| by Emily Cipriani and Clara Clymer
The annual Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management (TILM) Career Fair at the Middlebury Institute this year drew 28 employers seeking to hire students for internships and full-time positions in the growing language services industry.
February is a busy time for students searching for employment and internships, and this season, the Middlebury Institute was packed with recruiting sessions and career-readiness activities. Students bolstered their job searches by attending sessions with advisors from the Center for Advising and Career Services (CACS), scheduling mock interviews, and attending networking events and presentations by recruiters.
This round of career-related events was capped as usual by the annual TILM Career Fair, which drew in vendor and client-side organizations from both the United States and abroad looking to hire across the language services industry. Employers ranged from localization and translation services companies such as MediaLocate and Deluxe to government agencies such as the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Language Services (LS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
LS has been successfully recruiting at MIIS for decades, and the reason is simple: sheer talent. MIIS has provided LS with a steady stream of talented staff and contractor colleagues who help us to fulfill our mission.
Middlebury Institute alumni were also happy to visit their alma mater to recruit for their current employers, taking advantage of this talent reflected in both the quality of the students who come to the Middlebury Institute and the quality of the education the Institute provides. According to Erin Teske MATI ’17 from Stanford Health Care, “The MIIS Career Fair has been an essential component of our recruiting efforts for many years. It always provides the Stanford Health Care Translation and Interpretation Department with a valuable opportunity to meet uniquely qualified candidates. Our team was thrilled to have the chance to speak with four very engaged groups of students [during the fair].”
As the language access coordinator for the Arizona State Courts, David Svoboda MATI ’04 shared a similar sentiment. “It has been a pleasure to participate in the TILM Career Fair. It is a valuable opportunity to interface with the highly qualified interpreters who graduate from MIIS and make them aware of available employment possibilities. Courts routinely need highly qualified, competent, professional interpreters who can meet the credentialing requirements for work in the legal field, and some of the best come from MIIS. As an alum myself, it is particularly rewarding to be able to come back and participate in this capacity.”
The Career Fair is one of the significant events during [students’] time at MIIS to connect with an impressive list of international employers specifically seeking to recruit talent from MIIS. Many of them have returned to this fair year over year based on their past success. Our students are indeed standing on the shoulders of giants.
This year’s Career Fair was hosted virtually by CACS, enabling employers and students to meet one-on-one from across the globe. Second-year Translation and Localization Management student Naomi Stock MATLM ’22 said of the Career Fair, “I had the amazing opportunity to talk with career professionals on a group as well as a personal basis. The setup of the virtual fair was flexible and fluid, and allowed for more intimacy with potential employers.”
The Middlebury Institute dedicates itself to helping students have successful career outcomes before their classes even start. In orientation, first-years take a career readiness assessment and attend sessions on how to optimize institute career resources. Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management students also take career management courses customized for their degrees and benefit from the Institute’s strong network of alumni and industry professionals.
Center for Advising and Career Services
Translation and Interpretation
Translation and Localization Management
| by Wendy Wei MACI ’22
“It is exactly because of the Career Fair that I was able to have such an amazing opportunity.” Wendy Wei MACI ’22 describes how Middlebury Institute resources helped her launch her career in localization.
| by Bryce Craft
While there’s nothing like making a first impression in person, with the right preparation you can turn a virtual career fair into real-life job opportunities. Here are six ways to maximize the increasingly popular virtual career fairs.
| by Eva Gudbergsdottir
Students from the Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management (TILM) degrees secure jobs and internships during busy week of career-related events at the Middlebury Institute.
