Melbourne meets Strasbourg, a visit from Myriam, a TCLoc alumni from 2018. Learn about her in this exclusive interview !
Hello Myriam, could you introduce yourself?
“Hi, my name is Myriam! I was a student of TCLoc in 2018 at this stage. I have a background in translation with a bachelor’s and a master’s in translation. My languages are Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. I enjoy everything about cultures and cross-cultural communication, which is why I enjoy working in this field. I live in Melbourne, Australia, which is known as a multicultural city.
Melbourne residents are from different backgrounds, so we see a need for linguistic assistance for different day to day situations such as government procedures, courts, clinics etc. The Australian government is very inclusive and makes sure all the communities have access to information in their language. I enjoy my current role where I manage a team of project coordinators, typesetters and linguists in addition to managing large scale digital projects to provide accessible multilingual information.”
What aspects do you love about cultures?
“It is very enriching to learn from different cultures, especially if you speak the language because it tells you a lot more about the culture, their humor, how they think, their cuisine. Many details about their culture are actually highlighted in their language. This is why I feel lucky being in Melbourne, a multicultural city, where you always have cultural events and film festivals in different languages.”
Why did you choose the TCLoc master?
“I chose it because I needed a refresher after two concentrated degrees in translation. In addition to being a refresher, it was also an introduction to new technologies in the field, where I learned more about the technical side of localization and digital aspects of language representation on websites, videos and mobile applications. It was definitely a personal goal for me because it was quite a while since my last studies, and I wanted a new challenge.”
Were there other programs that got your attention?
“I was looking at the University of Washington, they have this 6-month certificate and I compared the value of a 6 months course versus a year for a master. I felt the value is better in doing the TCLoc program. The university is in France, a country dear to my heart, and the course selection was exactly what I needed. What was enjoyable in the course was meeting both colleagues and instructors from the industry which represented an amazing exchange and learning experience.”
How did you handle working and studying at the same time?
“So studying and working obviously is not easy as everyone would know. It definitely needs a lot of discipline; which I think I have. With discipline and a focus on the final goal, I was able to give the course the dedication it needed. My husband was very understanding and supportive, and pushed me to always dedicate the time needed to ensure I am on top of the assignments.”
Do you think that the fact that it was self-based helped?
“I enjoyed self-paced and online studies because I was in control of my time and saved a lot on commute and fixed-time courses. The flexibility we had, especially being in a different time zone, was key for me to be able to complete the course. The instructors were accommodating and organized live sessions at a suitable time to be able to join and interact with colleagues. We had other means of collaboration through forums and WhatsApp group that was good to stay engaged and connect.”
What did you like the most about TCLoc?
“I think what I liked the most is that it ticked a lot of the boxes that I needed at that stage in my life: Personal challenge, refresher, learning about new industry trends, connecting with like-minded people, and increasing my confidence in having technical conversations with clients about digital projects. I was able to advise on large projects for local government, multicultural initiatives, and digital projects, and I was promoted to be in charge of a team. The TCLoc helped me scale how I think and consult on multilingual projects and equipped me with a lot of knowledge that I can keep building upon.”
Were there some subjects that were harder than others for you?
“I think the ones that are a bit more technical like the localization one, but it is also why I enrolled in the course, to learn new skills and challenge myself. If you are not learning something new, then why do it anyway? If a course or anything you do to upskill doesn’t trigger you to think differently, if it doesn’t trigger you to do things differently then you are not learning anything new. I learned new ways to manage multilingual projects and give advice to clients on the best approaches to work on their projects in a tailored way.”
Do you have any advice for any students that would like to enroll or are thinking about it?
“I think if they are thinking about it, there is something that triggered it. So I would advise them to keep thinking about that as a motivation. There will never be a right time to do anything in this busy world. I think the program offers flexibility to be done in a year and a half, I chose to finish the program in a year because that was my personal goal.
I would advise anyone thinking of studying to look at their personal goals and assess them in addition to keeping in their mind that this is only temporary. Reminding myself of my goal pushed my resilience levels and now I can look back and think of all the interactions I had and things I learned and it was all worth it. I hope anyone wishing to study any discipline to be able to find the satisfaction they are looking for.”
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