For students like Gabriela Rivero, the Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management (TILM) Career Fair was a combination of connection and inspiration.
“It feels amazing to have the opportunity to talk to people who have the jobs we want and to see the possibilities,” said Rivero, a conference interpretation student who will graduate in May 2026.
One person she connected with was Erin Teske, senior manager of medical interpretation and translation services for Stanford Health Care. Teske is an alum who graduated from the translation and interpretation program in 2017.
“We prioritize this career fair,” said Teske, whose team provides translation and interpretation for patients, from those experiencing trauma situations to even those needing language assistance during awake brain surgeries. “Roughly one-third of my team is Middlebury Institute alumni.”
Each summer, Stanford Health Care typically selects multiple interns from the Institute – four this year. Students apply before the career fair, meet with the Stanford Health Care booth members on Friday, and interview formally the following Monday.
“Students often go from interns to staff members,” said Teske, who took that exact path herself and found it opened her eyes to opportunities beyond conference interpreting.
Alumni and employers share why they look to the Middlebury Institute when looking for talent.
Rivero agreed. “In conference interpretation, I had one vision. But [Teske] did this path and she knows how it felt. I’m realizing I can actually do this job.”
The TILM Career Fair welcomed a wide array of translation, interpretation, and localization employers with varied specialties like medicine, technology, patents, and gaming. Firms included TransPerfect, TOPPAN Digital Language, Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health, the Defense Language Institute, IDEM Translations, Monterey Language Services, Honda, LAI Technical Translation, Daikin, Association of Language Companies, and the U.S. State Department.
Alum Celine Colvin MACI ’07 started her week with President Macron’s visit to the White House and closed it out at the career fair in Monterey.
Representatives from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) traveled all the way from Geneva, Switzerland, to meet Middlebury Institute students, the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have a number of staff and freelancers who graduated from Middlebury Institute,” said Tracey Hay, head of English translation at WIPO. “We have found [the translation and interpretation program] to be a good program to teach the skills we need.”
Several of the employers attended classes before the Friday fair, lending their expertise to classroom discussions and sharing their own career journeys. Representatives from the State Department attended an interpretation course and WIPO staff dropped in on a German translation class to share their knowledge on patent translation.
“This is not just a career fair,” said Winnie Heh, career advisor for translation, interpretation, and localization programs. “We are linking students to specific openings. It’s a very rich experience.”
My main focus is to find good talent with the right combination of a real perspective of language and culture and someone looking for growth. We have had great luck with students from the Institute.
Leading up to the fair, Heh also coached students on the importance of eye contact and a firm handshake in Western business culture.
“Different countries have different business norms and for some students, this is the first time dealing with employers face-to-face,” Heh said.
Many employers commented that they were impressed with the students they met.
“I see the interest and professionalism of these students. They come prepared and they know about the firms,” said Martha Geller, senior vice president at TransPerfect, where her team includes several Institute alumni. “It’s so refreshing.”
Geller, a graduate of the Institute’s conference interpretation program in 1982, gave a presentation about TransPerfect’s company culture and current openings the day before the TILM Fair.
“My main focus is to find good talent with the right combination of a real perspective of language and culture and someone looking for growth. We have had great luck with students from the Institute,” Geller said. “This fair is so relevant to what we do.”
Master of Arts in Translation; Translation and Interpretation; Conference Interpretation
| by Jem Walker and TI ’21
Alum Jem Walker shares how his experience in interpretation and technology led to a management role at FIFA, where he coordinates interpretation services for global football events.
| by Sierra Abukins
As an interpreter at the Olympics, alum and professor Stephanie Cooper got a front seat to the biggest moment in many athletes’ lives, allowing them to express themselves in their mother tongues.
| by Lyu Jiayi MACI ’21
Conference Interpretation graduate Lyu Jiayi shares how her training, mentors, and the MIIS alumni network helped her launch her translation and interpretation company.
