Translated by Charlotte Doane
My internship at Cartier et Lelarge is the third and final of my BA in translation (co-op option). However, I did my first two internships consecutively, at the same place, so this is really only my second experience in the professional world.
I have already greatly expanded my toolbox as a translator in only a few weeks.
I cannot help but begin by talking about the wonderful atmosphere here. As an intern, I feel very well integrated into the team, knowing that I can always go to my colleagues if I have any questions—it never seems as though I am bothering them. I did my first internship at a company whose business had nothing to do with translation or language in general, and as the only language professional there, I did not receive any feedback on my work. In comparison, I really enjoyed the revision process at Cartier et Lelarge. In addition to being a fair system, as everyone has their work revised, no matter their level of experience, the feedback itself is clear and constructive. I can certainly say that I have already greatly expanded my toolbox as a translator in only a few weeks. In fact, I was surprised at how quickly I noticed improvements in both my source-text comprehension and my writing!
As someone who works well under pressure and in structured environments, I was thrown off a bit by working from home, with neither pressure nor structure.
Of course, I cannot deny that the situation surrounding COVID-19 disrupted my internship experience. My main challenges with working from home concerned efficiency, comprehension and concentration. The first two go hand in hand, as not being in the office with my coworkers meant that I could not ask questions spontaneously or get in-person feedback during revision, making the workflow somewhat less efficient and explanations more challenging to understand. Though our instant messenger platform was helpful and very easy to use, it sometimes complicated our discussions over translation problems as it was often difficult to explain the context. Still, it never took too long to get answers to my questions. The third challenge I came up against was concentrating. As someone who works well under pressure and in structured environments, I was thrown off a bit by working from home, with neither pressure nor structure. I had to develop new skills to maintain my focus. One thing is certain: this experience allowed me to strengthen my diligence and discipline, two professional qualities that are sure to serve me well if I ever become self-employed!
All in all, I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to intern here at Cartier et Lelarge!
The entire translation process at Cartier et Lelarge is highly intuitive and transparent, from reception to delivery. Tasks are clearly delegated, and all project folders are organized systematically, which greatly simplifies the work. This was one aspect that I was worried about before I started. But thanks to the training and supporting documents that were provided at the beginning of the internship, I was soon able to grasp how everything worked and never experienced any uncertainty about what to do, which was a considerable relief to me as an intern. I also found the tools that are used here very helpful. All in all, I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to intern here at Cartier et Lelarge! I wish every success to their future interns.
This article is part one of our Intern Perspectives series. Read parts two and three.
