By Arushi Kapoor
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Modlingua is an ISO 9001 certified translation and interpretation service delivery company based in Delhi. It conducted an Internship Program 2018 for all the translators and students learning different languages or seeking to learn translation and interpretation all around the world. It was an online internship platform where work from home was the first attractive thing among freelance translators globally. It was for a duration of 2 months from June- August 2018. Our Mentor Mr. Ravi Kumar conducted various online lectures through an Application Zoom which was very much convenient for everyone. He explained his ideas, debates, assignments, different techniques to ease our work, and introduced us to various people from different cultures related to linguistic fields etc. There was a channel of information on the site of Modlingua which was accessible to all. Mr. Kumar also created some social media groups on Facebook, WhatsApp etc. respecting the privacy of the individuals altogether. It was a kind of regular course with weekly assignments accompanied by videos and tutorials on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter etc.
As a First Assignment, we had to create our own profile on Modlingua in detail which included are career goals, personal and professional information, hobbies, current profile, occupation and our aim for doing this internship. Through this assignment, we got a wide idea of how to present oneself in the professional market. After the completion of this assignment, we had to do error analysis rubric. We were explained about the activity through online sessions. We were given a draft version for the same to ease our work.
As a second Assignment, after analyzing our linguistic errors, we had a meeting on how to minimize these errors by using AI tools and Grammarly for the mechanism of quality control in content writing. We were given 5 questions related to Modlingua rubric, online collaboration, importance of time management in content writing from different perspectives of editors and management at a workplace, important quality control standards and the importance of feedback in the in the quality control process, what are the quality standards set in content writing in the professional market and how Grammarly helps in minimizing the errors in the content writing and reduces the time also.
In the third task, we had a meeting on Transcription which is an important element in Translation also. We were taught the basic rules of the same and asked to choose a video from the YouTube Channel of Modlingua of our choice and had to transcript the same in our preferred language. We had to carry out a word to word transcription with pauses and paragraphs without leaving a single word. It was a very interesting task.
In the fourth assignment, we had to use the practical part of transcription that is putting of subtitles on the video which we had chosen for the third assignment from the YouTube Channel of Modlingua of our interest and apply directly on the Channel. This was to check how much we had understood and to apply the art of subtitle in real life situation.
In the fifth task, we were given 4 questions related to social media marketing. The topics were related to Google searches and top ranking in google and how translators and Multilinguistic people get the benefit from this phenomenon, the relationship between content writing, online marketing and translation in multiple language pairs, the differences between Globalization, Localization, Internationalization and translation of articles and who plays the major role in this and also we had to prepare a business plan for promoting short term professional courses offered by Modlingua and how AIDA model is explained in the video by the experts.
In the sixth assignment, we were taught the art of script writing by Mr. Kumar which is very important for a multilingual. We had to prepare a video script on any of the famous and well known personality involved in translation, content writing, interpretation, writing, editing, literature and teaching etc. People who played an important role in the country’s literature were taken into consideration.
In the seventh assignment, we had to prepare a script for any of the leading entrepreneurs of the world and discuss about the secret of their success and what influenced me. Their hard work and determination motivated me as an individual.
And the final task was to submit a full report on the internship including all the details of the assignments assigned to us during the process of the same.
VOLUTEERING
Mr. Kumar gave many opportunities to the interns for the volunteer activities related to writing a summary based on certain videos and prepare the content to be published on their website.
HOW THIS INTERNSHIP HELPED ME
A person should always be on the lookout for opportunities to develop new skills and hone old ones. I am a kind of person who has always been a learning enthusiast and explore new horizons. My ongoing interest of being multilingual plays a very important role in the journey of my life. Dreaming of working in a dynamic environment where people from different nationalities share their knowledge of their culture is my favourite passion. I aim to link my foreign language with other sectors like media. I do not want to limit my knowledge to the linguistic field and seek to make room for myself to explore new roles and potential leadership opportunities while embracing larger challenges.
This internship played a very important role in this journey of my learning a new language. I aim to become a French Translator which is a long journey for me right now. After doing this, I have grabbed and brushed my knowledge related to this vast field of language. Internship at Modlingua was the first step toward my passion and dream of becoming a translator through different mediums.
The basic thing I learnt after this internship was working as a team and not as an individual because we were a group of multilinguistic people from all over the world either related to translation as a professional or seeking to become one.
ADVANTAGES OF AN ONLINE INTERNSHIP
Both traditional internship and online internships have their own pros and cons. It depends upon the individual how they perceive it. The online internships can be carried out from anywhere and everywhere with the convenience of both the company and the intern. It provides you some degree of freedom to work at your own place while meeting the deadlines. It gives exposure with a chance to interact with people around the globe having different cultural and social backgrounds. It enhances the professional and communication skills. It prepared us for our future ventures in this field.
Though, not everything was up to what I expected. I faced many problems related to meeting the deadlines but I tried my level best. Nevertheless, I tried keeping a contact on Facebook and WhatsApp with Mr. Kumar who was very helpful in resolving our problems every time. Extending my point of view, this internship was an unforgettable and fruitful experience of my life. I came to know my capabilities in language and the corners of my interests. I learnt how to invest time when the workload is vast and organized accordingly. The virtual meetings were the main attention of this internship as I found them very accessible and useful because Mr. Kumar explained in such a manner that it attracted me and following with the question answer sessions to take doubts related to the topic discussed. Now, after this, I have a more creative mind and know how to tackle things better.
CONCLUSION
To summarize, I would like to throw light on the notion that opportunities come in your hand but the results depends upon how you conceive it. I am a self-motivated student who vision life and work as an expression of oneself. This internship worked as an insider to the world of translation and interpretation. This program works as a decent door for people seeking to work internationally in the market. We had a brilliant opportunity to showcase our talents and creativity by sharing our knowledge and dedication towards the profession by completing each assignment given to us.
I would like to thank Mr. Ravi Kumar and the entire team of Modlingua for giving me such a precious opportunity to work in this organization towards my dream of becoming a professional translator.
