By Joaquín Muñoz
 
A Description of the Modlingua Internship

As work way, the Modlingua internship offers to interns the following areas to develop core competency: Content Writing and Citizen Journalism, Project Management and Quality Standards, Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Social Media Marketing, Online Marketing, Computer Assisted Tools ( CAT Tools), Blogging, Web Development, and You Tubing and Video casting.  Personally, I chose Content Writing and Citizen Journalism, Business Development, Social Media Marketing, and Online Marketing.  I thought this areas should be the most useful ones for my interests.  As a member of these group had to develop certain assignments and opinions.  They were communicated at www.modlingua.com or in facebook.  As support, the interns had videos.

The sessions were online via GoToMeeting.  Another way to share know-how, opinions and experiences, to teach or to learn, was facebook and you tube channel -I say “to teach or to learn” because all of us teach and learn sharing our know-how, opinions and experiences-.  Mr. Kumar taught using these online sessions.

The design of the internship consisted of seven assignments, including this assignment.  The first assignment was all the interns were required to prepare their individual professional profile according to the following specifications: between 200 and 250 words, and the content should include the following: 1) Your name as well as a profile picture. 2) Your educational qualifications including your language skills. 3) Professional Training if any. 4) Professional expertise if any. 4) Hobbies. 5) Your professional goals, and 6) Your employment status with Modlingua and your chosen four areas where you are focusing more on building your strength.

There was an analysis of a photo between assignments one and two for content writers.  It was a photo of a wolf pack we had to use to comment on “its importance to we human translators and language professionals”, of course, the idea was to treat of the team work as translator.  There was another photo, too.  A photo of an ants networks, whose purpose was to comment its relevance to translators, the question was “do you get any inspiration?”  Ants have very complex and strong social networks, so the question treated of complex and strong liaison that can be used to improve the translation processes.

The second assignment was to write a text of 400 to 600 about one of four photos -a wolf pack, ants networks, youth & digital media, and world’s top languages- according to several questions.  I chose the fourth photo and my answer was called “Relationship between multilingualism and citizen journalism”.

The third assignment had four options, its answer should be of between 400 and 600 words, and the information was contained in videos.  The options were: 1) Why Google Search and Top Ranking in Google search is important? How come translators or multilingual writers benefit from this phenomenon. Do you see some advantages for your language pairs you work in. 2) Could you explain the relationship between Content writing, Online Marketing and Translation in multiple languages? Have you ever used your language skills in these areas? Give a brief. 3) Differentiate between Globalization, Localization, Internationalization and Translation of content. Do you find place for translators in these processes? Who are the major players in all of these? Where do you see the translator in this scenario? How far your language pairs added with professional knowledge of these processes benefit you?, and 4) Prepare a business plan for promoting short term professional courses offered by Modlingua. Do you feel that AIDA model explained in the video can help Modlingua in promoting its professional course to language experts worldwide? Please explain its feasibility.  My answer treated of the first option, and It was called “Google ranking, SEO and translation”.

In this part of the internship, there was a conference of professor Ioanna Daskalopoulou, known trainer on entrepreneurship for translators.  This conference was very useful to understand how translation must be consider in the modern world according to the criteria of existing entrepreneurship.

The fourth assignment required more energy, its answer should contain between 800 to 1000 words.  As the other assignment, it had four options and videos, and an article to inform about the topics, too.  The options were: 1) Explain how as a language professional we achieve considerable visibility in society as well as in the business field? Explain your opinion with reference to Personal Branding. 2) How do we make new clients and how do we retain them? Explain this in the context of client services and durable relationship. 3) Throw light on alternate options for language professionals. Do you feel entrepreneurship is a way forward?, and 4) Explain how far can we relate this concept of power relations in society and position of a translator?  My answer was called “The Translator and His/Her Surrounding World”, and it treated of the option n° 4.

The fifth assignment was similar to the last one because it also consists of four options, and its answer should contain between 800 to 1000 words, but it informed via videos only, and asked for a personal opinion.  The options were: 1) Explain how Quality Standards are useful for language professionals, translators and service providers. 2) Explain the development of various quality standards in Translation Process across the globe. 3) Explain how both linguistic as well as non linguistic aspects in translation process play equal and crucial role. How quality standards help in achieving this balance, and 4) Do you believe that lack of awareness about quality standards in India is hampering the professional development of translators and language professionals?  My article treated of the option n° 1, and called “Translation: discipline and industry”.
The sixth assignment was the only one that had five options, and, like the fifth one, it used videos to inform interns and asked for personal opinions.  The five options were: 1) Explain how Project Management helps in increasing efficiency of any workplace. 2) Explain how Project Management Integration takes place in Translation Business. 3) Explain how both linguistic as well as non linguistic aspects in translation process play equal and crucial role in Translation Management. 4) What is the role of a Charter and Documentation in Project Management?, and 5) Are you aware of any project management tools? Explain some of them.  My answer was called “A Good Management, Why? It treated of the option n° 3.

It is critical to mention both facebook as well as Modlingua you tube channel played a very important role because they became platforms to contact professors and interns each other, and this platform was used to share information and to communicate little assignments, too.  These little assignments basically consisted of getting the opinion of the interns about a picture or video.  These assignments became a great opportunity given to the interns to take part of the experience of other translators.  Really, they showed as all of us can teach as well as learn.
The internship had one duration about three months, since June and August.
 
What did I learn?
First of all, I must recognise I never had faced some topics treated in this internship.  As professional translator, we must understand translation doesn’t depend only on linguistic aspects, but also on non linguistic aspects.  Normally, we study the linguistic aspects and don’t consider the non linguistic ones, but this is a serious mistake because translation has become a complex discipline -like math, biology, etc.- and a modern industry -like mining, banking, etc.- in an active world, so we must promote and respect this point of view among us to take a good place in the international service market.  If we don’t consider this criterion, our work never will be valued by the customers.
A translation agency or a translator have the same needs: to satisfy their customers.  Both translation agency as well as translator must work according to appropriate processes, they have to state a translation object and quality standards.  These must be according to reality, and this word means several ideas in this situation, such as the importance of the cost of the project, the quality desired by the customers and how much he/she wants to pay, the scope, the starting and end time, and so forth.
Above mentioned ideas are, in my opinion, the main message of this internship, so I can say this was what I learnt.  In other words, my expectations were achieved because -although I had no specific expectations- my goal always was to get additional knowledge, and this goal was reached.
 
Conclusion
To sum up, it can be said this internship is a perfect tool to update the know-how of a translator -this is my case-.  The interns could know and experience another point of view: non linguistic aspects.  The message is clear: translation is much more of linguistic knowledge, at least, in the modern world.  We the translators must think our discipline is to be treated with the same criteria used in any company because the present world is more and more complex, and translation agencies and translators work in this so complex world.

http://www.modlingua.com/language-interns-at-modlingua/414-translator-joaquin-munoz-english-german-spanish.html