Pia Klenk, our latest intern at Capita TI, is studying International Technical Communication and Translation at the University of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg, Germany and has recently finished my second semester. In this blog, she tells us more about her studies, and what she is hoping to gain from her 4 month internship in the Operations department.
Tell us about your university studies
The main focus of my studies relates to translation and therefore, in my first semester we started with general lessons dealing with the task fields of translators, and what kind of competences this job requires. Furthermore, we had a lesson regarding the basics of translations, which included the difficulties, problems and differences between languages. As the main foreign language we are working with is English, we also have grammar, writing and oral classes in English.
In my grammar classes particularly, I focus on the fine differences between English and German grammar, so I am able to translate either from German to English or English to German without making mistakes.
I also have a lesson about natural sciences, in which I obtain a theoretical knowledge regarding this area, as I am scheduled to translate a lot of technical text in the second semester.
Finally, in the second semester I started to translate in a technical sense (mostly texts in the technical area), and I was able to implement the things I have learnt before. As I am working a lot of the time on a computer, I also have computer courses, in which I gained general formatting skills and how to deal with databases.
Do your classes cover cultural studies too?
Yes, lessons regarding intercultural competence formed a large part of the second semester and this enables me to sensitise towards other cultures.
This plays an important part when translating in terms of how you interact with clients countries across the world. In the semesters that are due to follow, I will additionally learn about software localisation, terminology and project management.
What do you hope to achieve in your internship?
I hope the internship will give me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the English language, as well as the English culture. I am really looking forward to meeting different people and to broaden my mind.
Furthermore, studies can be really theoretical, so through this internship, I will have the chance to gain an insight in the processes of a company and the working life in general.
I am sure the internship will build a base for my future studies, and my future working life, as I will collect as many tips and tricks as I can.