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Curious about which paths you can pursue after receiving your M.A in Translation? We recently talked with Kent State alumna Amanda Coyle about being a project coordinator and how her experience at Kent State helped prepare her for life after graduation.

1. What is your current career in the language industry?

I work as a project coordinator for TransPerfect.

Note from Kent State:TransPerfect helps organizations connect with their audiences, removing any possible language barriers. When working as a project coordinator for a language services provider, typical responsibilities include managing the entire lifecycle of each project, providing assistance where needed, ensuring quality of the translation work, and handling approval or deliveries of projects.

2. Describe your experience with Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s online master’s in translation program.

I was so nervous coming into this program. I remember my first week feeling like everyone else was so much smarter than me and that they seemed to just know so much more than I did about every topic we were learning. While that was intimidating at first, it was so beneficial to my learning to be surrounded by so many intelligent classmates and professors.

I came into this program with my own preconceived idea of what translation was and how this program would go, and every class pushed me to expand my knowledge and think beyond what was directly in front of me. I’ve come out of this program with some of my closest friends, professors that I can still reach out to if I need anything, and a skill set that I’ve been able to take with me into my professional life.

3. How do you feel the program has prepared you for your career?

I’ve found that most people who work in the language industry are not linguists. Not to say that they don’t know what they’re doing, but having this background sets you up for the field better than any onboarding training you may receive.

You also have skills beyond anything the job training will ever set you up for. Having intercultural communication skills, research skills, and language technology skills puts you in a better position to be successful in this field.

4. What advice do you have for new students?

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors. It’s an online course, so you never really get to see your professors, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have access to them. If I was ever confused, unsure, or just needed any extra help, I could reach out to any of my professors and they were more than happy to help me in any way that they could.

Start Your Translation Journey with Kent State

Kent State’s M.A in Translation program prepares students for careers in translation, language project management, international business, and government. If you’re ready to seek a degree in translation, be sure to request more information or apply today!