Internship at a translation agency

Kim Klinger on her internship abroad

What is an internship at a translation agency like? Kim Klinger studies Applied Linguistics in Mulhouse and is completing her compulsory internship at Peschel Communications. In this interview, she explains why Germany counts as an internship abroad for her despite German being her native language, what tasks she takes on and what she is learning about specialised translation, data protection and artificial intelligence.

Kim, what made you decide to apply for an internship at Peschel Communications?

I’m studying Applied Linguistics in Mulhouse, France – specifically the translation of scientific and technical texts. As part of our studies, we’re required to complete an internship, and I wanted to do mine in a country where my native language is spoken.

Why was that important to you? A lot of students prefer to do an internship in a country where they can improve a foreign language.

I already get to practice my second language – French – at university in Mulhouse and at my home village in Alsace. Having grown up in a German-speaking household in France, I am bilingual. Most people assume that’s the perfect starting point for studying translation or interpreting, but I’ve always felt that translation takes much more than just knowing two languages well. I also knew I needed to keep practising my German in a professional setting.

How has the internship lived up to your expectations?

At university, I already learned that translation is about much more than just converting a source text into the target language – you also need to really understand the subject areas you’re working in. But in practice, that becomes even clearer. For example, when you’re translating marketing texts, you also have to consider cultural and legal differences in the target market. 

Could you give us an example?

In the USA, for example, you can call your product ‘the best in the market,’ but in France or Germany, that’s not only frowned upon, but it is actually prohibited. And sometimes, there isn’t a perfect translation for a certain term at all. What are you supposed to do then? Do you look for an equivalent or do you add an explanation? A good translator needs to know which approach works best in which situation.

As part of your internship, you’re also helping translate official documents and certificates. What stands out to you there?

Working on ‘real’ commissions has made me even more aware of how important data protection is. On the first day of my internship, I received thorough training, as compliance with the GDPR is taken very seriously at Peschel Communications. Once you realise that these certificates aren’t just pieces of paper, but personal documents belonging to actual clients, it all makes perfect sense. At university, data protection is mostly theoretical when it comes to translation.

What kind of content-related challenges does translating official documents pose for you?

The text in these legal documents is mostly legalese, so you really have to know the right formulations in the target language. I’m really glad that every translation I do at Peschel is reviewed by an experienced colleague! Also, many documents contain country-specific abbreviations, which means I have to do a lot of research. Before my internship, I didn’t fully realise how much work and effort goes into a professional translation.

What have you learned about the topic of AI so far?

Simple texts and sentences can be translated with online tools, but that’s definitely not the case for more complex texts. A good example would be a scientific article about placing stents in coronary arteries or a legal text that requires notes from the translator to avoid misunderstandings. If a machine makes a mistake, it can have serious consequences. On top of that, data protection isn’t guaranteed when using online tools and AI bots – especially not in the free versions. Professional translators, on the other hand, know exactly how to handle sensitive data.

What will you take away from this internship?

I think it’s important for translators to specialise in one or more subject areas so they can offer something machines can’t: technical expertise. AI doesn’t actually ‘understand’ anything – it just calculates its output based on probabilities. As a translator, I need subject-specific knowledge; I need to know how and where to research properly – and of course I need to know the right terminology. Being able to speak two or three languages might be enough for everyday conversation, but it doesn’t mean you can translate complex texts accurately.

Thanks for speaking with us, Kim – and all the best on your future in the translation industry!