Gábor Juhász: new insights into translation practice
My time at Europeana was one that I will never forget. It was not only a remote translation internship, but a glimpse into what my professional life might possibly look like - and that, for me, was an invaluable experience.
Next to my work translating editorial into Hungarian, during my internship I also evaluated and validated multilingual search results to support SEO. Through this work,, I realized that I was not just a translator at Europeana, but a Hungarian language expert. My skillset being so valuable allowed me to take on different tasks other than only translation, and it was an experience I am quite sure I could not get anywhere else. Despite being only a graduate student, I was treated with respect and dignity in this great amalgamation of various languages and cultures.
I also learnt that the best way for me, personally, to translate is to do blocks of four to five hours at a time, when I can truly immerse myself in the work and achieve deep focus. This was made possible by the flexible working hours provided, another benefit of this type of internship. Furthermore, I finalised my translation workflow: just write! You can always perfect text later. I also learned that if a segment proves to be too complicated, I could always skip it and come back to it later after the rest of the text is done. The same goes for editing my work: I will need the text to ‘rest’, so that when I come back to it I can take a look at it with a fresh mind.
My overall experience was extremely positive, and I am very grateful to have been able to work at Europeana, even if it was for a short period of time.
Katerina Bizirtsaki: enhancing editorial for Greek audiences
My internship was centered on translating Europeana's English articles into Greek. The themes of the texts widely varied, from architectural wonders and botanical research to literature and food myths. What made the experience even more special was the freedom to select my translation projects according to what I thought would be relevant and interesting to the Greek audience.
The primary challenge I faced was preserving the writer's original tone while ensuring the translation would feel natural and captivating to a Greek reader. Throughout this month-long internship, I not only gained valuable experience translating different themes but also explored the richness of the European cultural heritage and learned many interesting facts that I probably wouldn’t have encountered otherwise.
One of the most rewarding parts of this internship was experiencing firsthand Europeana's multilingual and multicultural work culture. Working from Greece, I felt completely connected to a team spread all over the globe and found out how harmoniously a remote system can run. Everyone was so kind and welcoming that I immediately felt comfortable exploring, asking questions, and being creative with my translations. I am especially grateful to the Audience Engagement team, who truly made us interns feel like a part of Europeana for however short that time was. By inviting us to their weekly meetings and always explaining how things worked, I felt like I was able to delve deeper into the complexity of Europeana's vision, far beyond my specific task of translation.
It was truly an honour to offer my services as a translator to make more of the collections made available through Europeana.eu accessible to a Greek audience and to experience such a supportive work environment. This internship has not only enhanced my translation skills but also taught me how to function in a remote and multilingual workplace.
Jessica Kuster: refining translation skills
During my internship at Europeana, I had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of translation tasks (from English to German) and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of it. What made this experience especially rewarding was the sheer diversity of the texts I worked on. The topics ranged from historical events and cultural heritage to more contemporary themes. This variety not only kept my work fresh and engaging but also significantly expanded my historical, cultural, and general knowledge.
One of the main professional benefits of the internship was the chance to refine my translation skills. Beyond simply transferring text from one language to another, I learned to adapt content for specific audiences, making sure the tone and style matched the needs of the readers. I also had the chance to improve my proofreading abilities, which required a keen eye for detail and a focus on linguistic accuracy and consistency.
Another exciting aspect of my work was using the content platform Contentful. Before this internship, I had never worked with this tool, but I enjoyed figuring out how it worked, and I quickly saw the advantages it offered. One major benefit was being able to see my translations directly on the website once they were published. This gave me a strong sense of accomplishment and made the process even more satisfying.
A highlight of my time at Europeana was working with such an international team. Even though the internship was fully remote, I always felt part of the group. My colleagues came from various cultural and professional backgrounds, and this exchange of knowledge and perspectives added an extra layer of depth to the experience. I was also very grateful for the support I received from my supervisors.
Mario Pueblas Madueño: the nuances of translation
My main task during this internship was to translate articles from English into Spanish. While I have experimented with different types of translation during my career, the translation of art and culture was one that I was unfamiliar with. I am grateful for the opportunity to hone my translation skills and to get a glimpse of what a corporate job can be like.
The main challenge for me was adapting to all the different topics each article discussed. I translated articles about all sorts of things: history, fashion, football, literature - the list goes on. Due to this variety, I often needed to investigate a topic further before starting the translation because of my lack of prior knowledge or in order to ‘get in the zone’ after translating something completely different in theme and tone.
I also tried to keep each author’s style present in my translations, and some articles were much more difficult in that regard because of the way they were originally written. The longest translation I completed during the internship, ‘A queer tour,’ was especially challenging. It is full of metaphors, historical references, and expressions that don’t translate well into Spanish directly, so I needed more time than usual to translate and to let the text ‘marinate’ in order to ensure that the Spanish version was a pleasant read.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most outside of translation was the multicultural work environment and how willing to help people were. Everyone comes from different professional and personal backgrounds, and I believe that added to the dynamic nature of the whole team. The weekly team meetings allowed me to see how I was contributing to Europeana’s goals and helped me feel a valuable part of the foundation. I would especially like to thank Adrian Murphy, my supervisor.
Find out more
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