Cristina Colella

My name is Cristina Colella and I am Italian. I have a Bachelors degree in foreign languages from Roma Tre University where I studied English and Russian. I am going to enrol in a Masters degree in Translation and Interpretation UNINT (University of International Studies) in Rome to improve my abilities as a translator of legal documents, business and marketing related texts.

Currently, I am translating for online newspapers and human rights associations to break language barriers and to make information more accessible. I usually translate from English and Russian into Italian and occasionally from Italian into English.

Career Goals

I have nurtured a strong interest in language learning from an early age. Language classes have always been my favourite ones in school. I was still a teenager when I decided that I wanted a career in languages. So I achieved a Bachelors degree in foreign languages in Rome. I studied English and Russian. Itwasatuniversitythat I discovered translation for the first time and since then I’ve been seeking opportunities to develop my skills. On my last year of university, I won a scholarship to spend three months in Moscow to study Russian at Moscow State University (MGU), where I attended a  language course aimed at developing advanced level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

After my graduation, it wasn’t long before I realized I wanted to spend more time abroad to enhance my abilities. Hence, I decided to take a gap year and to work as an au pair in the UK where I attended advanced level Russia classes and started translating articles pro-bono for the online newspaper Cafébabel, subtitles for TED and web contents and reports for International Support – Human Rights.These activities gave me the opportunity to practice my language skills and improve my abilities as a translator as well as helping people in need, raising awareness on human rights violations.

Later this year I’m going to enrol in translation related courses, to acquire more knowledge in this field. But at the same time, I am conscious that a translator needs to develop entrepreneurial skills as well, in order to succeed in creating a network of clients and their own brand. That is the reason why I would like to secure a traineeship in a translation agency. I believe this would give a chance to get feedback from senior translators and to understand the basics of project management and market research.

Cristina Colella is a Summer Intern 2018 at Modlingua