| by Min Tan MATLM ’17
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 Min Tan and I graduated with an MA in Translation and Localization Management from the Middlebury Institute in 2017. My language of study was Chinese. I interned with and got my first job after MIIS with Welocalize in San Francisco, California, and I am now a localization growth consultant for Google in Shanghai, China.
I found both my internship and my initial job after graduation at the Translation, Interpretation, and Localization Management Career Fair. I met my manager at the career fair in my first year. She invited me and some other MIIS students to the Welocalize office at San Mateo (later moved to San Francisco) for the interview. I started at Welocalize as a project intern, and then after graduation became a full-time project coordinator.
After almost two years with Welocalize, in September 2018 I accepted a position as a language manager for Google in Beijing, China. Since August 2020 I have been a growth consultant, localization for Google in Shanghai, China.
After I graduated from MIIS, I realized how powerful the alumni network is. Especially in the localization industry, a big portion of people are MIIS alumni.
In addition to the career fair, I also benefited from conversations with my career advisors who helped me make a lot of tough career decisions. After I graduated from MIIS, I realized how powerful the alumni network is. Especially in the localization industry, a big portion of people are MIIS alumni. Your degree is something that can help you connect with your colleagues and is also a quality guarantee, so don’t be shy, tell people you graduated from MIIS!
My best advice for current students is “Don’t be afraid of asking for what you want.” I learned this from another TLM graduate. This is not easy and I am still learning to be brave and be clear about what I want. If you are looking for an internship opportunity, send a LinkedIn message to your localization connections asking if they have internship opportunities. If you want to turn an internship into a full-time job opportunity, ask your boss if there is an opening. The worst-case scenario is you get a “no,” but at least you know where you stand and what you should do next.
| by Amelia Evrigenis MATLM '20
I can’t think of an experience at the Institute that didn’t help me. The specialized knowledge and hands-on experience that students gain are invaluable, and I believe that this degree of attention is rare in the localization field. Your MIIS degree is really worth something. Trust it!
Passion goes a long way. Looking back at my job search journey, I always had a better interview experience when I genuinely admired and wanted to work for the company. It’s hard for me to fake that passion. You do not have to “fall in love” with every company but there are ways to spark genuine interest.
| by Alaina Brandt
Emily Cipriani MATLM ’22 has created a fun and engaging way to bring nuance and greater value to localization vendor management.
