By Roopal Sharma
Editor's note: Adapted from Roopal's August 2018 internship report. This is a personal reflection on that programme, not a description of current internship arrangements or a claim of professional qualification.
My Modlingua internship gave me practical work beyond my language studies. Over eight assignments, I tried error analysis, quality control, transcription, subtitling, social media marketing and script writing. The experience made me more certain that I wanted to pursue translation as a career.
From correcting text to working with video
The first assignment asked me to analyse corrections to the text I had submitted when applying for the internship. Another task introduced questions about quality control in content writing and translation. These activities put editing alongside the language work I was studying.
For transcription, I chose a video from Modlingua's YouTube channel and wrote down its spoken content. Subtitling followed. It became my favourite assignment because completing it gave me confidence to try something I had not considered before. After that task, I tried subtitling other videos too.
As a language student, I was already studying translation in my degree programme. Transcription and subtitling gave me a chance to apply that learning to practical tasks. I came away more confident about attempting translation, script writing and teamwork, while recognising these as learning experiences.
Writing about people and language work
The social media marketing assignment offered several topics, from which I chose one for a report. For a video-script assignment about a figure in language or literature, I chose Martin Luther because I was interested in his translation work and its connection with the Reformation. In the business-personality assignment, I chose J. K. Rowling, a writer I admired.
The final report brought the assignments together. Video conferences also gave us opportunities to hear from teachers, interpreters and translators working internationally.
Volunteering widened my view of translation
I volunteered to help moderate the internship's Facebook group and keep it up to date. That role let me contribute beyond my own assignments.
A creative summary about the performer known as the dancing uncle, or Uncle Daboo, was particularly challenging and memorable. The task asked me to think about his dance as an interpretation of a song. I had not previously looked at performance through that lens. For me, it widened the idea of translation beyond the language exercises I usually associated with it.
Online learning had advantages and limits
I felt that the gaps between assignments gave me enough time to complete the work. The online format also let me sample several kinds of language-related tasks without travelling to a workplace.
My report noted possible difficulties too. Internet or electricity interruptions could mean missing a conference or submitting work late. Combining an internship with study required time and attention. I also felt that online group interaction could make it harder for an intern to build a personal connection with the mentor or speak openly in front of others.
Those concerns mattered alongside the flexibility of working online. A positive experience did not mean that the format removed every obstacle.
A clearer career direction
The internship helped me discover interests and abilities I had not previously explored. Ravi Kumar's guidance, the assignments and the conferences encouraged me to continue learning about translation.
I ended the programme with more confidence and a clearer wish to work in the field. That was the value of the experience for me: a chance to try unfamiliar work, reflect on it and decide what I wanted to learn next.
