Amy Robinson graduated with a BA in French and Portuguese and now works at Andiamo! as a Project Manager. Here, she tells us how she got into the industry and includes some expert hints and tips.
The Background
My name is Amy and I am a Project Manager at Andiamo! Language Services ltd. I have been working for Andiamo! for about 18 months now, however during my first year in the company I actually worked as a Vendor Controller, meaning that I was responsible for recruiting new translators and interpreters for our database of suppliers, as well as lending a hand to the Projects team and preparing smaller quotations.
I realised that I had a keen interest in the Projects side of things, and changed roles about six months ago. Today my new role involves much more communication with our clients, talking to them about their requirements and preparing quotations for them, as well as negotiating rates with suppliers and working with translation software when checking translations through. I really enjoy seeing a project go from start to finish, as well as the relationship that I have built up with clients and suppliers that I speak to regularly.
Languages at Leeds!
I have a BA in French and Portuguese from the University of Leeds, and when thinking about my career after University I knew that I wanted to work with languages from the outset. I had completed a translation module as an elective in my first year, my final year language modules had a lot of translation content, and I also spent a small amount of time as a volunteer translator during my year abroad in João Pessoa, Brazil, which gave me an insight into the theory and practical side of translation, if not the broader industry. I would certainly recommend volunteer translation work as a way of gaining experience initially to people who are interested in translation as a career, and for project management at a language service provider, I would say that a knowledge and interest in foreign languages is definitely necessary, although I also think that a good level of English and experience in customer service are highly recommended, along with strong organisational skills and the ability to multi-task – you never know what is around the corner!
Hello! My name is Chari and I am an international student in Leeds this year. I am from Spain and I study translation of English, German and a bit of French also this year. I would really appreciate if you could give me some advice for the industrial world of the translation and languages. I will finish my degree next year in Spain but I have still 2017 to enjoy and learn from the University of Leeds. Therefore, I would like to experience some part-time jobs or volunteer jobs before leaving. Thank you!
Hello Chari. Apologies for the delayed reply; the University has only just re-opened after the Christmas break.
It is difficult to provide specific advice without having more information from you. I suggest that you come and talk to one of our advisers in person. You can book an appointment online at http://mycareer.leeds.ac.uk. Also, from Monday 16th January, we will be running drop-in again during the afternoons (1-4pm) Monday to Friday.
In the meantime, here are some resources which you may find useful.
Information and resources relating to Translation and Interpreting careers http://careerweb.leeds.ac.uk/directory/38/careers_resources/category/632/categoryInfo/410
You can find volunteering opportunities under the “Opportunities” section of the Leeds for Life site http://leedsforlife.leeds.ac.uk/Opportunity/Index
You can find part-time job listings through LUU’s joblink https://www.luu.org.uk/jobs/search/
You can find graduate jobs and internship opportunities on our “MyCareer” site (as linked to above).
Hope that helps.
Best wishes
Jess