By Aleksandra Kneifel
Editor's note: This is an edited evaluation of Modlingua's Summer Internship Programme of 2018. It records the author's experience at the time, including her criticisms. It is not a statement of current programme terms, certification or eligibility.
I joined the internship hoping to develop skills directly connected with becoming a translator. The initial announcement did not make it clear to me that the programme would focus less on linguistic practice and more on the business around translation. After doing some research and receiving a clearer explanation, I decided to remain open-minded and complete the work.
What the programme asked us to do
The preparation began with a professional profile, a career-goals essay and a photograph for the company website. The first assignment returned to that work: we used a rubric and videos about quality control to identify errors in our submissions and apply corrections.
A written response then continued the theme of quality and error correction. Later, we selected a Modlingua video, transcribed it and used the transcript to create subtitles. I found the instructions for transcription initially unclear, although the task itself was more closely connected with the kind of practical work I had expected.
The remaining assignments moved towards online marketing and script writing. One script concerned a figure connected with translation, literature or teaching; another concerned business or entrepreneurship. This final report was the last assignment.
Online meetings provided information sessions and guest lectures. Topics needing approval were registered through a shared document. I found that approval process efficient and the website submission system straightforward.
Feedback and early communication
At the time of writing, I had not received feedback explaining whether my written work met the expected standard or where it could improve. I hoped that feedback might still follow, but its absence was an important limitation in my experience.
I also felt that meeting times could have been varied more to accommodate participants in different time zones. Recordings offered another way to catch up, but live attendance was not always possible for me.
Two meetings were announced only about twenty minutes before they began, and I could not attend them. For an international online programme, I felt that earlier communication would have made a real difference.
Participation and discussion
I noticed a decline in active participation as the programme continued. My original report compared the number of registered interns with the smaller group taking part in later tasks and meetings. Those were my observations at the time, not audited participation figures.
The smaller group still supported useful discussion. Exchanges in the Facebook group showed that fewer participants did not prevent productive conversation, even if the range of perspectives became narrower.
What worked well for me
I completed each task and felt that I had strengthened my time-management and writing skills. The submission system helped me stay organised. In the meetings and discussions I could join, I was active and learning, although I would have liked to participate more often.
The programme was useful for skills surrounding a translation career: proofreading, content creation, transcription and thinking about freelance work. Its emphasis on translation business, teamwork and project management became clearer once I adjusted my expectations.
A useful experience, with reservations
The internship was a valuable addition to my summer, but it was not everything I had hoped for in either organisation or content. I would have welcomed more feedback, earlier meeting notices and more opportunities to attend across time zones.
My conclusion was that the experience suited someone wanting to develop the surrounding skills of being a translator or freelancer. It was a less direct fit for someone mainly seeking to practise language and translation skills. Both points matter when describing what I took from the programme.
