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Both Sides Now – How Andrea Goethals Navigates a Portfolio Career as Localization Project Manager and Freelance Translator/Interpreter

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh
Andrea Goethals

Andrea Goethals (MATI 2021) and I shared a good laugh when she told me recently what was going through her mind in our first meeting: During New Student Orientation, someone suggested that she should meet her Career Advisor, so she made an appointment with me. After the initial exchange of pleasantries, I asked her what her career goals were after graduation. Neither of us can remember what her reply was, but what was going through her mind was: “Uh, I haven’t thought that far. I just want to pass my classes.”

Fast forward to 2022, she is working as a part time Localization Project Manager while building her translation and interpretation freelance career. How she has navigated her career path is admirable – resourceful, focused plus a healthy portion of good humor.

  • What do you like most about working as a project manager and freelance translator/interpreter respectively?

As a project manager, I get to see all the behind-the-scenes things that go into setting up a job/project, reviewing linguist resumes and rates, assigning a linguist etc. It’s interesting to see both sides of the project, and it has helped me better understand and appreciate the hard work that project managers do! Since I’m also a freelancer, I can relate to questions from the linguists and learn from the experienced translators and interpreters I assign.

I pick up small things like how different people format their resumes and email signatures, how they write their emails, the questions they ask before accepting a job, and the way they handle themselves in difficult situations.

As a freelancer, I love that I can pick my own projects and my own hours. I’ve worked (remotely) with people from all over the world on a variety of different topics. I love using my language skills and working with other people who have the same passion.

I think the mix of translation and interpretation is nice because they complement each other well. Sometimes, I get a little worn out from several interpreting jobs in a row, so, I may want to sit quietly and translate for a while. Other times, if I’ve been doing a lot of translation projects, I get an itch to interpret and flex my oral language skills. It’s a nice balance.

  • I understand that you were offered a full-time position as a project manager, but you decided to stay part time and continue to build your freelance career. Why?

Yes, that was a hard choice! But at the end of the day, my heart really lies with translation and interpretation. I really enjoy project management as well, but I also wanted to give interpretation, especially, a try. Interpreting and second languages in general, are skills that need to be practiced regularly. If you don’t use it, you lose it. And I still have a lot to learn!

I’ve also come to realize that building a freelance career is a long, slow process. I didn’t want to lose the momentum and progress I’ve already made by working full time, because realistically, I didn’t know if I’d still be motivated to keep taking on side work. I wanted to be able to say “yes” to interpretation jobs that come my way and be able to offer competitive turnaround times for translation projects. Sometimes, it seems like the most important thing for getting a job is simply being available for an urgent, last-minute request. I wanted to be able to be that go-to person for potential new clients.

  • One of the complaints I hear often from freelancers is: “I am on many LSPs’ rosters, but I don’t get work from them.” Now that you have the PM’s perspective, how would freelancers get to the top of your “go-to list”?

I’ve had that same question, myself! Being on the project management side has taught me that it’s really about the little things. I think one of the biggest things is simply being responsive and professional via email. Usually, the person who responds first to a request gets the job. Responding quickly in a professional way huge, it makes the PM’s job so much easier. Even just a short message confirming receipt is very useful to the PM.

Another big one is responding to a project manager even if you’re not available to take on the job. As a PM, I appreciate that just as much as the people who respond accepting the job, because I know they’ve seen my message and I can move on with my search. I’m much more likely to send another request for a future assignment to the person who responding saying they’re not available than to the person who didn’t respond at all.

  • What role has your network (professional associations, colleagues, alumni) play in your career thus far? Any tips for newbies?

My network has been crucial! All my first freelance projects came from colleagues who recommended me. I went to the ATA conference the October after I graduated, and I highly recommend it! For me, it was encouraging to simply meet other professionals who actually had a fruitful freelance career in my language pair (which felt impossible when I first started, and often still does). It showed me that there is enough work to go around, and if these 1000+ are all doing it, maybe I can, too.

 It was really interesting to hear the different paths people had taken to get to where they are and gave me some good ideas for my business. I ended up getting a few awesome jobs from the connections I made at that first conference, too.

I went again this year and ended up sharing a cab with you, Winnie, which is what brought me to this blog! So, you just never know who you’re going to talk to and where it will lead. J

  • Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were a student?

I would let myself relax a little bit more. During school and right after graduation, I was very anxious about starting a career in translation and interpretation because I didn’t understand how I was going to start freelancing once I graduated. I really wanted the satisfaction of having a stable job with a regular income and being “done”. Or I at least wanted some kind of clear-cut process I could follow to get started. I’m a hard worker and a faster learner, so I was craving structure to pour my anxious energy into.

But I realized that freelancing is much more fluid than that. I didn’t really start getting semi-regular work until around November after I graduated (in May). I spent the summer scouring job boards, cold calling LSPs and stressing out about not working. I felt like I was never doing enough but I also wasn’t getting any “results.” Once I started accepting that freelancing was going to be a much slower, gradual process, I felt like things started to happen more naturally. I still looked for work and practiced my skills, but I also got a side job to pay the bills and let myself off the hook every now and then.

I wish I could have enjoyed that downtime in the beginning a little more and not stressed so much, because it didn’t help. But if someone had told me that back then, I don’t think I would have listened. (Actually, in hindsight, ALL of my professors did tell me that, and I didn’t believe them. I guess you just have to learn some things for yourself!)

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

On Taking the Leap – Linh Nguyen’s Journey From Student to Intern to Program Manager

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

Linh Nguyen (MATLM 2023) interned at PayPal during summer of 2022 and has accepted a return offer to start as Localization Program Manager in July 2023. Transitioning from a student’s identity to a professional’s is always challenging. She recently shared with me how she managed the process. 

  • Tell us about your background prior to attending MIIS.

Before attending MIIS, I spent 2 years in the workforce as an English tutor, teacher, copywriter, and marketing partner. Getting work experience before going to graduate school opened me to the world of business and entrepreneurship and also grounded my sense of accountability and responsibility. As a teacher, I learned how to lead a team of rambunctious students and get out of my introverted shell to focus on what mattered the most: teaching my students. As a freelance copywriter, I not only learned how to communicate better in writing, but also learned the ins and outs of starting your own business and managing clients. As a marketing partner at a boutique website marketing agency, I learned how to manage accounts, people, and my own self-doubt. These various experiences in the workforce prepared me mentally to be professional, accountable, and laser focused on what it was I wanted to do, which has always been to bridge connections between people using language.

  • You did not have localization work experience prior to MIIS. When you saw the internship posting from PayPal, did you have any self-doubts about your qualifications? How did you decide that you wanted to apply for it?

The only localization work experience I had prior to MIIS was volunteering as a translator for Viki. When I saw the internship posting from PayPal, I had major self-doubts about whether I would be able to live up to the job description. I was only a month into my first classes in TLM and had just learned how to use Trados and what the localization process was like. Yet, I knew I had to take the leap.

The position was a combination of all my passions: finance and tech, localization and people. Not to mention, I had prior experience using PayPal products like Venmo and PayPal Business. While I knew I didn’t have all the experience listed in the job description right then and there, I knew I had a passion for the company, and that I would still have an entire school year to bring myself up to the standards of the PayPal localization team.

  • How did you prepare for the application process and interviews?

During the application process, I knew I had to be fast. After seeing the job posting, I immediately started fixing up my resume and my LinkedIn basing my examples on the criteria set out in the job description.

I had two close mentors who were not in the localization field, although one was a tech recruiter, proofread my resume. I then set up a meeting with Winnie to get insights on how to conduct myself during the interview. What questions should I be asking? What questions should I prepare for? I then did two rounds of mock interviews with my mentor who was a tech recruiter. She told me to practice my interview answers using the STAR method, which proved to be super useful in showcasing my skills.

On top of this, I also researched PayPal’s website and learned about their company mission, values, culture, and current news. From conversations with my mentors and from my interviews, I learned that willingness to upskill and learn, adaptability, focus on collaboration were three key points that people were looking for in an intern candidate.

  • What are the key lessons you have learned during your internship that you feel you can leverage moving forward?

Just ask. People are willing to help, you just have to ask.

Learn to pivot. Learn to adapt to changes. Instead of complaining, start problem-solving.

Be responsive. People like people they can trust. A part of building trust is being responsive and accountable for your communication.

  • Any words of wisdom for 1styear students who are about to embark on internship search?

Be confident in yourself and your ability to learn and adapt. Those skills carry you far in any job. Showcasing during the interview that you are willing to learn what you don’t know and that you’re flexible to changes will be to your benefit.

Remember that at the end of the day, an internship is just another type of stepping stone into the career you want. I always had a backup plan. Perhaps your stepping stone is a summer-long project to localize a website for a small business or conducting research in the localization industry, or interviewing professionals on your podcast (ahem shameless plug: https://anchor.fm/localizetheworld). These are all ways to upskill, increase your knowledge, and also increase your visibility as a localization professional. You can learn a lot in an internship, but you might learn more surprising things when you forge your own path forward.

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

外语人才的就业观 (Career Paths for Language Professionals)

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

This is my article that was published in January 2019 by China Bridge and Language Services China 40, two China-based think tanks focusing on the future of foreign language education and language services.

 

我在拿到会议口译硕士学位以后进入语言服务界，工作了25年以后于三年前回到位于加州蒙特雷的母校Middlebury Institute of International Studies担任职业生涯规划老师。我所著手的第一件工作就是和每位学生面谈，了解他们职业生涯的目标。我很快的就发现到80%以上的学生都说他们要到联合国做口译，而且这是不分语种、中外皆同。这让我既纳闷又担心。能够为联合国服务当然是值得推崇的目标，但是不应是唯一的选择。联合国不是每年都招人，即使招人，所需的人数也少，另外并不是每个学生都适合做口译，最重要的是外面的世界这么大，语言服务业的机会这么多，怎么这些学生口径一致的全要到联合国？更让我哭笑不得的是：就连自己语种并非联合国官方语言的学生也认为自己最好的出路就是进联合国。

我开始跟学生介绍本地化及语言服务业整个生态系统中各种有趣且有前瞻性的领域，大多数学生的反应是：「从来没听过！」或「从来没想到！」

这让我回想到2008年，我当时任职的口译公司并购了一家从事笔译和本地化的公司，刚接手这家公司的时候我很讶异地发现在二十多名项目管理经理中没有一个是学外语的。我所讶异的不是没有外语经验的人到翻译公司做事，而是这项工作是非常适合有外语背景的人来从事的，为什么学外语的人没来争取这种工作机会呢？我和许多同行交流以后发现这种现象在语言服务界是常态而非异状。

我意识到外语学生对于自己职业生涯的定义似乎过度狭隘，凡是和理工或商业沾上边的工作不是认为自己力有未逮就是不屑一顾，过犹不及非常可惜。我于是开始去探究美国大学对语言教学及学生职业出路的过去、现在及未来。现代语言协会（Modern Language Association) 在2007年的一份报告中指出，美国大学外语教学多是透过语言教育建立学生进入核心课程的基础，核心课程则是偏重于文学和研究。语言能力是进入人文殿堂的工具。我接下来所反省的是：

人文教育对社会的贡献是无庸置疑的。正如朱振武教授所说的：「有技术不等于有知识，有知识不等于有文化，有文化不等于有思想。」我认为教育和技术训练在本质上是不同的。对于思想的提升是教育殿堂以内和以外都应该致力去推广的。现代语言协会指出，美国的外语学生之中只有6.1%继续深造取得博士学位，跟随着教授的典范继续开发新的知识领域和作育英才。我要问：其他93.9%的学生前途在那里？我们在辩论外语是否应保留其人文性或是市场化和工具化时，我们针对的是学生还是教授？如果是针对学生的话那么我们针对的是那6.1%的学生还是那93.9%的学生？我们是不是能够在教育（正如朱振武教授所说的）「有思想的人、有理论建树的人、解决人类重大基础问题的人」的同时也帮助热爱外语但选择其他职业生涯的年轻人为社会做出最大的贡献？我认为是可以的。 此外，我们希望大学毕业生能够成为独立的个体，独立性应是全方位的，应该包括思想、行为、及经济独立。如果我们接受这种思维方式的话，那么教育界对毕业生经济独立的能力责无旁贷。以美国为例，从1989年到2016年，平均的工资增长了10%，但是大学四年教育的费用却增长了98%，大学生很多是靠贷款完成学业的，平均负债额是USD$25,000。如果再念硕士学位，毕业时身上背负的是超过十万美元的债务，他们的就业和出路是十分迫切的问题。 根据Common Sense Advisory的报告，2017年全球语言服务外包的市场达四百五十亿美元（USD$45 Billion), 而且预测会继续增长，其中一半的市场会在美国。外语人才就业的机会是很丰富且多元的，但是有两个难点：

1.    外语学生除了教书以外并不了解在整个外语服务的生态系统中有什么就业和发展的机会。

  1.    就算他们想从事笔译或口译的工作，基本上他们大学四年所练就的外语能力还不到位，解决的办法就是到国外去工作或深造。
 我为了在这一方面做出一点具体的贡献，规纳整理了语言服务界工作的类别。

此外，我也附加了网页，有五十几个职位供学生参考。这些他们「想都没有想过」的工作岗位需要他们。

网页博客链接： www.winnieheh.middcreate.net

人文教育和专业能力的培养是相辅相成的

我在大学主修英语，很单纯的想要找到一个使用英语的专业。误打误撞地进入管理者的行列之后才意识到：

1.文科教育给了我一些意想不到的通用技能（transferrable skills)，无论进入任何行业都受用。口译训练给了我在理解和沟通时快而准的能力。文学分析的训练让我能精准的判断眼前复杂的技术和人事问题。翻译研究所的教授们一再叮咛无论踫到什么议题，我们都要有信心及能力去学习、去处理，因此我在进入语言服务界后面对种种商业、技术及法务问题的挑战从未心存畏惧，反正就是以准备做一场会议口译战战兢兢的心境去面对就没错了。我们无法成为各行各业的专家，但理解讨论的中心议题和方向是绝对没问题的。我所学到的是一个终身学习的态度。

2. 语言教育给了我一个做为教师及口译人员的基本功（技术），而成为一个成功的管理者则是需要人文素养（思想）为后盾。我认为一个组织成功与否取决于三要素：团队（更重要的是领导）的素质（People), 完善的工         作流程（Process), 适用（未必是最新）的科技（Technology)。流程及科技是靠人开发出来的，所以归根究底「人」还是最重要的一环。美国西北大学的两位教授Gary Saul Morson （人文学者）及 Morten            Schapiro（经 济学者）在他们合著的《Cents and Sensibilities》中指出经济学者往往将人抽象化，忽略环境及文化因素，解决之道是多读文学作品，虽然很多学科都鼓励学生要培养同理心（empathy), 但只有文学真正从故事中让读者透过故事身歴其境的发挥同理心。李开复在2017年接受「科技新报」访问时指出： 未来当所有行业都走向人机结合时，文科领域也是一条别具发展性的路，例如艺术、哲学、历史、摄影、绘画、创作等，这些能力一时不容易遭AI 取代。当然这并不表示所有人都该去念文科，只是强调AI 时代下读文科也有出路和希望；另外像是服务业、志工等需要与人交流、关怀类型的工作，也都是AI 时代下的机会。

我听过在中国有这么一个说法：「学好数、理、化，走遍天下都不怕」。美国也是有重理工轻人文的现象。其结果似乎是给了文科人妄自菲薄的借口。举个例子，我们如果能够精通第二甚至第三外语，请问为什么我们认定程式语言高深莫测？不就是文法和逻辑而已吗？这是代表着我们「无力」去学还是「无心」去学？此言是基于切身体验，我学过数种程式语言，目的不是和技术人员抢饭碗，而是透过对他们专业及思维方式的了解去有效的管理他们，因为知己知彼，百战百胜。理工法商专业人士可以将外语当工具，外语人为什么不能将理工法商知识当工具？

语言服务公司的领导人及员工有许多是没有语言背景的。这不是对他们的批评，而是对语言人的期许。外行人能学习经营语言服务和语言科技，内行人何以置身事外？全球化是无可逆转的趋势，语言服务是全球化不可或缺的要素，语言教育从短期看是提供了技术人员，从长远看则负有提供既有本行专业技术知识，跨学科管理专长、又有领导才能的领袖。任重道远，共勉之。

 

作者：贺永中，蒙特雷国际学院 (Winnie Heh, Career Advisor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey)

If You Never Try, You Will Never Know – How Amy Liu (MATLM 2019) Landed Her Internship

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

Amy Liu (MATLM 2019) is going to intern at Linguitronics in Shanghai this summer. She shares what she has learned from her job search process in this posting.

*How did you find your job/internship?

That is a long story, but I will try my best to keep it short. Last year, I went to LocWorld 35 in Santa Clara as a volunteer. I met the manager from Linguitronics, an LSP from Shanghai and Taiwan. When I started to look fora summer internship, I contacted them and asked for an internship opportunity. It turned out they would not only offer me this internship as Localization Project Manager, but also sponsor me for round-trip air tickets and accommodations in Shanghai.

*What experiences at MIIS helped?

I have to say that I have benefited so much from MIIS. For instances, MIIS’ good reputation, career advertising, professional training, and so on. My first year’s immersive learning experience has piqued my interests and my curiosity drives me to ask questions in each information session, both on and off campus. Those conferences that were recommended by our professors are well-worth going. As for career advising, I think the Career Map that I completed during the New Student Orientation has definitely helped to crystalize my goals and approaches. I had several coaching sessions with my Advisor, Winnie Heh, about how to become confident in interviews and how to negotiate with interviewers. And this eventually led me to taking the course, The Art of Negotiation. Thanks to the techniques and skills I learned from that class, I got such a good deal for my internship in Shanghai.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

My experience here is just that I announced out loud that I needed a summer internship when I started looking. I reached out to everyone that I knew and asked for any possible opportunity. Not many classmates get what they wanted in the beginning, but so many have landed an internship before this semester ended. Maybe the advice I want to share with my fellow students is: keep trying. After all, if you never try, you will never know.

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

Your Results Are Only as Good as Your Research – How Johnathan Sokol (MATLM 2018) Found His Internship

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

 

 

Johnathan Sokol interned at Donnelley Language Solutions’ new office in Montreal, Canada in summer of 2017. As we approach the 2018 TILM Career Fair, his story may give you some inspiration.

*How did you find your job/internship?

– I spoke with career advisor Winnie Heh about the upcoming career fair for tips about which companies would be present and looking to hire summer interns. Winnie provided me with some company names and I did some basic research on the ones that looked the most promising. In my research, I noticed that Donnelley Financial Solutions had a new office in Montéal, Canada, which is an intriguing destination for a French>English Translation student such as myself! At the career fair, I gave my résumé to the Donnelley recruiter and inquired about a possible opportunity in Montréal. The Donnelley recruiter said that she was only recruiting for the New York office, but would like to speak with me in an interview. In the interview, she said that the Montréal office was brand new and never had an intern before, but that it was a very interesting idea! A couple months later, I received an e-mail from Donnelley’s Canadian HR department offering me the “Project Coordinator Intern” position for the summer.

*What experiences at MIIS helped (career management course, career fair, individual career advice, the MIIS network, coursework, class project, immersive learning experiences)?

– Several MIIS resources led to the realization of this opportunity. First, my discussion with career advisor Winnie Heh led me to the research that enabled me to impress the recruiter with the idea to bring an intern to the Montréal office. Then, the MIIS career fair led to a discussion with a Donnelley recruiter that led to an in-person interview later that afternoon. Finally, in the interview, a short discussion pertaining to my TLM coursework convinced the recruiter that I had the proper background for this internship.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

– If possible, schedule a quick meeting with Winnie/your career advisor before big events such as a career fair or conference for tips. Do some basic research on companies before contacting them so you can impress them with knowledge of a new office or changes in the company. Also, don’t be afraid to inquire about possibilities that don’t exist (yet!). If you can connect the company with something that you’re looking for in an internship, it doesn’t hurt to ask if they can make something new.

 

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS

How to Use Professional Translators in These 4 Fields

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

 

 

This blog posting is contributed by Rachel Wheeler of Morningside Translations.  Understanding the perspective from the LSPs will give translators an edge.  Read on ….

Professional translators are needed now more than ever. From HR and marketing positions to global clinical trials and e-discovery, workers with professional translation skills are in high demand. Need proof? Here are four completely different fields that require an LSP.

Marketing and E-Commerce

Today, conducting business on a global scale requires skill in reaching an international audience. It means interacting with different cultures and languages while also creating brochures, websites, ads, contracts, annual reports, etc.

In 2016, reports showed that 57 percent of participants across six continents purchased a product from an overseas-based website. By the end of that year, the U.S. ecommerce market garnered more than $322 billion in revenue. Those numbers are the product of an international audience – English speakers represent only 26 percent of the world’s internet users. As a result, translation and localization has become a must-know skill for successful international retailers and marketers.

International Litigation

International litigation is a complex field on its own. When diverse languages and cultures are added to the mix, it can become overwhelming.

Having someone with the ability to translate on the spot could be helpful in multiple situations, including but not limited to: Hearing cases in different nations; speaking with staff members who are not fluent in the prominent language of the case; identifying the differences in laws that are written in another language.

Global Clinical Trials and Research Publications

Translation has an important role in the medical industry, especially when it comes to conducting global clinical trials and publishing scientific papers.

Clinical trials require a lot of paperwork – there’s documents that the patients fill out, documents that the administering staff fills out, and documents that the doctors fill out, etc. If the research sponsor is conducting global clinical trials, then each one of these documents would need to be translated for each location, twice.

First, the documents need to be translated from the original language into the local language of the test participants. Then, once everything has been recorded, the documents must be re-translated into the original language of the research sponsor. It would be wise to have expert linguists on staff to answer questions during this lengthy process.

With 75 percent of scientific papers are written in English, a translator is needed in order for others in the scientific community to gain access to these papers

Patent Filing

Filing a patent is a tedious process. It is even more so when you’re applying in a different language under a different set of regulations.

Filing and maintaining a patent application in an international market can range from $11,400 in Israel to $25,700 in Japan. As the filing prices increase, so do the translation costs. According to the European Commission, “the costs for a single translation of a patent may be more than €1500.”

Hiring an LSP will not only help cut down costs, but will ensure accuracy throughout the patent application process. Having to file for an international patent again is a waste of both monetary and intangible resources (e.g. time).

Tips on Becoming an LSP

The secret is out: Translators are in high demand. So, how do you get ahead? Here are a few pro tips.

Revise, Revise, Revise: You wouldn’t call a plumber to fix a broken pipe only to leave your house without checking everything’s in working order. When it comes to translation, you should make sure all your files are accurate and error-free before returning to the client.

Make sure you’re comfortable: If you’re uncomfortable with the subject matter and language style, then it’s time swallow your pride. Whether you think so or not, your comfort level will affect the quality of your work.

Don’t be afraid to use your references: As a translator, your job is to be accurate. That’s what that stack of reference material, style guides, and glossaries are for. Use them.

 

ASK ME HOW I GOT HIRED – Riddhi Desai (MAT ’18, MIIS)

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

Riddhi Desai is a Certified Public Accountant from the State of New York. She worked for top consulting firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP and Deloitte, LLP prior to coming to MIIS to pursue a degree in Translation (English – Japanese). She landed translation projects on equity research with Shared Research Inc. in summer 2017.  According to the company’s website, they “offer corporate clients comprehensive report coverage, a service that allows them to better inform investors and other stakeholders by presenting a continuously updated third-party view of business fundamentals, independent of investment biases.”  This offered a great opportunity for Riddhi to leverage her financial and language training.  Here is her path to this opportunity.

*How did you find your job/internship?

After several rounds of lengthy translation tests with a certain company from the career fair, communication fizzled out. By that point, my other classmates had secured wonderful internships and I was feeling like a failure in comparison. In a moment of utter desperation, I remembered a company I’d heard about that specialized in equity research translation, the field in which I’m most interested. Unfortunately, like most companies in this field, they weren’t advertising anywhere about recruiting, nor did they have any job postings. I found their general recruiting address online, and cold-emailed them explaining my background asking if they were in need of freelancers. I hadn’t expected anyone to reply, but they did!

*What experiences at MIIS helped (career management course, career fair, individual career advice, the MIIS network, coursework, class project, immersive learning experiences)?

When I was feeling down after the fiasco with the previous company, talking with Winnie Heh, my Career Adviser, really helped. She reminded me that I could choose to either mope about things, or pick myself up and start again. I’d also first heard about Shared Research from a couple of MIIS professors who knew I had an interest in equity research.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

The job search isn’t over until you stop searching. If a path to an internship doesn’t present itself to you, carve your own. Even when the situation is dire, don’t give up!

 

Winnie Heh

Career & Academic Advisor

wheh@miis.edu

 

ASK ME HOW I GOT HIRED – Frances Pao-Fang Chang (MAT ’17, MIIS)

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

 

Prior to coming to MIIS, Francis obtained a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from the National Chengchi University in Taiwan and an MBA from Warsaw University in Poland. She had worked at a Taiwanese-based multinational company for 5 years as a Project Coordinator and Cost Manager before returning to school to pursue her passion for languages.

*How did you find your job?

I found my internship opportunity at the MIIS Career Fair in February of 2016 and became a summer intern at the Star Group office in Thailand for two months in the summer of 2016.

In February, 2017, I received the offer from the same office and moved to Bangkok in July, 2017.

*What experiences at MIIS helped?

With a career management course, career advising sessions, and two major Career Fairs, I was pushed to think about my career early on and prepare for it. Along with the challenging academic programs and strong support network (great people!), I became more confident in job-hunting, which would have otherwise been a daunting task.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

Think about a career early on, explore the resources available at MIIS (and beyond) and strive for what really interests you. Do not be discouraged if you make mistakes because these two years of study, in such an encouraging environment, are supposed to be a great time to get to know yourself and make friends for life.

Winnie Heh

Career & Academic Advisor

wheh@miis.edu

ASK ME HOW I GOT HIRED – Gaya Saghatelyan (MATLM ’17, MIIS)

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

Growing up in a multicultural environment, Gaya Saghatelyan has always been passionate about languages and culture. She spoke Russian, Armenian and English at home. In college, Gaya studied Business Administration at a French business school. Between college and MIIS, Gaya worked for a software company in Marketing.  She is now a Project Manager at Lionbridge, the largest language services provider in the world.

*How did you find your job/internship?

I began my journey at Lionbridge as a Sales and Marketing Intern on the IT/High-Tech team. I first learned about the opportunity through an employer information session organized by the MIIS Center for Advising and Career Services office (CACS). When I found out that the internship would give me the opportunity to work with Allison McDougall, VP of Emerging Business and an MIIS alumna, I knew it would be a great learning experience.

Coincidentally, I had met Allison the year before when she presented on an employer panel organized by Winnie Heh, my Career Advisor. At the time, I was helping Winnie organize the event and had the opportunity to network with the panelists. Through getting to know Allison and her work at Lionbridge, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

As an intern, I learned a lot about the industry and Lionbridge’s business and met a lot of interesting people. I eventually wanted to transition into a role in operations, and Allison was extremely supportive in helping me explore opportunities at Lionbridge. She introduced me to a lot of key people and encouraged me to share what I had learned at MIIS with the management team. This was an extremely valuable experience, as I got to apply what I had learned and see how this knowledge plays into the company’s strategy.

Upon graduation, I was offered a full-time position on the Project Management team. I am extremely grateful to CACS for establishing this key partnership with Lionbridge and to Allison for spearheading it.

*What experiences at MIIS helped (career management course, career fair, individual career advice, the MIIS network, coursework, class project, immersive learning experiences)?

As you can see from my personal story, connecting with people played a key role in my career. Winnie Heh, Lee Desser, Bryce Craft and Emily Weidner all put a tremendous amount of effort into organizing useful TILM career events so that we can connect with the industry. In addition, our professors, Max Troyer and Adam Wooten, encouraged us to attend industry events such as IMUG and Women in Localization. These events were a great way to enhance the classroom experience and I continue to attend them as a working professional.

I was also delighted to see that the knowledge we gained in our program is highly applicable to the real world. For example, I often use the documentation and file management best practices we learned in Max Troyer’s Project Management class, as well the marketing tools covered in Adam Wooten’s International Marketing class. I even had the chance to present some of my class projects to my colleagues at Lionbridge.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

  1. Keep learning. Learn as much as possible about your industry while you’re at MIIS. It may seem overwhelming or theoretical, but you will take that knowledge with you and make yourself an invaluable asset.
  2. Explore different roles. Don’t limit yourself to only one specialization, because there are so many opportunities out there. Be open-minded about taking on new roles.
  3. Connect with people. It’s a small industry, make genuine connections with people and help your colleagues. Networking is not about pushing your agenda, it’s about learning from others.

Finally, always remember, you are in one of the best programs in the country, if not the world. Your skills are in demand.

 

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

wheh@miis.edu

 

 

 

ASK ME HOW I GOT HIRED – Colleen Feng (MATLM ’18, MIIS)

Posted by Yung-Chung Heh

 

Colleen Feng is expecting to graduate from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) with an MA degree in Translation and Localization Management in summer of 2018. Prior to coming to MIIS, she earned an MA degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and taught English.  In summer of 2017, she worked as a Localization Intern at Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation in California.

*How did you find your job/internship?

I first saw this internship post on LinkedIn, and later it was posted on Zocalo, an online job board at MIIS.

*What experiences at MIIS?

Through taking courses in TLM, I have gained knowledge of localization project management, CAT tools, Python, desktop publishing and translation. Putting all the course names on my resume helped make it more relevant to the localization intern positions I wanted to apply for. I was also able to be more confident during the interviews with concepts of the localization industry in mind. Besides the coursework, I think having individual career meetings with my Career Advisor was the biggest help in securing my internship position. Those one-on-one discussions helped me figure out what internship position I was interested in. My Career Advisor conducted mock interviews with me, connected me with MIIS alumni, revised my resume and helped me polish my professional presence.

*What advice would you share with MIIS students?

The most important lesson I’ve learned during my first year at MIIS is to always be open to different opportunities and never stop stepping out of my comfort zone. I personally think MIIS is a great place to meet people from all over the world, and it’s been rewarding for me to not simply focus on the coursework, but also to meet new friends and try things I’ve never tried before. In the professional aspect, attending localization conferences and events have helped me learn more about the localization industry and build my network in the localization industry.

 

Winnie Heh

Career Advisor

MIIS