Category Archives: Language and Translation

Employer Case Study: Opportunity China

Name of Organisation: Opportunity China

Name of Employer: Stephanie Day

Job Title: Operations Manager

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern is becoming more familiar with Chinese social media management, and uses her Mandarin skills to build rapport with customers. She has got involved, quickly became part of the team, and took all that’s been passed to her!

Really positive experience, thank you. Work experience is so important for students to obtain, and our intern has been a delight!”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter, Department of Classics

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter, Department of Classics

Name of Employer: Claire Holleran

Job Title: Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern was employed as an Research Assistant on an ongoing digital project on Latin inscriptions recording migration in Roman Iberia, and worked on finding further references and images of inscriptions. This was very important for future proofing the project.

The student did a fantastic job as an intern on the project. She followed the instructions carefully and worked efficiently and independently throughout her internship

Employing our intern through the internship scheme was an excellent experience and I would thoroughly recommend it (and her). Her work was important for the project overall and saved me a considerable amount of research time.”

Employer Case Study: Department of Modern Languages & Cultures, University of Exeter

Name of Organisation: Department of Modern Languages & Cultures, University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Hugh Roberts

Job Title: Professor of French

Internship Scheme used: Student Campus Partnership (SCP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter

Feedback:

“Following an initial with Dr Lizzy Williamson (in Digital Humanities) and me, our intern produced a sample in TEI/xml (text encoding) of a poem and related trial record of a research project I’ve been working on. Subsequently, she also produced a style sheet that will allow us to develop a digital edition further and for Digital Humanities to produce a prototype website.

The student produced all aspects of the TEI/xml sample from inception to completion. This is highly specialized work and a significant achievement. It means she has proven herself as a programmer for Digital Humanities and other initiatives.

This was a great opportunity for our intern to learn more about TEI/xml following her introduction to it in Oxford in the summer. It will also allow me to demonstrate the viability of the digital elements of the research project in subsequent research grant bids.”

Employer Case Study: Dept of Modern Languages and Cultures

Name of Organisation: Dept of Modern Languages and Cultures

Name of Employer: Katie Brown

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Student Campus Partnership (SCP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter

Feedback:

“Our intern was instrumental in organising the conference, handling a large amount of correspondence with participants, putting the programme together and ensuring the smooth running of the hybrid event throughout the day. She showed exceptional organisational skills and kept calm under pressure.

The student and I met regularly to discuss tasks that needed to be completed. She was very efficient and self-reliant, but checked in with me whenever an important decision needed to be made. She worked very effectively on the day of the conference, helping the day to run smoothly. She worked in Spanish most of the time and demonstrated her strong linguistic skills.”

Student Case Study-Ridgeway Information Ltd

Name of Student:  Umaira Navaid

Degree Subject: BA History and Politics, MA Applied Security and Strategy

Job Title:  Research Intern

Company Name:  Ridgeway Information Ltd

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I)Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: We work with major corporates, not-for-profit and public sector organisations. Our current and previous clients include the United Nations, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the European Union, the UK Gambling Commission, multinationals and private clients. We give our clients the confidence to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, tackle challenges and understand the landscapes they inhabit. We do this by providing verifiable insight gained through expert research and analysis of client-supplied and open sources.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My key duties and responsibilities were to help research and write reports on nuclear proliferation. I also created resources for some of the training schemes the company provides.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

I produced a report for the IAEA on Pakistan’s nuclear complex using my Urdu language skills. I also helped produce two other reports on Taiwan and Jordan. I planned and produced a short activity for people who undertake the OSINT course with Ridgeway. My skills in Urdu led the IAEA to have a better understanding of what is being written and posted about nuclear ongoings in Pakistan.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was tasked with researching and writing about Pakistan and its new Nuclear Complex from sources in Urdu. I was able to read and translate sources that would have otherwise been unusable. I wrote a report summarising my findings.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

It was difficult to find much information at first and I spent many days without any relevant information. However, with further encouragement, I was later able to find better details and make the most of my findings.

Skills Learnt 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Communication
  • Team Work and Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Time and Work Load Management

Attributes Developed 

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Perseverance

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“My internship was both fun and hard work. My colleagues were extremely friendly and the Access to Internship team is super helpful. I worked on a number of projects with Ridgeway and was impressed with the amount of autonomy I was given during my time here. I was also given good career and life advice and feel like I have a better idea of what I want to do in the future and my options.”

Devon Development Education (Exeter) – Global Learning Resources

What were your main roles and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My main responsibility was to promote the Spanish teaching resource “Hola Peru” at different schools across Devon. I met with teachers on a weekly basis to provide and explain to them how to use this resource. After covering the Devon county, I publicised our resource on other platforms and started to send it to different teachers across the whole country. I held Skype/FaceTime sessions with these teachers.

Apart from promoting Hola Peru, I have also helped the organisation with a wide array of activities. These include: managing Fair Trade events; giving presentations; setting a database of the schools which teach Spanish in Devon; and helping colleagues with their programmes among other duties.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking in English and gave me the confidence to work in a British workplace.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

Thanks to my work, they achieved to give 20 copies of Hola Peru and benefitted from my help to running of their activities more smooth.

German Web Translator and Researcher – Sutton’s Packaging Ltd

Universtiy of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My first task was to translate the company’s website into German and I was then responsible for the German website and to take care of updates etc. My main role after that was being the contact person for all German customers and introducing our new website and the offer of having a German speaker in the company to talk to. I was also looking for new customers by contacting them and sending samples out.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

It gave me an insight into business operations and I also learnt a lot of new vocabulary. It was also a great opportunity to advance my communication skills by speaking to many people. My ability to switch between German and English speech improved very quickly as well.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

My employer was always very pleased with my work and the overall atmosphere in the company was very nice.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

It was difficult in the beginning to understand the particular tissue business because there were many words I didn’t know. But the internet is always a great help and I could figure it out either that way or my employer or colleagues would explain it to me.