Since 2020, Inlingo has been welcoming students from universities across the world for internships. One of these universities is Spain’s University of Vigo. Here’s an insight into how we work with students from Spain, the results our interns achieve, and what they say about the program.
How did the collaboration start?
The idea of organizing internships for students came about at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, it became clear that new ways of working, lockdowns, and restrictions shouldn’t affect the education of young specialists finding their feet in the industry. That’s why Inlingo established a remote internship program to help students from different areas continue their studies, regardless of the situation in the world.
Inlingo has been in the localization market for over 10 years. When the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, we realized that we want to share our wealth of experience with interning linguists. We have everything we need to do that: a team with years of experience, a tried-and-true technical process, and dozens of major projects to our name.
For us, internship programs aren’t just about contributing to the future of our industry. They also represent a talent pool with great potential. It’s a talent pool with potential not just for us, but also for our clients, as not all of our interns stay at Inlingo. Some of them join developer teams, which is also great.
Anna Kotova, Lead Vendor Manager at Inlingo
The University of Vigo’s academic staff is confident that real work experience helps to form professionals. That’s why their students are offered the best possible internship opportunities every year: at localization companies or studios that need help with game development. All companies are subject to a rigorous selection process: the University analyzes their development trajectory, their activities, and the opportunities they can offer students.
The University of Vigo has been collaborating with Inlingo since 2020, and several dozen students from Vigo have already completed the internship program.
Students really appreciate the opportunity to get their first experience of a real project after finishing their studies. Internships let them assert themselves in the market and get a feel for what working with gameplay and marketing texts for video games is really like. It’s a great chance for them to show what they’ve learned and gain a foothold in the market.
Óscar Ferreiro Vázquez, full-time teacher at University of Vigo
For students, internships are about gaining experience, engaging socially, and, most of all, taking the opportunity to put what they’ve learned to the test in practice. Inlingo offers the chance to see behind the scenes and get a feel for how things work from the inside: students can assess their capabilities, learn to manage their time, and understand their worth as a potential specialist in the market.
What’s the format of the internship?
University of Vigo students intern for one calendar month, and receive a certificate at the end. If interns have time constraints, then the schedule can be adjusted. Over the four weeks, interns watch lectures, complete training tasks, and receive feedback from their mentor.
Mentors are on hand to help with any questions: they can extend deadlines, provide clarification on tasks, and help resolve technical issues. Inlingo will also provide licenses for all necessary programs as required.
The most important element of the internship is completing tasks in potentially real conditions. The way our work is organized helps interns feel part of the real production process. During a setup call, students receive their schedule for the whole four-week internship, which lets them assess their workload straight away and prioritize accordingly. Adhering to deadlines is one of the first challenges that interns face.
Maria Goldfert, L&D Manager at Inlingo
All training tasks are materials that have been carefully considered by specialists. The team analyzes its own experience and implements it into the training process. The difficulties interns encounter during training tasks will also appear in real projects, which is why it’s best to identify them during training and find solutions ahead of time.
Interns are mentored by editors and translators who have worked on dozens of major projects. Students from the University of Vigo work with their mentor Izia Gutierrez during their entire internship. Most of the editors who work with students are also senior editors on real projects.
Our collaboration with Inlingo has been very successful, and our students are happy with their internship. The projects they work on are perfect for their level and capabilities. Inlingo understands our goals perfectly, and as of now is one of the best companies we’ve collaborated on internships with.
Ramón Méndez González, part-time teacher at University of Vigo
The internship has changed significantly since 2020, and is constantly modified based on interns’ feedback. The training program now includes more practical tasks and feedback from mentors. Deadlines have also become less flexible to reflect work on real projects as closely as possible. Improvements are made to the program every year, and interns’ reviews play a major role in this.
What results do interns achieve?
The internship program is designed to help interns develop the core skills they need for future work in the industry. That means analyzing large amounts of information, paying close attention to detail, meeting deadlines, and working on topics they may not be familiar with. University of Vigo graduates shared some of the results they achieved during their internships with us.
After my internship, I started working with tags better: before, it had been a problem for me. I also learned how to allocate my time for translations better. What’s more, working with an editor taught me to pay attention to minor mistakes.
The mentors were attentive, even if I asked too many questions about how everything works! They were always ready to help if I wasn’t sure about something, and I’m very grateful for that.
The internship helped me develop my self-confidence, which I had sometimes lacked while translating. I think it was a very important experience for my whole career.
Antía Barba Santiago, interned in July 2021
One of the skills I developed the most was time management. Every task had a deadline, and I could decide how to organize my time. At first, I was doing things by trial and error, but eventually I realized how much time I needed at each stage of translation. That helped me meet deadlines more effectively.
The mentors were very kind to me and always ready to help. They were quick to answer questions and always gave feedback on translations. Sometimes they even gave me extra tips, which were always helpful. The internship was my first step in the industry. I met new people and made contacts, and afterward I was able to continue working with Inlingo as a freelancer.
Halfway through my internship, I had a video call to discuss my progress, and during it one of the editors and I realized we’re fans of the same game. We carried on talking about it even after the call! It’s amazing to work with people who share your passion not only for translation, but also for video games.
Fátima Silvent, interned in June 2022
Interning at Inlingo was an amazing experience. The people I worked with were very kind and always ready to help. I can’t even express how much I appreciate that, considering how inexperienced and nervous I was then.
Their feedback helped me see the most common mistakes and understand what skills I needed to work on. The small details that make a text natural and easy to read can only be truly mastered through gaining experience. What’s more, the tasks became progressively harder, so the training process felt smooth.
I think the friendly atmosphere throughout my internship and the interesting tasks significantly influenced my decision to pursue a career in the field
Alexandra Chaves, interned in June 2021
What internship formats are possible?
Inlingo takes an individual approach, and we can modify our program on request. Different formats can be different lengths—internships can last between one and three months. What’s more, tasks will be tailored to the specific skills and kinds of translation that you need.
Regardless of the training style they choose, students will receive a certificate upon completing their internship, which can help interns find their first job. After their internship, some students are given the opportunity to continue working at Inlingo. It’s a chance to prove yourself and get started in the industry right away.
