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.
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 2022 TILM Career Fair will be held on March 3rd, 2022, online at Handshake.
Please see the information below for list of all the currently registered employers and the job and internship opportunities they are currently hiring for!
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: Project Coordinator, Project Manager
Anzu Global LLC is a globalization staffing company. We provide globalization personnel—Localization managers, internationalization engineers, translators, L10n and I18n QA engineers, bilingual technical support and localization engineers. We provide both on-site and remote resources for either contract or full-time openings.
Current Opportunities: Linguist, Localization Project Manager, New Business Development Manager, Product Marketing Manager – Data Services
Under the direction of the Chief Justice, the Arizona Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) provides administrative support and oversight of all state courts. AOC programs include interpreter credentialing through the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program (ACICP). Credentialed interpreters are eligible to work as staff or freelancers in courts across the state.
Current Opportunities: Spanish Court Interpreters (Staff); Freelance Court Interpreters (all languages); Paid Summer Internship for Spanish Court Interpreters
Bloomberg runs on data, and our Global Data team acquires and supplies it to our clients. Teams work to collect, analyze, process and publish the data which is the backbone of our iconic Bloomberg Terminal — the data which ultimately moves the financial markets! We’re responsible for delivering this data, news and analytics through innovative technology – quickly and accurately.
We are a leading provider of investment research and language services to the global business and investment community. We have offices in Beijing, Los Angeles, and Singapore.
Current Opportunities: Associate, Associate Intern
CETRA /set – ra/ noun 1. A trusted Language Services Partner with a focus on quality and delivering an exceptional customer experience. 2. An organization dedicated to helping people globally to understand each other and the world around them. CETRA’s services include translation, interpretation, sign language interpretation, website and software localization, multilingual typesetting, voiceover, and transcription for corporate and government clients in more than 200 languages.
Current Opportunities: Business Development Assistant, Project Manager – Translation Services (In-House Position)
CyraCom is the leading provider of language interpreting services to healthcare, and its interpretation and translation solutions are exclusively endorsed by American Hospital Association. Whether in-person or via phone, video, mobile app, or written text, CyraCom bridges communication gaps for healthcare organizations that need rapid access to language assistance. The Company supports hundreds of languages and operates 24/7. CyraCom impacts the lives of millions in the United States by connecting those with limited English proficiency to healthcare services.
Current Opportunities: Project Manager, Translation and Localization
CQ Fluency is a translation services company that specializes in cultural adaptation communications for the healthcare insurance and life science industries, in over 150 languages. We facilitate real connections and true cultural understanding between people who don’t speak the same language. Our Cultural Intelligence (CQ) blends both meaning and feeling to create effective communications that transcend words and engage hearts and minds.
Current Opportunities: Project Coordinators, Project Managers, Freelance linguists: translators, post-editors, Quality Control specialists for all language pairs at MIIS.
Deluxe Media leads the advertising and entertainment industries with innovative supply chain solutions that help market, enrich, and enable media distribution to all platforms and all consumers throughout the world. Deluxe Media is a global company with presence in 9 countries. Our clients include the major Hollywood studios as well as a growing number of on-line retailers.
Dotsub is in the business of captioning and translating videos …and so much more.
We strive to remove language as an obstacle to the billions of people by enabling the exploding amount of knowledge created in video to be accessed by everyone in their native languages. Our passion is the localization of video to expand horizons and to do some good in the world.
Current Opportunities: Video Captioning (Freelance), Subtitle Translation (Freelance)
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.
Today’s FBI is an intelligence-driven and threat-focused national security organization with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities that is staffed by a dedicated cadre of more than 30,000 agents, analysts, and other professionals who work around the clock and across the globe to protect the U.S. from terrorism, espionage, cyber attacks, and major criminal threats, and to provide its many partners with service, support, training and leadership.
Current Opportunities: Special Agent, Electronic Technician, Computer Scientist , Contract Specialist , Intelligence Analyst, Data Scientist, Electronics Engineer, Employee Assistance Counselor, Equipment Specialist – Automotive Mechanic, IT Specialist – Data Management – Data Analyst , IT Specialist – Digital Forensic Examiner, IT Specialist (HQ), IT Specialist System Administration/Customer Support, FBI Police Officer , Occupational Health Nurse
Honda Kaihatsu Americas, Inc. (“HKA”) has been providing expert Japanese-English translators and interpreters at Honda manufacturing plants and facilities in the United States. Our mission is to support the various business activities of all Honda companies in the US. There are currently 35 HKA translator/interpreters working as in-house staff in Honda companies. The number has been growing according to the success of Honda.
Current Opportunities: In-house interpreters/translators (Japanese and English)
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 Localization Project Manager Assistant, Project Management Intern, Quality Control Specialist
Founded in Chicago in 2003, Interprenet is a leading Language Service Provider in global RSI(Remote Simultaneous Interpretation) industry. Working with over 800 freelance linguists, we successfully provided RSI service for over 1,500 meetings in 2021.
Language World Services is Northern California’s premier language service provider offering comprehensive solutions in healthcare, government and the private sector. We are the largest employer of onsite interpreters in the state, and one of few organizations to offer interpreter staffing. Our enduring emphasis on quality both drives our success and sets us apart from our competitors. We invite you to explore our service offerings and stand ready to exceed your expectations.
Current Opportunities: On site interpreters: Arabic, Cantonese, Spanish (full-time and part-time), Hindi and Punjabi, Hmong, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Pashto and Dari, Romanian Translators: Vietnamese, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Filipino, Arabic, Hmong, Russian, Punjabi
MasterWord Services, Inc. is a woman-owned business that provides interpretation, translation, localization and other language support services to enable language access and ensure success of international organizations, projects, and initiatives.
Current Opportunities: Full-time Interpreters, Strategic Solutions Representatives, Freelance Translators and Interpreters
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 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: Assistant Project Manager, Interpreters, Translators
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: Account Manager, Localization Intern
MultiLingual Technologies Inc. (“MLT”), based in Santa Clara, California – at the heart of Silicon Valley – is a multilingual professional language service provider specializing in serving high-tech industries, especially the IT, Electronics and Life Sciences, as well as legal and financial services sectors.
We provide high quality and affordable translation and interpreting services between English and other major languages to clients worldwide, and our capabilities in East Asian languages, esp. Chinese, Japanese and Korean are well-known in the language services industry. As the company name implies, we are a language and technology problem solver and a cross-cultural technical communication facilitator.
Current Opportunities: Account Managers, Project Coordinators
RWS Holdings plc is the world’s leading provider of technology-enabled language, content management and intellectual property services. We help our customers to connect with and bring new ideas to people globally by communicating business critical content at scale and enabling the protection and realization of their innovations.
Current Opportunities:Localization Project Coordinators and Managers – 6 month Fixed Term Contracts
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: Medical Interpreters for Spanish, Mandarin/Cantonese, Vietnamese, and ASL.
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 Interns (Cantonese/Mandarin, Spanish, Russian), Medical Interpreters (Spanish, Cantonese/Mandarin)
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 starts-up with global ambitions and multinationals since 2005.
Current Opportunities:Localization Project Management Intern, Freelance Translators, Freelance Linguists
Terra Translations is a global language services company specializing in English and Spanish translation. We are made up of a group of professional translators who have been working in the translation market fTerra Translations is a global language services company. We are made up of a group of professional translators who have been working in the translation market for more than 20 years, and we currently collaborate with a team of 1,000+ translation professionals across the globe. Terra is a rapidly growing firm with offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Terra Translations is woman and Hispanic-owned company. We have Women-Owned Business (WBE) and Minority-Owned Business (MBE) Certification as designated by the Wisconsin Department of Administration. We are high achievers and we treat every project, large or small, as yet another step to success, yours and ours.
Current Opportunities: LQA Specialist, Translators, Multilingual QA
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: Account Manager, Account Executive, Project Coordinator
Please note that this page will continue to be updated leading up to the day of the fair, so please check back regularly!
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.
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.
We believe that great things happen when you put talented people together and empower them to reach beyond the ordinary. Every day is an inspiration and an opportunity to lift up our patients with the care that has earned us a worldwide reputation for excellence. As an organization with more than 300 facilities throughout the Bay Area, we are a team united by our culture of respect. Our C-I-CARE philosophy invites each employee 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 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.
Honda is recruiting MIIS Japanese language students! Join recruiters and staff from Honda’s language team as they discuss how you can use your Japanese language skills to work full time with their team.
WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation. We are a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states.
Our mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. Our mandate, governing bodies and procedures are set out in the WIPO Convention, which established WIPO in 1967.
Sally Young of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will present the Fellowship opportunity and application process for translators, terminologists, and technical specialists.
Join Co-founder Sebastien Longhurst as his discusses the Colombia based internship that includes constant support of a PM, as well as improving and fine-tuning CAT tools, translation project management, reviewing skills, and more!
Ready to be the next MIIS intern to work with Lingua Viva and take the next step to improve your skills?
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.
he 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.
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.
Ad Astra is a reputable language services firm that specializes in administering screened, trained, certified, and experienced interpreters, translators, and transcriptionists in any language on a 24x7x365 basis. Our company’s philosophy is focused on cultural awareness and sensitivity in order to transfer communication
Date: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022
Note: More information about this event will be forthcoming.
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.
Note: More information about this event will be forthcoming.
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.
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：
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.
Alex Alyakrinskiy graduated from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) with an MA degree in Translation and Localization Management (English-Russian) in spring of 2017. Prior to coming to MIIS, he worked as Localization Project Manager at a small LSP in Palo Alto. Alex is currently a Localization Program Manager at Fitbit in San Francisco.
*How did you find your job?
I started looking for a job four months prior to graduation. After several interviews, I landed a part-time job at a startup which allowed me the flexibility to work remotely and finish graduate school. That experience gave me an understanding of localization stakeholders which in turn helped with my full-time job search. I always wanted to combine my passion for sports, healthcare and foreign languages. As soon as I saw a job opening at Fitbit on LinkedIn I applied right away. I was hired after four rounds of interviews.
*What experiences at MIIS helped?
It goes without saying that understanding the industry plays a key role in successful employment. The localization industry is very dynamic and multi-faceted—there is something in it for everyone. Working with my MIIS career advisors Winnie Heh and Lee Desser helped to shape my resume and highlight my professional goals. Attending localization meetups and networking events such as IMUG and SF Globalization helped me to understand the versatility of our industry and align my interests and skills with opportunities in the field.
The TLM program provided a solid foundation in the latest localization tools and technical skills so valued today. I didn’t realize how closely marketing is connected to localization until I took Adam Wooten’s Marketing for Localization course. The skills I gained in that class furthered my understanding of international markets, establishing liaisons with marketing stakeholders and addressing global product launches. The Localization Practicum was a detailed hands-on class that showed the value of team work and provided the latest industry best practices which I use on daily basis at Fitbit.
*What advice would you share with MIIS students?
“There is always room for improvement. Keep networking, update your resume religiously and constantly work on yourself.” I heard that advice from a MIIS career advisor. It turned out to be the best advice I received. Looking for a job is a full-time job. Study hard, absorb new skills and try to get as much practical experience as possible. We all have different personalities and temperaments, which brings diversity and enriches every workplace. Stay true to yourself, network and establish genuine connections that will lead you to your perfect career.
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.
When I was a translation student at MIIS in the late 80’s, the concept of “localization” as a service provided by language professionals never came up in our training – I am from the “pre-L10N” era. I did not come into contact with Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) until 2008 when my employer acquired a language services provider (LSP), Lingo Language Services, now named LanguageLine Translation Solutions (LLTS) in Portland, OR. LLTS’ core competency was and still is software localization. Having spent close to 20 years of my career in the LSP space focusing on remote interpretation, I found myself having to learn the new language of localization – file preparation, translation memory, translation management system, term base, and CAT. I also found myself managing as many engineers as I did project managers. For the next 6 years, I would work with the LLTS team on selection of tools and measurement of operating efficiency thanks to these tools, but I never had the time or mind share to actually learn and use them. This is why as soon as I could start taking classes as a MIIS employee, I chose to take Adam Wooten’s CAT class.
Though Adam Wooten’s class is named “Introduction to CAT”, its scope reaches beyond introduction to various CAT tools. It is an excellent introduction to language technology including CAT tools, machine translation & post-editing, controlled languages & authoring, interpretation technology, as well as numerous tips and insights regarding the business of translation.
Leveraging Hands-on Learning of CAT Tools
The aspect of the class that I was most interested in was the hands-on use of CAT tools. As Adam Wooten stated in the syllabus, this is about knowing “how to complete basic linguistics-focused functions in SDL Trados Studio 2015 including but not limited to translation memory creation, reuse of previous translations, terminology management, quality assurance, and translation editing according to best practices.” My objective was to learn the functionalities of a typical CAT tool, and thereby enable myself to learn other CAT tools with efficiency in the future. To my delight, our class had a “Learning How to Learn a CAT Tool” component. The learning objective was understanding “different components of SDL Trados Suite 2015 well enough to learn a completely new CAT tool on one’s own.” Equipped with my knowledge of Trados, I was able to learn memoQ effectively on my own as an assignment.
Machine Translation
The class on machine translation (MT) and post-editing was another fascinating experience. We reviewed and compared rule-based MT and statistical MT. Tanya Badeka and Juan Rowda, both of eBay, spoke to us on how eBay utilizes MT and post-editing to manage accuracy given the tremendous daily volume of work. The recent announcement of Google neutral machine translation (NMT) added to the depth of our discussions and debates in class. Our discussion on voice-to-voice machine interpretation heightened my awareness of the role voice recognition tools may play to expedite file preparation and translation output. In my final project, I saved file preparation time by 75% by using the speech to text input method rather than word processing in Chinese. I plan to experiment with using sight translation for production in the future.
Will MT Replace Human Translation?
MT is here to stay and scientists will continue to make improvements to it. Will MT replace translators? The answer is: It has already replaced some. According to Tanya Badeka and Juan Rowda, eBay’s in-house Linguists train MT systems rather than translate. Will MT replace translators completely? Not likely. MT scientists agree that there are still significant obstacles to be overcome and it is not for lack of available computing power. The upside is MT will create new positions. In a presentation at the American Translators Association in November, 2017, Jay Marciano listed the following positions that will be created thanks to AI:
– Translation Technology Expert
– Language Technology Analyst
– Language Process Analyst
– Machine Learning Supervisor
– Machine Learning Evaluator
– Language/Communication Analyst
– Semantic Analyst
– Translation Quality Assessor
– Data Collector
– Data Scientist
– Data Curator
– Terminologist
– Corpus Linguist
– Computational Linguist
– Premium Translators
– Premium Interpreter
Lessons Learned From Final Assignment
Our final project was to simulate a real-life translation/localization project. Here is my project overview:
Here is an example of the Chinese source text file provided by the client in PDF format which is not in a translatable file format in Trados and the MS Word file as the output from a voice to text exercise. What I estimated to be a 2-hour data entry exercise was completed in 30 minutes by using voice to text input method.
Here are my lessons learned.
Was it Worth the Investment of Time?
I have been asked: “You are not likely to be looking for a job as a translator or a localization project manager. Why are you investing the time to learn CAT?” First of all, I wanted to have hands-on CAT experience for translation projects in my own multilingual family, a goal that I expected to achieve and have achieved. As a Career Advisor, I am always thinking about how I can best position my students to employers. This class gave me more up-to-date and specific concepts and language to do so.
What I did not expect was how out of my comfort zone I was. On reflection, I realized that the excellent IT support I received at work and, indeed, at home has put me out of touch with basic trouble-shooting knowledge and skills. What used to be a blessing became a challenge when I had to handle tools hands-on. While my classmates were zipping through their class exercise, I was trying to find the file types. This class was a growth opportunity.
I cannot say enough about how wonderful our Professor Adam Wooten is. He is clearly a practitioner in the field day in and day out who is excellent at making his insights accessible to the students. His commitment to the students is commendable. He met with every one of his more than 100 students at the start of the semester and he had every team formally present their sales proposal to him for their final project. As a Career Advisor, I especially appreciate the career management tips that he so generously worked into his presentations. I am grateful for having the opportunity to take this class almost 30 years after I graduated from MIIS.
Gaya Saghatelyan MA Translation & Localization Management English/ French
Growing up in a multicultural environment, Gaya Saghatelyan has always been passionate about languages and culture. In college, Gaya studied Business Administration at a French business school. As an undergraduate student, she worked for the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia as an in-house translator and interpreter (English/French/Russian/Armenian) — that’s how she discovered her passion for the language profession. Upon graduation, Gaya decided to leave the language industry and start a career in business administration. But not for long. After a year of working for a software company based in Los Angeles, she began to feel that something was missing in her career and decided to “go back to her roots,” as she puts it. Gaya is currently pursuing an MA in Translation and Localization Management, where she combines her passion for languages, technology and business.
This summer, Gaya did a 3-month Localization Program Management internship at Autodesk, a 3D design software company based in San Rafael. Gaya talked about her experience at Autodesk during my Career Management class. I did a follow up interview with her to learn more about the internship.
Q1: What were your top 3 criteria as you selected your internship(s)?
Location: I looked for an internship in the US and abroad. I was especially interested in doing an internship in France to practice my B language and learn from a different business culture. On the other hand, I wanted to expose myself to software localization, and the Bay Area was perfect for that.
LSP or Client: I wanted to gain experience in project/ program management working for an LSP, because it offers a versatile learning environment. I also wanted to explore software localization and experience what it would be like to work for a big company.
The environment: In the process of interviewing for different internships, I paid attention to the overall dynamic and atmosphere between myself and the hiring manager. It was important to me that the company (and the hiring manager) have specific objectives for the internship and an internship plan. I wanted to make sure that the hiring manager could be my mentor.
Q2: What did you learn about your field during your internship?
I learned that localization can sometimes be perceived as a cost center, therefore one of the most important roles of a program manager in localization is to control cost, evangelize localization best-practices and create a long-lasting relationship with stakeholders.
In addition, I learned that software localization is evolving rapidly in response to changes in software development practices. The cadence of software localization is strongly dependent on the software release cycle, which requires localization teams to adopt a continuous localization strategy.
Finally, as a localization program manager, your role is very diverse: from cost management to vendor communication, from knowledge management to stakeholder analysis — there’s never a dull day!
Q3:What did you learn about yourself during your internship?
Autodesk Localization Team
During my internship I discovered, once again, that human interaction and collaboration are very important to me. I also learned that I thrive in a dynamic environment where I can learn new things and work with different teams. Lastly, I realized that although I didn’t particularly enjoy accounting and finance in college, I love numbers! Anytime I was faced with a new task or wanted to understand how a project was structured, I turned to the data.
Q4: From the employers’ perspective what does a good intern look like?
A good intern takes initiative to benefit from the experience and contribute to the team. As an intern, you may think you don’t have a lot to contribute, but you do! A good intern observes and asks questions with the purpose of understanding the business and contributing fresh insights. A good intern also interacts with everyone on the team and takes initiative to become a part of the company culture.
Q5: Any words of wisdom you would like to share?
These are things that I think made my internship successful and I hope they will help students during their future internships:
Find a mentor: Work closely with your manager and express interest in projects.
Be open to new opportunities: You may be set on a specific career path you want to pursue, but you never know where the road may take you! Be open to exploring new opportunities.
Use what you learn at MIIS: I didn’t know all the tools and processes when I started my internship, but what I learned during my first year at MIIS taught me to think like a localization manager.
Do a final presentation: At the end of your internship, ask your Manager for a review of your work and suggest doing a final presentation for the team you worked with. This will leave a lasting impression on your team and showcase, once again, your growth throughout the summer.
Stay in touch: Make connections with everyone at the company and stay in touch! Don’t underestimate the power of human interaction.
Do you have a question for Gaya? You can connect with her via LinkedIn or reach her at saghatelyan.gayane(at)gmail.com
–Winnie Heh Career & Academic Advisor wheh@miis.edu
This checklist is designed to assess your job search skills and strategies. Your answers to the following questions may help you identify areas of focus. Answer each question “Yes” or “No.” Then tally your answers to discover which areas need to be strengthened. You can also go beyond the “yes/no” answer and jot down your answers. It is a great way to start collecting your unique “career data”! Please review your results with me as a way to jump start your career management activities in your 2nd year in the T&I program. I look forward to working with you.
