point is clear – the goal is to not fall prey to a false sense of (job) security and stop evolving. To achieve true security requires study and work outside of your regular job duties.
• Money won’t buy you happiness, but money can give you options. Other than the disbelief and self-doubt that follow an unexpected job loss, the most pressing issue is how to absorb the shock of financial disruption. Financial planners generally suggest that you put aside 6 months’ worth of living expenses in an emergency fund. To be clear, this fund does not remove or diminish the probability of job loss, but it does give you peace of mind. Better yet, it helps to give you the courage to take on risks when contemplating a change of direction. I will be forever grateful to my first boss, Mark, who encouraged me to “save until it hurts.” Many of my students have benefited from this mantra.

I know! I know! It’s odd to have someone who had worked for the same employer for 25 years talk about “job security” as a myth. Here’s another way to look at it: I continuously sought to reinvent myself to ensure my career sustainability. The fact that it took place in the same company was incidental. If circumstances had been different, I would have achieved the same thing through multiple employers. Employees are like actors in a show and the employers provide the stage. By all means, regardless of the stage, put on a good performance, always. At the same time, be ready to go on a new stage when the time comes. Don’t let the stage limit you. Don’t let at-will employment happen to you; be the one to exercise it. Keep. Reinventing. Yourself. Keep. Shining.

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS