How I Got Hired: Interpretation Teacher, Fudan University

My name is Shan Wang and I graduated with an MA in Conference Interpretation from the Middlebury Institute in 2013. My language pair was Chinese-English. Prior to coming to Monterey, I earned my BA at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou, China. I am now an interpreting teacher at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

I teach interpreting for both bachelor’s and master’s of interpreting students in the College of Foreign Languages and Literature at Fudan University. I also do some research and interpreting practice when I’m not teaching.

I was lucky to encounter the job opening of Fudan University when I was about to graduate and was looking for opportunities out there in the job market. I was also lucky and honored to have a recommendation from Professor Bao Chuanyun, who kindly offered to help.

I’m really thankful for the Institute’s alumni network as well as the intensive interpreting training I received there. The training honed my expertise to a large extent and made me determined to pursue my career as an interpreter practitioner or teacher, while the alumni network helped make the work easier and a lot of fun! I especially loved the interpreting practicum, where I was exposed to all kinds of scenarios that I might encounter in the interpreting market. I also loved the course “Interpreting and Translation as a Profession,” where I learned the basic knowledge and skills for my career path, especially in the early stage.

My best advice for current students is to enjoy to the fullest your learning experience at MIIS—everything you do will help in more ways than you can imagine. Also, get along well with your classmates, alumni, professors, career advisor, etc.—one of them might be where your next job comes from!