By Caroline Rys
Translated by Charlotte Doane
My internship at Cartier et Lelarge was my third and final work term in Concordia’s co-op program, but it was the first I have done at a private company. Over the last few months, I have had the chance to learn about company culture and explore its many facets.
The laughs we shared helped me to develop a feeling of camaraderie that ultimately strengthened our working relationships. In just a few hours, I felt that I was a part of the team.
Of course, I cannot talk about my experience without mentioning working from home. If not for the pandemic, I would have gone to work in an office every morning, joined in conversations during coffee breaks, gotten to know my colleagues over lunch and been working in downtown Montreal. But this semester, we all were working from home. Still, I had the opportunity to meet the other members of the team at an outdoor get-together in September. The laughs we shared on that autumn evening helped me to develop a feeling of camaraderie that ultimately strengthened our working relationships. In just a few hours, I felt that I was a part of the team. The following week, tightened pandemic restrictions meant that we would be back to staying home for the next few months.
In spite of this, I truly felt like a part of the Cartier et Lelarge team. This was certainly helped by how easy it was to communicate over platforms like MS Teams, not to mention our “fikas” on Wednesdays and Fridays. I always had fun at these virtual coffee breaks, where we would get together and chat about a variety of topics.
Cartier et Lelarge provided me with an exciting work environment, full of challenges and opportunities to thrive. It was particularly gratifying being able to take part in group projects, help other members of the team and accomplish tasks, all while learning new things, and it made me feel valued.
Going into this internship, one of my main concerns was not being able to ask as many questions as I would have in person. However, my questions were always answered quickly, whether by my supervisor or by another member of the team, and my revised translations were always accompanied by constructive comments. Each reviser on the team took the time to leave notes that would help me learn, even when the deadlines were tight. During our regular one-on-ones, I could always count on my supervisor to highlight both the things I had done right and the places I could improve.
Cartier et Lelarge’s reputation and talent have earned them the trust and loyalty of many clients, from non-profit associations to major companies. This gave me the chance not only to translate for well known clients but also to translate a wide variety of texts, some more technical than others. As an intern, I had the opportunity to work with many different subjects and to learn a bit more about each one. I learned something new every day and was very rarely bored.
Cartier et Lelarge provided me with an exciting work environment, full of challenges and opportunities to thrive. It was particularly gratifying being able to take part in group projects, help other members of the team and accomplish tasks, all while learning new things, and it made me feel valued. Cartier et Lelarge took great care to provide me with a pleasant, enriching internship experience. And that’s exactly what it was!
This article is part of our Intern Perspectives series. Read the other articles here.
