Switching from TEFL to Language Technology: This week meet TCLoc Student Claudio
Who better to talk about a programme, its courses and the opportunities it offers than current and former students? That’s why we bring you inspiring testimonials from TCLoc students of all ages and from various countries in this series of articles.
Let’s find out about Claudio’s background
Claudio comes from Sardinia, Italy. He used to work as an English teacher but wanted a career change to work in a field related to technology.
Hi Claudio! Can you please introduce yourself and tell us more about your decision to apply to TCLoc?
— I believed localization could allow me to combine my passions and experiences. That’s one of the reasons why I chose the TCLoc Master’s programme.
“ Hi! My name is Claudio and I come from Sardinia, Italy. I used to work as an English teacher but I wanted a career change to work in a field related to technology. I’ve always been interested in cultures and languages, so I lived in and traveled to as many countries as I could. I spent more than a decade living in the UK but have also lived in Spain, China and Italy. I have traveled to most of Asia and Europe as well as Australia and the USA. I believed localization could allow me to combine my passions and experiences. That’s one of the reasons why I chose the TCLoc Master’s programme.”
Let’s have a look at his experience as a TCLoc student
What a globetrotter! You mentioned that you used to be an English teacher, right? How did you feel being a student again? How did you reconcile university work with your social and professional life?
— The programme facilitates a balance between duties and pleasure.
“Right! Well, I knew that studying for a master’s would be time consuming so it didn’t come as a shock when I had to renounce some outings or some social events because of it. The good part is that the programme is organized in such a way as to facilitate a balance between duties and pleasure. Of course, one has to make sacrifices but learning takes time. If you sign up only to get a piece of paper, then you’ll be disappointed to realize that you can’t just cruise through the programme without putting in any effort.”
Definitely! As the poet Emerson once said: “Enthusiasm is the mother of effort”. By the way, how did you feel about meeting and working with teachers and students from all over the world during this program?
— I’ve always lived in multicultural environments so I really liked this aspect of TCLoc!
“We have a private WhatsApp group and it’s nice and helpful to exchange ideas or info, and keep in touch even if we’re all over the world. Communication with both staff and tutors may take a bit of time as they have many things to deal with, but they are always very friendly, it’s a real pleasure to work with them!”
And last, but not least, what does he take away from this experience?
That is a real bonus! Now, can you give us an overview of what the TCLoc programme brought you? What about this career change you mentioned before?
“I have only just graduated so the master’s hasn’t really changed my professional career yet. But still, it was a nice experience and I feel I have learned a good deal. One thing I can tell you I really appreciate in this programme is how all subjects are connected to each other.”
A good thing to know! Perhaps you can give us some examples?
— Depending on one’s objective, it’s possible to combine the learning from all the courses and put them into practice.
“For example, we learned about web languages and how to create a website. Then we learned about content strategy and how to write for a website. Related to content we also had courses in SEO and in plain language, to optimize that content. If needed, we could also learn the basics of graphic design to create or modify visual elements. So basically, depending on one’s objective, it’s possible to combine the learning from all the courses and put them into practice.”
And now that you have completed the programme, have your plans changed? What do you plan to do?
— I enjoyed participating in a game localization project and the mobile app localization course.
“At the moment I’m doing some freelance work while I actively look for a more stable position. As I really enjoyed participating in a game localization project and the mobile app localization course, I’d love a position in this field. Even if a bit unrelated, I also really liked web development and I wouldn’t mind working in that field too.”
Final word
Thank you Claudio for sharing your experience and feelings. As a last word, do you have any advice for future TCloc students? Any software or tools that have helped you, or any tips to get back into the habit of learning?
— Always try to do as best as you can.
“What I can suggest is to focus on learning, always try to do as best as you can and try to do a bit more than what you have planned. Also, I’ve never been a big fan of learning by heart and in this programme it’s definitely not something that will help you go forward.”
Interview provided by Céline Sellier
