There is no way to sugarcoat this – the job market is challenging for 2020 graduates. According to a USA Today report on August 8th, 2020, “the unemployment rate in the United States stood at 11.1% as of June. While this is a marked improvement from the 14.7% jobless rate in April, it is still higher than at any time in at least the last 70 years. In some U.S. cities – many of which are major economic hubs – the unemployment crisis is far worse than it is nationwide.”
As we shine a spotlight on the language industry, however, we are seeing some promising signs. Slator reported on August 6th, 2020, “the language industry job market is stabilizing after plunging in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Slator Language Industry Job Index (LIJI).” Slator further indicated that “prior to Covid-19, the LIJI started off slow in January 2020, but quickly bounced back with a record high in February 2020. August 2020 is the first month that the LIJI recorded an increase since March 2020, likely due to the ripple effects of Covid-related lockdowns around the world during the five months prior.”
In March, April and May, MIIS students and alumni reported hiring freezes, cancellations of internships and layoffs. The number of interviews I heard about slowed to a trickle. I started to hear more about interviews in late June and July although far from the level I saw in previous years during the same months. In late July and now in August, I have heard good news of May 2020 graduates receiving more than one offers. The main point here is: job search, no doubt, is difficult this year, but the job market is not completely dry.
This is why I decided to interview Xingchen Hu (MATLM 2020) for the first episode of my “This Is What Worked For Me” podcast. I hope how she managed the challenges and her subsequent success in her job search can help those who are still going through the process. Thank you, Xingchen, for sharing your learnings to lift others up.
This podcast is my conversation with Jon Ritzdorf.
Jon is a fellow graduate from MIIS who is a Senior Solutions Architect at RWS Moravia and an Adjunct Professor at MIIS, NYU and University of Maryland. I have always been very impressed by his industry insights, generosity towards students and his overall positivity. After he shared his career ups and downs with me, including the difficult timing of moving to New York City 2 months after the 911 attacks in 2001, I thought to myself: “Boy! Those were hard knocks. How did he recover from those setbacks and how does he maintain his positive outlook?” Hence this podcast.
There is a gap between the price the clients pay to the LSPs and the income that goes to the linguists. Other than the profit generated by the LSPs, where does the money go? How big a factor is interpreter quality in the buying decision? This is a presentation I gave at InterpretAmerica 2020 that answers the question above.
The 6th episode of “How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” is a conversation with MIIS alumna, Lorena Ortiz Schneider. The social distancing order imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus has had a severe impact on work opportunities for interpreters. On-site interpretation has been especially hard hit.
Given that many of my MIIS students aspire to a freelance interpreter career, I was particularly interested in Lorena’s perspective as a freelancer herself and as someone whose business works with freelance interpreters day in and day out. She pointed out that downturns can take a variety of forms from the macro-economic environment, to professional challenges, to personal setbacks and provided many heart-felt and practical suggestions.
The 5th episode of “How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” is a conversation with Diane Mouradian on how we can care for our emotional well-being overall and for those going through job search while the world is grappling with the pandemic. Diane is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a nationally certified Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapist.
This is week 4 of the “shelter in place” order in California during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak and as of now a third of the global population is on coronavirus lockdown. This is no doubt an event of global proportion affecting us professionally and personally.
Episode Four of “How To Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” is my conversation with Michael Klinger, Managing Director of Anzu Global. Michael is a 30-year veteran in the language services industry. After starting his career as an interpreter, he went into staffing services and facilitating mergers and acquisitions in the language industry. In the interview, he shared his experience managing through previous economic downturns and strategies on job search at a time of economic uncertainty.
Episode Three of “How To Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” is my conversation with Kathleen Diamond, a language industry veteran who has founded and managed businesses in language teaching, translation and interpretation. In the interview, she shared how she became an entrepreneur and how she identified needs in the market to reinvent her businesses amid economic uncertainty.
Episode Two of my podcast “How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” was a conversation with Matt Conger, CEO of Cadence Translate and Johnathan Rechtman, Co-founder of Cadence Translate and a conference interpreter. The year was 2008. Matt was a new MBA and Johnathan had just graduated from college. They shared how they reimagined their careers and lessons learned amid the Great Recession.
The global coronavirus outbreak, the lockdown, the volatility in the financial market and the sudden spike in unemployment are taking place in March, 2020 when job search for 2020 graduates should be taking place in earnest. My thoughts immediately went to my MIIS students. These events are not of their making and are out of their control, but will likely impact their job search. I turned to several industry veterans for them to share some words of wisdom.
The first episode of my podcast “How to Navigate Job Search Amid Uncertainty” was a conversation with Frank Perry during the first week of the “shelter in place” order in California. Frank has 40 years of experience in Human Resources across several industries and has experienced several downturns. Please click below to listen to his insights.
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 2020 TILM Career Fair will be held on February 28, 2020, at the Monterey Conference Center.
2020 TILM Career Fair Exhibitors
We publish this partial list to facilitate early research by students. Employers are still signing up and we will continue to regularly update this list until the Career Fair.
Acclaro is a translation service and platform that helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. Through a fine-tuned process, top industry talent and leading technologies, they make a long-term investment in our clients’ global brands.
Working in over 100 languages and with offices around the globe, Acclaro helps clients open new markets and gain a competitive edge by expertly adapting their brands and products with fast, high-quality translations.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Freelance translation and language lead positions, Project managers, MT specialists Specialization: Translation, Localization, Localization Management
Ad Astra Inc. is a woman-owned language services agency located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. They have recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary and are preparing for another burst of growth. They offer a comprehensive suite of spoken language and ASL interpretation, translation, transcription, and localization services in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and across the US for government, healthcare, educational, and commercial clients. Within the company, they offer a stimulating environment with plenty of growth opportunities for talented and forward-thinking professionals.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Freelance Translators, Freelance Interpreters, Staff ASL Interpreters, other staff positions available Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization
BorderX Lab is the creator of the Beyond Fashion and Beauty Discovery Marketplace launched in 2014. We connect Chinese shoppers to official websites of brands and merchants like Saks, Bloomingdales, Harrods, Finish Line and Alexander Wang, etc. Through our direct partnerships with major US and European fashion & beauty brands, we guarantee our users receive authentic products at authentic prices. For brands, we provide a turn-key solution to China’s localization and logistics. BorderX Lab has offices in Silicon Valley and Shanghai.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English Current Opportunities: Marketing Intern, Logistics Intern, Marketplace Partnership Expert, Business Development Intern, Business Development Associate Specialization: Localization, Localization Management
CLI stands at the forefront of world-class interpreting services, and has since its inception in 1996. Thousands of organizations across the country rely on CLI to help them communicate with a growing demographic of Limited English Proficient (LEP) speakers. They provide OPI & VRI services and are seeking interpreters for all languages who are interested in working from home as remote interpreters, meaning you set your own schedule.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Seeking remote interpreters for all languages (they provide OPI & VRI Services) Specialization: Interpretation
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.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Hiring for more than 100 occupations across all majors. Specialization: Translation, Interpretation
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution consisting of two separate entities which provide linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies, and numerous customers around the world. Their mission is to provide the highest quality culturally based foreign language education, training, and evaluation to enhance the national security of the United States.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Hiring for 148 teaching positions Specialization: Translation, Interpretation
Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc. offers translation and interpretation services between Japanese and English for Honda group companies in the United States.Since its establishment in 1989, Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc. has been sending highly skilled and experienced Japanese-English translators and interpreters to Honda group companies in the United States.
Most of their translators/interpreters obtain master’s degrees of translation/interpretation studies, or have professional experiences in the field.
Recruiting for (languages): Japanese Current Opportunities: In-house/freelance interpreter/translator (Japanese and English) Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
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 13485:2003, and ISO 17100:2015.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: Life Sciences Localization Project Manager, Project Management Intern, Quality Control Specialist Specialization: Translation, Localization, Localization Management
Intuitive, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery. At Intuitive, they believe that minimally invasive care is life-enhancing care. Through ingenuity and intelligent technology, they expand the potential of physicians to heal without constraints. Intuitive brings more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted surgical technology and solutions to its offerings, and develops, manufactures, and markets the da Vinci surgical system and the Ion endoluminal system.
Recruiting for (languages): English Current Opportunities: Localization Specialist Specialization: Localization, Localization Management
The Japan Association of Conference Interpreters, established on April 1, 2015, is a non-profit organization operated by conference interpreters for the benefit of conference interpreters—the first and only kind in existence in Japan.
The Association’s activities include exchange of professional and industry information among members, collection and dissemination of interpreting-related information, events, outreach and other social initiatives, and creation of text and video content, in order to educate interpreters and raise their social status.
Recruiting for (languages): English, Japanese Current Opportunities: Conference Interpreters Specialization: Interpretation
LAI Global Game Services is a full solution game localization, marketing and publishing firm providing a range of services to help developers publish their games and achieve success in global markets. LAI is headquartered in Silicon Valley with local offices in Beijing and Tokyo.
Recruiting for (languages): Japanese Current Opportunities: Summer TLM-related internship (Japanese preferred but students with other language combinations are also encouraged to apply), freelance opportunities Specialization: Translation, Localization, Localization Management
MediaLocate is a vibrant full-service localization company that provides creative multilingual solutions to businesses large and small. From Fortune 500 companies to start-ups positioned to enter the global marketplace, they offer scalable language services to their growing list of corporate clients in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: None specified Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
Menlo Technologies is a global computer technology services company specializing in cloud integration, data analytics, and mobile technology. They have built strategic partnerships with top-tier pioneers in the tech industry including Microsoft, Dell Boomi, and Looker. Their global delivery model for IT solutions provides a framework for exceeding customer expectations in all dimensions – quantity, time and cost.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English, French, German ,Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Localization Editors, Multi-Lingual Linguists, Marketing Writers Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
Monterey Language Services is committed to bridging the world’s languages by providing quality, professional and efficient translation & interpretation services in over 175 languages. Their expertise includes translation quality, translation processes, project management, and multilingual computing technology. Based on many years of experience in managing translation projects, they have developed new methods, and proprietary technologies to streamline their processes and make life easier for their customers. With Monterey Language Services customers can count on getting high-quality results with minimal effort on their part.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Freelance Translator, Freelance Interpreter, Office and Project Assistant Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
Morningside Translations is a leading provider of Foreign Language Solutions, such as translation, interpreting, and IP Services. Morningside Translations is the fastest growing major language service provider in North America and one of the largest intellectual property translation companies in the world. Specializing in patent, life sciences, and legal translations where accuracy and subject matter expertise are paramount, Morningside provides ISO 9001 and 13485-certified translations into more than 150 languages and offers end-to-end technology-enabled translation, localization, and multimedia solutions.
Morningside is the trusted partner to thousands of organizations including Fortune 500 companies, Am Law 200 firms, and international regulatory bodies. Headquartered in New York City, Morningside has offices across the globe in San Francisco, Hamburg, London, and Jerusalem.
Recruiting for (languages): French, German, Japanese Current Opportunities: Two English into French in-house linguists, two English into German in-house linguists, one Japanese Team Lead Specialization: Translation
Mother Tongue helps global brands speak their customers’ language. They operate from hubs in London, Los Angeles and Singapore, with an international project management team that’s united by a love of language and a can-do attitude. With a global network of in-market talent, they provide round-the-clock access to expert trans-creation, translation, insight and content origination services.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: Summer 2020 Intern and a full-time localization account manager to start Summer 2020 Specialization: Localization Management
The Mount Sinai Health System provides compassionate patient care with seamless coordination and advanced medicine through unrivaled education, research, and outreach in the many diverse communities we serve. When you join us, you become part of Mount Sinai’s unrivaled record of achievement, education, and advancement as we revolutionize medicine together.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: None specified Specialization: Localization Management
Established in 2000, Netmarble has thrived as one of the top mobile game companies on the global scene with the sole purpose of providing players with an epic gaming experience. More than 3,500 Netmarble employees at the main office located in Seoul, Korea and 7 overseas offices have dedicated their passion and love for games into each and every Netmarble title.
Recruiting for (languages): English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Korean Localization Management, Korean Translator, Korean-English Proofreader, German/French/Portuguese/Russian/Castilian Spanish Translators /Proofreaders Specialization: Translation, Localization, Localization Management
Nimdzi Insights is a market research and international consulting company made up of analysts, consultants, LSP experts, and researchers, all connected with one united goal: helping their clients succeed. They provide partners with insights for the language services industry through rigorous market research, expert consulting, and all levels of training. Clients are buyers, suppliers, governments, universities, and all others interested in promoting international growth.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: WordPress Content Coordinator Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
SDL is the global leader and innovator in language and content management solutions. For over 25 years, SDL has helped companies communicate with confidence and deliver transformative business results by enabling powerful experiences that engage customers across multiple touchpoints, all strengthened by their human expertise and machine learning technology.
Today SDL is enabling companies to create, translate and deliver relevant and personalized content to support meaningful customer journeys and form important emotional connections by making understanding possible. The world’s biggest brands trust SDL’s expertise in digital content management and language translation.
Recruiting for (languages): None specified Current Opportunities: Project Management Interns for Summer 2020 Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
SOSi was founded as a language company, and it is one of the largest providers of cleared and professional linguists across the federal government. Since 1989, they have successfully performed language interpretation and translation projects in over 250 languages and dialects at locations in every state and around the world.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Immigrant Court Interpreter, Refugee and Asylum Applicant Interpretation Services, Cultural Advisor and Linguist, Linguistic Manager, and more Specialization: Translation, Localization
At Stanford Children’s Health, they know world-renowned care begins with world-class caring. That’s why they combine advanced technologies and breakthrough discoveries with family-centered care. It’s why they provide their caregivers with continuing education and state-of-the-art facilities, like the newly remodeled Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. And it’s why they need caring, committed people on our team – like you. Join them on our mission to heal humanity, one child and family at a time.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, Spanish Current Opportunities: Full-time and Part-time Mandarin and Spanish medical interpreter/translator positions Specialization: Translation, Interpretation
Stanford Health Care in the Stanford University Medical Center is ranked by US News among the top 10 Hospitals nationally and is well known for having one of the best programs in medical interpretation and translation in the world.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Chinese, Russian, Spanish: Regular (set schedule with benefits) and Relief (per diem) Specialization: Translation, Interpretation
Founded in 2005, Supertext ranked among the top 100 European technology start-ups as early as 2008. More than 3,300 companies use their online services. Not only can they order and manage their copywriting and translation projects online, they also benefit from the company’s technical expertise and intelligent use of translation memories, termbases, and online workflow integration. Today, over 70 full-time members of staff coordinate the work of more than 1,500 copywriters, proofreaders and translators for national and international clients from all industries. Supertext takes care of more than 3,000 projects every month and is one of the most innovative global language service providers.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Current Opportunities: Linguists (freelance, all languages), Project Manager (Berlin), Language Manager (Berlin/Zurich) Specialization: Translation, Localization, Localization Management
Translation By Design was founded in 2005 by their president, Sandra DeLay, with the goal of providing expert language translation support to legal professionals. From the most significant international litigations, to pro bono matters that might otherwise not be heard, they are humbled every day to have the opportunity to serve those who ensure justice is done.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, Japanese, Spanish Current Opportunities: Freelance translation and interpretation professionals Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization ,Localization Management
For more than 25 years, TransPerfect has provided comprehensive language and technology solutions to help our clients communicate and conduct business more effectively in a global marketplace. Equipped with a quality management system certified to both the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17100:2015 standards, TransPerfect provides a full array of language and business support services, including translation, interpretation, multicultural marketing, website globalization, subtitling, voiceovers, staffing services, e-learning and training, and legal support services.
TransPerfect also offers a suite of next-generation technologies that significantly reduce costs and improve consistency throughout the translation process, making TransPerfect the vendor of choice for the world’s leading multinationals.
The U.S. Department of State is the Federal government’s leading foreign affairs agency that works to shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and fosters conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere. Their employees have diverse educational and cultural backgrounds, global perspectives, depth of knowledge, and technical skills, along with exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities. They are champions of American diplomacy, using their knowledge and experience in everything from architecture to engineering and technology to medicine to achieve success as they serve with integrity and professionalism.
Recruiting for (languages): Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish Current Opportunities: Consular Fellows Program Specialization: Translation, Interpretation, Localization, Localization Management
The PCT Translation Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) organizes a Fellowship Program for assistant terminologists, translators, technical specialists, and translation technologists, with the aim of providing on-the-job experience at an international organization. WIPO is now accepting applications for the 2020 edition of the Program.
