Life as an intern at the English Translation and Editing (ETE) Section of the ECB - an interview wit

Hello, thanks for accepting my invitation to give an interview. To start with can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Hannah, 24, originally from Gateshead in the UK. I studied English and German at St Peter’s College, Oxford (including a year abroad in Chemnitz, Germany), and then did the MA in Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies (MACITS) at the University of Leeds. I took a year out between them, which I spent living with my parents, trying to save a bit of money and brush up on my A-level French. I’m now an English Translation and Editing Trainee at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, and when not translating/editing, I enjoy reading, running, knitting and attempting to learn new languages (Dutch is my current experiment).

Great, and what made you decide to apply for the MA at Leeds and what were your expectations of the course?

There were two main reasons why I chose to apply to Leeds. First of all, I already had personal connections to Leeds and really liked the city, so didn’t need too much persuading to come and live there. Also, I’d heard very good things about the MACITS course. I hoped it would give me a solid grounding in translation and interpreting skills, as well as advice on the language services industry and how to find my niche in it. I wasn’t disappointed!

What do you feel was the best part of studying at Leeds?

As I’ve said, Leeds really is a great city – especially for students. There’s always something interesting to go to, or a nice new bar or cafe to try. The best thing about studying there, though, was the MACITS course itself, and the people who were studying with me. The interpreting side of the course is particularly challenging, and the pressure and the workload were a bit much for all of us at times – but there was always someone there to help you out, whether by providing targeted criticism of your technique, or by offering a tissue and a cup of tea from the Parkinson Building’s cafe.

What do you miss (or not!) about being a student?

Apart from the people and the city, I miss the flexibility of a student’s working day! I’m a bit of a night owl and generally did my best university work after 9pm, so a standard working day was a bit of a shock to the system at first. What I don’t miss, though, is having to structure all of my work and practice around the exam timetable. Doing months of interpreting practice to work towards four 15-minute exams isn’t very realistic at all, and it’s good now to be able to make longer-term plans and to focus more on my overall development.

I couldn't agree more. What advice would you give to someone who is looking at becoming a translator/interpreter?

Do as much research as you can into what kind of work is available (if any) for your language combination and your area of expertise. Take every opportunity to chat to people already working in the market you’re aiming for. This applies to translation, but particularly to interpreting. Becoming a successful interpreter is difficult enough as it is, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into, to be realistic, and to work towards achievable goals. For example, if your main language is German, you’re probably not going to make very much money working as a medical public service interpreter in the UK; equally, without French or German, a career in the European institutions is unlikely. Doing this research properly before my MA would have saved me a lot of trouble further down the line!

Can you tell us about what you are doing now?

I’m currently a trainee in the English Translation and Editing (ETE) Section at the ECB. I applied for the traineeship online while I was still doing my MA and came out to Frankfurt at the start of October.

Okay, so what’s a typical day at the ECB like for you?

My days at the ECB can actually vary quite substantially! This is due to the way ETE works. We provide a service for the ECB’s other business areas, so whenever they need a document editing or translating, they submit a request. This is then processed by the ETE assistants, who assign it to a translator/editor. The texts we work on vary considerably in length, complexity and content, and the approach varies accordingly. For instance, some of the longer, more complex financial or legal texts need to be divided between a number of translators (or sent to the ECB’s lawyer linguists), who then need to decide on the most effective strategy. Some texts (especially if you’re still a trainee) require a bit of research before you get stuck in, but others might be more straight-forward internal communication, or even literature produced as part of the ECB’s cultural projects (like the European Cultural Days, which were organised in collaboration with the Deutsche Bundesbank this year). One thing that never changes, however, is that all of my work is peer-reviewed by much more experienced translators/editors to make sure I haven’t missed anything. I’ve had my work checked by people from right across the Section with a huge range of expertise, and I’ve been able to learn a great deal from them. I also have two mentors to ask about anything I’m struggling with.

That’s what happens in the office, anyway. Outside it, there are all sorts of training days and events organised by other business areas, and occasionally, there are talks by members of the Executive Board, or by visiting speakers, which are always worth going along to. There’s a vibrant trainee community too, made up of people from right across the bank and right across Europe, organising all sorts of social events. It’s a little bit like being on Erasmus again!

It sounds like a great experience. I'd also like to know how you think the MA has helped to prepare you for the traineeship you’re on right now?

One very helpful feature of the MA was the wide range of texts we covered on the Specialised Translation modules, which encouraged us to think about the priorities and strategies for working on different text types. Also, I found the more applied side of the teaching very useful, such as modules on CAT tools. Having a bit of experience with Studio made my first translation job here much less daunting.

How do you think this experience will help your future career plans?

It’s difficult to say for certain at the moment: like all of my fellow British translators, I’ll have to wait and see how certain upcoming negotiations play out before I decide how feasible working for European institutions is going to be. That said, this traineeship is definitely a very valuable experience. Whatever happens in the next few years, having worked in-house in an institution like the ECB, and having gained as much knowledge of finance and banking as I have, can only be positive!

Would you recommend other people who have just graduated from an MA in Interpreting and/or translation apply for the same opportunity?

I would absolutely encourage others to apply! It’s very easy to be put off by the thought of finance and banking. Few people seem to be truly passionate about interest rates and bond yields, and those who are generally become economists, rather than translators. However, I’ve found my work here so far genuinely interesting and rewarding, and I’ve already learned so much, both through training and through my own research. At the ECB, I feel like a very small part of a very big machine, but no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the job, I’m always contributing to the wider work of the DG Communications and the ECB as a whole; and, come Press Conference day, when the eyes of the world are on the ECB, that’s a very exciting feeling. There aren’t many traineeships that offer a working environment like this.

And what are you enjoying most about living in Germany?

Well, now we’re in December, I’m enjoying living in a country that does Christmas better than anywhere else in the world (in my eyes, at least). This is the land of the Christmas Market, of Glühwein, Lebkuchen and – my personal favourite – Gebrannte Mandeln (sugared, roasted almonds, which are indescribably delicious).

Ah yes, the infamous German Christmas Markets! No pressure but, where do you hope to be in 10 years’ time?

I don’t have firm plans – not that far ahead. In ten years’ time, I’ll be very happy if I’m in a secure job that still allows me to work with my languages in a challenging way. It would be good to be working in Germany, or maybe even France, Belgium or some other country close enough to home for me to get back to my long-suffering partner at weekends. I’d like to have another working language by then, too!

And finally for a fun question - what’s your favourite word in German and/or French and why?

There are so many! A German gem that I’ve seen used lots recently (sadly, Black Friday has made it to Germany too) is Schnäppchen (a bargain). There’s also Schnäppchenjäger, a bargain hunter, which I think is a great word. As for French, every word in the French language is a thing of beauty. I couldn’t possibly choose just one.

Thank you so much Hannah, best of luck from all three of us!