The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2022 - 21

Communicate parameters:
Create a written record of
how the internship will
work. How much will the
student be paid? How long
will the internship last?
What will be expected of
them? What will be expected
of you?
Provide feedback: Translation
experience won't be as
valuable to the intern if
they don't also receive some
feedback. You'll need to
carve out time during the
internship to provide clear,
honest, meaningful feedback
to the student so they can
learn and grow. (Chances are
you will too!)
Make time for small talk:
Having a weekly chat with
Nancy allowed our team
to freely discuss topics we
might not have otherwise
brought up. She asked great
questions about how we had
gotten into the field, and we
learned about her interests
and goals. We shared
resources and tips that were
helpful to us.
Be open to learning:
Whether you began
translating last year or 30
years ago, we all have
something to learn from
each other! You're the
primary teacher in this
relationship, but you may
have things to learn from
the intern as well.
clients usually provide us
and expected her to read and
absorb them on her own.
If we offer this internship
again, we'll definitely do
more of a walk-through at
the beginning.
Final Thoughts
On the whole, this
internship was a win-win
for both the intern and our
collective. We all gained
insight, Nancy got some
experience, and BSTC was
able to distribute our work
during a time that was very
busy for us. My colleagues
and I at BSTC feel strongly
that internships can be
a great way for freelance
translators to contribute
to the next generation
of our profession while
also getting something in
return. If other translators
or groups of translators
were to offer a similar
experience to student
www.ata-chronicle.online
translators, we could
make a huge difference to
those starting out while
also building connections
across professionals in
our industry of different
experience levels.
How You Can Help
If you or a group of your
colleagues are interested
in implementing your
own micro-internship, we
offer these considerations
for pursuing a similar
arrangement:
Look for an intern: Contact
professors you know or
academic programs you have
a connection with to get
recommendations for students
with aptitude for translation
and freelance work. If you
don't have contacts, consider
reaching out to any of the
translation and interpreting
education programs listed
on ATA's website.2
NOTES
1
2
Translation, Getting it Right-A Guide to Buying Translation,
http://bit.ly/Getting_it_right.
To learn more about BSTC, see: McKee, Mary. " The Benefits
of a Translator Collective: Staying Sane as a Freelance
Translator, " The ATA Chronicle (September/October 2018),
https://bit.ly/McKee-collective.
3
List of Translation and Interpreting Courses,
https://bit.ly/translationcourses.
Mary McKee, CT is a freelance ATA-certified
Spanish>English translator based in Seattle,
Washington, specializing in life sciences
translations. She is the owner and lead translator
at McKee Translation and is a founding member
of the Black Squirrel Translator Collective. She studied in the
U.S., Cuba, Spain, and Brazil and has an MA in translation
from Kent State University. Previously, she served on the
Editorial Board for The ATA Chronicle and on the board of
the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (an ATA
chapter). mary@mckeetranslation.com
Jamie Hartz, CT is an ATA director and ATAcertified
Spanish>English translator specializing in
legal and commercial translation. She completed
an MA in Spanish translation at Kent State
University in 2015. In 2013, she was one of
three ATA volunteers who established The Savvy Newcomer
blog, and she is a frequent contributor and editor. She is also
a member of the Delaware Valley Translators Association
(an ATA chapter). jamie@tildelanguage.com
American Translators Association 21
http://www.bit.ly/Getting_it_right https://www.bit.ly/McKee-collective https://www.bit.ly/translationcourses http://www.ata-chronicle.online
The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The ATA Chronicle - January/February 2022
