The webinar started with Mr. Ravi Kumar, the moderator introducing all the panelists: Ms. Anindita Saha, a second-year BA French student of the Delhi University, Ms. Preetha, the observer and expert, and Mr. Sanjiv Gupta, the mentor. After a brief interaction with the viewers of the webinar on YouTube, Mr. Ravi Kumar started by mentioning why someone like a pilot, a doctor, or management professional might attempt to become a translator or a language professional: They have the will to learn because for some people, learning and exploring never stops. He gave his personal example about how he started by being a science student in school followed by his journey through various subjects and domains such as political science, international relations, computer science, law, and finally linguistics. These drastic changes in the profession were led by his desire to do different things in life and find a common point. Speaking of doing different things, he mentioned how 100 newcomers who applied in modlingua for the summer internship were rejected without even going through their CVs and cover letters just because they were incapable of writing even a mail. Out of the remaining 50 applicants, only 25 were selected. According to researches, only 20% of Indian students are employable. One can only imagine what happens to the remaining 80%. Due to repeated rejections, one may face depression and even health issues. Hence, in such circumstances, it is important to prepare yourself well for future endeavors. In the end of his introduction, he mentioned the things that would be talked about in the webinar:
1) basic skill sets required for a job
2) how to approach the HR
3) how to counter any potential difficulty
4) how to convert a challenge into an opportunity
From here, the presenter Ms. Anindita Saha took over the discussion. She decided to divide her content into three parts and started off with the first part:
Tips On How To Write A CV :-
1) Modify your CV according to the job requirements- the skills that are a prerequisite and primary for a job must be highlighted in the CV. For example, in a CV for a job for lectureship, experience in content writing must not be highlighted since it's not directly related to the job. It should be mentioned somewhere towards the end.
2) Reverse chronological order- it is considered normal that your most recent experience or qualification is the most important one, hence follow the reverse chronological order.
3) Category for hobbies and interests- makes the interviewer more aware of you and tells him that you're committed to something, a quality that is generally valued in a job.
4) Category for 'Others'- this should have your qualities and experiences that are not relevant to your job but you would like to mention them nonetheless.
5) Formatting- for a typed CV, the length should not exceed 2 pages, the heading should be big and bold, the font size should be 10-12 for the body and 14-18 for the heading, and the font type should be clear and easy to read such as Arial or Calibri.
Moreover, the formatting should be consistent throughout.
She then moved on to her second part:
How to build a CV:-
1) Join a student union/ become a committee member in your college- it shows the leadership quality and the will to take charge of things very early in life.
2) Engage in volunteering- volunteering and NGO work is highly recommended especially if you're applying abroad where there are additional points for community service. One can always start by crowdfunding and then gradually move on to other things such as teaching underserved children.
3) Start a blog- a great way to showcase your interests and passion for something to the interviewer. A blog also indicates your commitment.
4) Learn a new skill- a new skill such as Photoshop, website designing, etc can always be added to a CV and make it look good.
5) Put your profile online- sites and apps like internshala, LinkedIn, etc allow you to put up a virtual CV based on which you can apply for internships and jobs through their sites.
While finishing off her second part, she advised the viewers to look for Internships that make you do or train you in more than one thing so that with every experience, you learn a little more and make yourself capable.
Adding to what she said, Mr. Sanjiv Gupta put this concept of preparing a resume for your first interview like preparing yourself for your first date. The key is love at first sight: when you go in with your CV, it should be love at first sight. Moreover, it should be honest. Whatever is there in the CV should be what you actually are in your life. Bluffing in your CV followed by in your interview is never a choice. Secondly, your weaknesses shouldn't be such that they pose a barrier to the requirements of the job. For example, a person applying for a job in marketing says he doesn't like traveling and public interactions. Lastly, for your first job, keep an open mind. A higher salary should never be of more worth than a better learning experience and career growth.
Following this, Mr. Ravi Kumar briefly paraphrased everything that was talked about and added a few points of his own. He said that as language professionals when we go for a job interview, we are often not considered to be at par with the professionals of other domains due to already existing stereotypes. However, the reality indicates otherwise. Today the language professionals have trained themselves with extraordinary interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, and confidence and it's important to break the stereotype and make a position for ourselves. With this, he asked Ms. Preetha to share her views on the matter.
With her experience of more than 15 years in this domain, she added a few points. Firstly, she advised the viewers to make their own CV because many times the candidates are not aware themselves about what's written in it as they have probably written everything in it with the help of Google. Secondly, though a photograph is not mandatory on the resume in India, she advised that if we're putting one, it should be a professional one.
For the last part of her presentation, Ms. Anindita talked about How to Prepare Yourself For The Interview:-
1) Do your research- during the interview, you might be asked some facts about the company you've applied for. Hence, research well about the organization to be ready to answer any questions related to the company's position in the market, its current competition, your strategy to move forward, etc.
2) Prepare a Personal Experience- when you talk about a particular skill that you possess, it's better that you also have real-life experience backing your argument. For example, if you say you have good leadership skills, narrate an incident from your past where you actually used those skills.
3) Practice- practicing in front of the mirror, having practice sessions with your friends, etc might help you prepare.
4) Keep a copy of your resume- through everything has become digitalized in today's world, keep a hard copy of your resume and CV handy during the interview in case your interviewer misplaces their copy. It could save you the awkwardness.
5) Correct body language- pay attention to little aspects of your body language for example steady eye contact, a straight posture, etc to seem confident during the interview.
6) The first five minutes are crucial- according to research, the interviewer generally decides whether or not he wants to hire you within the first five minutes of your meeting and spends the rest of the time verifying his decision. So make your impression in the first five minutes.
7) Utilise your 'Tell me about yourself' question- this is your chance to shine. Tell them about anything and everything that you think is relevant. However, refrain from narrating full-fledged stories about your past. Moreover, prepare a counterargument in case you're to mention any of your shortcomings. For example, my weakness is this but I'm still a good choice for the job because...
8) Explain your selling points- prepare beforehand five points about why you're his best choice out of all the 20-25 candidates sitting outside for the same post. Make sure you stand out amongst others.
9) Talk about something not mentioned in the CV- everyone can read what you've written in your CV. So another way of standing out is by talking about something which is not already there on that piece of paper, for example, the personal experience mentioned earlier.
10) Take the lead- it is your interview and you know well what are the things the interviewer should know. So without sounding arrogant, try to mold your interview in a way that makes you speak about the things that matter and that might increase your chances of recruitment.
11) End on a positive note- when you're finally on the verge of finishing, don't forget to thank the interviewer for his time and mention once again why you would like to be hired for a longer-lasting effect.
With this, the webinar came towards the end where the experts one last time paraphrased all the points in their own way. Important points like honesty, presentability, the necessity of a cover letter, CV, practice, and a solid introduction were recalled. All the panelists were thanked for their presentation and time.
The webinar on the role of "Translation Studies" was held under the skillful guidance of Dr. Jagdish Sharma, where the founder of Modlingua Dr. Ravi Kumar commenced the deliberation by enlightening the history of translation studies in India. Language is not static and therefore, translation has always been an evolving discipline in India. This discipline examines translation both as an interlingual transfer and as intercultural communication. Furthermore, Dr. Kumar elucidated his perspective through an example of "Study of Anthropology" which he delineated as itself a translation process, as it necessitates an anthropologist to observe one's culture, society, its people, its language, its habits, etc to translate and register and impart the same. Indubitably, translators are also called manipulators as they do not translate mere words but they translate the entire culture and the related traditions which are being rehearsed for ages. To boot Dr. J. Sharma, continued the dialogue by highlighting the importance and the need for translation in Indian culture. In the mid-nineteenth century when the question of "imagining a nation" became problematic with the multilingual and multiethnic nature of the Indian society, "translation" became a pronounced intellectual issue in India. Translation started to appear as an urgent cultural necessity for orientalist, nationalistic and ideological projects while the idea of the nation as a linguistic and cultural unit based on the Eurocentric model started appearing clearly amateurish. The late nineteen eighties and nineties were an exciting period for the discipline of translation studies in India. While the source language was largely Sanskrit, the target language was English very often.
India has given some historical and celebrity translators to the world namely "Kumar Jìva" who used to translate Indian Mythological texts into Tibetan and Chinese languages. Hence, the world literature will always be obliged to the translation of the Indian epics such as "Ramayana", "Mahabharata", "Manusmriti" etc. In 1973, for the first time "James S Holmes" gave the legit concept of "Translation Studies" in his elongated essay "Name and Nature of Translation Studies" where he called it "Discipline". Translation Studies is a diverse discipline in itself as it touches other diverse fields of knowledge, including comparative literature, cultural studies, gender studies, computer science, history, linguistics, philosophy, rhetoric, and semiotics.
The other aspects of translation studies in current times which were covered in the webinar are:
1. Translation Studies have enabled a greater sense of "GILT"- Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation which bridges the gap between the various facets of the world.
2. We are only confined pertaining to the boundaries, but never with regards to the knowledge. Through translation, we are exposed to a wider scenario of possibilities and consciousness.
3. Cultural Interchange: As people tend to scrutinize new things, they also tend to adopt the changes around them which will help them to understand and perceive other's cultures and civilizations. It also gives a platform to the local languages by synchronizing and retaining the beauty of their respective languages.
4. Boosts Tourism: Translation is not only for the welfare of an individual or for a specific purpose but it is for the righteousness of all. As people will read about your culture and country, they will develop a keen interest to experience the same and it would also lead to the betterment of the financial conditions of the country.
Thus, the webinar concludes with the notion that "One needs to translate, to become a translator". The translation is not only a process but a discipline that is more descriptive, product-based, ideological, subversive, and reflective in nature.
