By Rajul Jain
Editor's note: Adapted from Rajul's August 2018 internship report. This is a personal reflection on that programme, not a description of current internship arrangements, tools or video-platform instructions.
Ravi Kumar, the founder of Modlingua, mentored our summer internship programme in 2018. The programme ran for two months, from June to July, and connected participants from all over the world. It combined learning, discussion and the sharing of ideas on translation and interpretation, supported by regular online assignments, deadlines and a shared work platform. Students from very different fields took part and shared their experience through the programme's online platform.
Getting to know each other
Our first task was to prepare a profile and a career-goals essay describing our education, hobbies and work. Because the intern profiles were published online, this exercise helped all of us get to know each other before the real work began.
The assignments, step by step
The first assignment asked us to check our own profile and career-goals text for errors and omissions. It showed us the mistakes we had made and introduced us to content-writing tools.
For the second assignment, we answered a question on quality control in content writing and translation, choosing from seven topics. I chose quality standards in translation, and in an online meeting our mentor explained the standards, norms and mechanisms involved in professional content writing and translation.
The third assignment was transcription. After a meeting on the subject, we each chose a video from the Modlingua YouTube channel, transcribed it in a language of our choice and noted how long the work took. The fourth assignment built on it: we added subtitles to our video and timed them correctly.
The fifth assignment turned to social media marketing, where I chose to write on content translation and globalization. The sixth introduced script writing, and we wrote a script about a major figure from the history of translation and interpretation. The seventh asked for a profile of a business personality, and the eighth and final assignment was a project report.
Volunteering
For the volunteering option, I chose script writing, building on the video I had transcribed and subtitled about online knowledge banks and community learning resources.
What I learned
The programme taught me to organize myself and my work online. It was a genuinely different experience, because independent online learning is not easy, and our mentor made it possible for us to learn, think, manage and prepare under the guidance of someone with professional knowledge of the field.
I learned about many well-known figures in translation studies and about quality standards in content writing and the translation business. I learned to use Grammarly and the Modlingua rubric, and the programme's videos introduced subjects such as project management and online marketing.
Online internships: strengths and limits
The programme worked through tools such as GoToMeeting, YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp, connecting participants in India and abroad. An online format brings real strengths. Material on the website stays available around the clock, so you can keep up with news and updates whenever it suits you. Participants who are reserved in face-to-face settings often find it easier to speak up in writing. Discussions and documents remain online, so they can be revisited later. People can take part from anywhere, and because everyone joins from their own place, conversations often run longer and take unexpected turns that lead to extra learning. Over time, a group like this can grow into a supportive community.
It also has limits. Without facial expressions and gestures, misunderstandings arise more easily and cannot be corrected on the spot. Keeping up with every direction and assignment can be stressful, and the flow of information can be hard to follow. Time lag is a real problem: while you wait for a reply, the discussion may have moved on without you. And a written exchange simply takes longer than a spoken one.
My experience at Modlingua
This summer programme was a great experience. We could learn across several social platforms even when we were away from our own city or country. It increased my capacity to work efficiently and helped me improve myself. It widened my understanding of translation studies and the careers it offers, and it showed us how the translation business works and how skilled work finds its value.
There were difficulties too. At times I was not up to the mark, or I lacked knowledge of a subject, so it took me longer to understand it. The online material helped me catch up.
In conclusion
Looking back, the summer internship was worth it. We learned a great deal about translation and its worldwide reach. As translators, we are the people others depend on, and we play a real part in connecting countries and their people through language. A programme like this sharpens your qualities as a translator or interpreter and connects you internationally. It pushes you beyond your limits and brings you closer to new people.
Rajul Jain's intern profile from that period remains on the Modlingua interns page: Rajul Jain, German-English.
