On 3 March 2021, a team of NWTN members hosted a panel to students of the MA Translation and Interpreting Studies programme at the University of Manchester. Each member discussed their own career paths and translation areas, how they came to join the NWTN, and provided some tips and tricks for students wanting to get started in the translation industry. My name is Maddy O’Hara, and I was one of those students in attendance, and I am pleased to say that I am now an official student member of the NWTN.
One of my particular areas of interest is interpreting, so it was great to have the opportunity to hear from real-life interpreters on the panel – as a student, I often spend so much time reading about the practice of interpreting that I forget there are actual people doing it!
It was really inspiring to hear from professionals with years and years of experience, some of whom knew from the start that this was what they wanted to do, and some of whom who were not so sure where they would end up (like myself).
As someone on the cusp of the industry, I find that it can sometimes feel quite disjointed from the outside looking in, so I was really pleased to have the chance to meet (albeit virtually) fellow linguists – and perhaps one day fellow colleagues – who are freelancers but who all know each other and come together regularly. Whether it is at networking events, in a professional context, or just at the NWTN’s Working Lunch, I could tell that I will be welcomed into the NWTN and that it will be a network which allows me to grow professionally and be constantly supported by my peers.
Hopefully I will be able to meet some of you all in person one day, but for now, see you soon on Zoom!
Maddy O’Hara
