Middlebury Institute graduates discuss where they are working today, how the Institute helped them get there, and what advice they’d give to current and future MIIS students.
My name is Haoyang Qin and I graduated with an MA in Translation and Localization Management from the Middlebury Institute in 2023. My language of study was English and I specialized in localization engineering. Prior to coming to Monterey, I earned my BA at Beijing Language and Culture University.
I am now a junior localization engineer at TransPerfect in New York City. My job includes file preparation, localization QA (quality assurance), work automation, client process consultation, and more. Each of these responsibilities involves close team communication and cross-departmental cooperation.
My path into this position began at the Institute’s Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Career Fair of 2023, where I managed to talk with a human resources representative from TransPerfect, who told me that despite the company’s hiring freeze, there were still opportunities. I expressed my strong interest and passion to join the company, especially in the role of localization engineering. The representative then gave me a copy of a job description for localization engineer and gave me her business card. I sent her a follow-up note to recap our quick exchange on the career fair that same day.
Then, with the job description that my new contact provided, I went to their website and confirmed that the job was still open. After I was hired, I learned that I applied only three days before they had planned to make their final decision, and it was likely that I was the last person they interviewed.
At the same time, I was in contact with a fellow alum from my undergrad school who works at TransPerfect in Shenzhen, China. By then, he had worked for more than three years on his team and had a good reputation. He gave me a referral and was on my contact list.
Be kind. Be genuine. Do only one big thing in life at a time, and get it done.
I believe those personal connections with the HR representative and my fellow alum, as well as my follow-up at each step, greatly increased the chance that my résumé would be seen by both human resources and the hiring manager. There were three rounds of interviews, and then I got the offer.
I believe good, detailed communications are the core of job hunting. However, the foundation that made all this possible was to earn good grades, take on relevant projects, and try to excel while in school. As an advanced entry student, I was at the Institute for just one year, but the experience fast-forwarded my life into work and society.
The highlights of my time at the Middlebury Institute included a great group of supportive and kind friends, and knowledgeable teachers who laid a solid foundation for my future career. The technical classes from Max Troyer, the management and soft skills I acquired from Eva Klaudinyova, and the front line of tech evolution from Adam Wooten all served me well in my everyday work. I’m also grateful to the Monterey Municipal Beach, and the cute otters and chubby, stinky sea lions who took hours of my staring, contemplation, and welling emotions with no words.
I would also recommend these special programs to future TLM students:
1. Translation for Elders is an organization with a sound and complete language service provider structure running. They offer a wide range of positions you can take on that will give you a good taste of what it is like in the localization industry. I also appreciate the effort they put into accessibility and expanding our service to those in need.
2. The localization practicum is a great opportunity to learn. There are so many things in this world that can benefit from being localized, and this program will be a good chance to start working on the ones that you are interested in. Make a project, recruit your team, and get the job done!
My best advice for current students is simple: Be kind. Be genuine. Do only one big thing in life at a time, and get it done.
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