Guide to internships in a translation agency

One of the most effective ways to pursue a career in language services is to join a translation company as an intern. Through an internship you will understand how a Language Service Provider (LSP) works, what the typical procedures and workflows are, and how recurring problems and challenges are addressed.

However, this is only true if the translation company is willing to invest time in your training.

Qabiria has been welcoming trainees since 2014. Some of them became our partners on a permanent basis. Others, to our enormous satisfaction, have gone on to a successful career in the industry by joining companies much larger than ours and proving their worth. We enjoy helping young professionals develop professional skills with which they can advance their careers. Here are some of their testimonies:

This internship helped me touch on the various aspects that make up the translation process: from documenting myself to translate technical brochures for an automobile manufacturer, to tackling content localisation problems for the Web to reflecting on my translation choices through proofreading. I was also able to discover the world of project management, first by supporting Marco in his online course “Project Management for Translators” and later by managing translations for AW LAB. This “horizontal” training prepared me to take on an internship at the Pre-Translation Unit of the European Parliament and later to manage the complex process of multilingual translations of instruction manuals for a large medical device company in Hamburg, where I have been working for almost two years dealing with project coordination from start to finish, quality control with specialised software, and terminology and TM management. (Francesca Tintori)

The internship I did at Qabiria can be described as the internship par excellence: was a highly formative experience that enriched me professionally and paved the way for me to become a translator. (Silvia Durisotti)

At Qabiria I learned the art of finding a solution to everything with the creative and conscious use of technology, an indispensable aspect when you are involved in project management. I can say without any exaggeration that the experience in Qabiria was crucial to my personal and professional growth. (Serena Di Pane)

Do translation agencies hire interns?

Most translation agencies enter into internship contracts, either with students still in the process or with those who have already finished their studies. Long internships (at least 6 months) are preferred, on the one hand to optimise the time of those who have to supervise trainees, and on the other hand because only over the medium term can the trainee come into contact with the different aspects of the business.

Some companies sign ongoing cooperation contracts with universities or with institutional intermediaries who take care of the relationship between universities and the professional world. At Qabiria for example, we have (or have had) contracts with the University of Bologna (DIT in Forlì), SSML in Pisa, the University for Foreigners in Perugia, the University of Sassari, ISTRAD in Seville, and UPF, UB and UAB in Barcelona.

If you are looking for an internship, take advantage of official channels first: contact your study center’s office in charge of corporate relations. If you don’t find outlets there, then you can apply directly to the translation company.

For companies, labor costs are an important factor when welcoming trainees. Internships are not always paid and, when they are, little more than token hourly rates are given. The company often compensates these wages with expense reimbursements, meal vouchers or by contributing to transportation costs.

An important factor is insurance coverage: when the internship is established between a university and a company, including under an EU program (e.g., the Erasmus+), the intern is covered by insurance that is not paid for by the company, an added incentive for the company.

In addition to purely economic issues, one of the main reasons why translation agencies offer internship opportunities is the chance to have young people in their ranks with a fresher point of view, who can learn to work the way the company wants and ultimately contribute to the growth of the business. At least, that is the reason for us at Qabiria.

Why do an internship in a translation company

A company internship is ideal for those who want to learn a lot in a short time. If you are willing to do simple and sometimes repetitive tasks, and if the company allows it, the internship will make you able to experience many different aspects of translation and work processes. Translation is a profession that needs constant learning. Almost every week new technologies and new communication tools appear. Skilled translators must keep up with these changes. An internship is a great way to stay current and hone your skills.

During an internship you can:

1. know the roles of the various business functions in an LSP: you learn what the marketing team (sales, customer service, project management, etc.) does;
2. learn how to create and format working documents, such as memos, project notes, estimates, purchase orders, etc;
3. translate more or less complex documents depending on your starting level and skills;
4. know and learn how to use translation tools and other business software (TMS, ERP, CRM, quality control tools, etc.);
5. develop the soft skills needed to succeed in the language services industry.

Requirements and duties of an intern

The main requirement is humility. The internship is not an opportunity for the company to have cheap or zero-cost labor, as some people think, but-if the company is serious and honest-it is a period of exchange and transfer of knowledge, which involves a not inconsiderable effort on the part of the people (mentors) who follow the intern.

Here are some guidelines:

1. As soon as you arrive at the company, your first task is clear and simple: understanding how everything works. A proactive, active listening attitude is most welcome at this stage.
2. During the internship you will have the opportunity to collaborate with different departments: humility is also key here. There are no B departments. Perhaps creating a purchase order or formatting a report is not as satisfying as translating creative text, but for business purposes it is just as important.
3. Take responsibility for what you do. Being an intern does not exempt you from performing proficiently whatever task you are assigned. The accuracy with which you do the work is one of the elements that will be evaluated at the end of the relationship to decide whether or not to continue the collaboration.
4. A sense of responsibility must emerge especially when there is little or no supervision: the tutor cannot follow the trainees at all times. A responsible trainee marks off some useful activities to be carried out in downtime.

Conclusion

An internship can be a launching pad for a translator’s career, as long as you choose a serious company and as long as you maintain a positive and proactive attitude. On the other hand, it is recommended to avoid falling into the vortex of endless internships, moving from one company to another without progressing as professionals. One, at most two internship periods are more than enough.

Our experience, after more than 20 trainees, could not be better: we found motivated and capable young professionals who helped us and, at the same time, used the opportunity to learn all they could.