EN>FR ; ES>FR
Translator
City: Brussels (Belgium)
Home university: ISIT
Partner university S1: ISTI
Partner university S2: Universidad Pontifica Comillas
Why did you choose to do the METS?
My ambition was to leave ISIT with strong translation skills and a strong specialisation, the final goal was to make the most of my entry into the professional world. I had also decided to devote the year following graduation to internships in organization, thanks to which I hoped to continue to develop and improve my skills. The METS was a perfect fit with these objectives: intensive translation practice, the possibility of choosing one’s specialisation, recognition of the diploma giving access to highly formative training courses.
Describe your current work situation.
I am about to start working at NATO as an English to French translator. Prior to that, in the year following graduation, I completed various internships: six weeks at the Council of Europe, which then gave me the opportunity to do translations from home; three months at Leinhäuser Language Services, a translation agency based in Munich; six months at NATO, in the framework of the internship programme (applications to be submitted in April each year).
The work of a junior translator at NATO is organized as follows: I translate various NATO texts from English into French, and all my translations are then proofread by revisers, either on the spot – I read my French text aloud to the reviser, who interrupts me to make any changes he or she deems necessary – or in the conventional way – I return my translation to the reviser, who proofreads it for me before returning it to me with corrections. The work is very supervised, and therefore extremely formative.
How has METS influenced your career path?
On the one hand, METS has enabled me to focus my professional project, namely to work as a specialist translator, which has further strengthened my motivation to enter the job market. On the other hand, even though I can’t say how much of a difference it has made, METS is a guarantee of excellency for recruiters, who place their trust in the program’s graduates.
Tell us about a lasting memory of your METS experience!
The first day of class in Comillas, when we realized that we had two weeks to read (and understand) a 500-page pamphlet on comparative law, a prerequisite for the semester ahead of us.
The truth is that we especially remember the good times, the discovery of a new city, the adaptation to a new way of life, and the beautiful encounters!
