Internships will be carried out during the months of March, April, May or June, after having finished the onsite lectures of Modules 2 and 3. They must be carried out in the institution assigned by the Internships program coordinator of the postgraduate program based on the selection of an offer available on the online platform by the student him/herself. This module represents module number 4, as shown in the table below, which includes the academic structure of the MA.
Objectives for the Internship program:
The main objective of the external internships program is to allow students to get practical experience and apply theory learned in their academic training, preparing them for professional activities and increasing their employability. Through the internships, they will have contact with the workforce and apply theory acquired in the classroom to real-life situations.
Upon completion of the internships, students will have acquired the competence that will allow them to:
- Apply theory acquired and the capacity to resolve problems in new or little-known environments within a broader (or multidisciplinary) context related with the area of study.
- Integrate theory and be able to formulate judgments from information that may be incomplete or limited, including reflections on social and ethic responsibility linked to the application of theory and judgments.
- Know the specificity of public service interpreting and translation onsite.
- Apply specific skills and abilities acquired during class hours (interpretation and translation) in public and private institutions that work with foreign populations.
- See and learn how public institutions work, their work methods and techniques, how they complement the practice of public service interpreting and translation studies.
- Practice and utilize different types of interpreting and translation in institutions and be conscious of the existence of key elements in the training of professional interpreters and translators: ethic code, impartiality, objectivity, etc.
- Be aware of specific aspects related to the workforce.
Organization and development
The external internships of the MA will be held in public and private institutions that the university has signed (or can sign) an Educational Cooperation Agreement with. The duration of the internships is of 5 ECTS (1 ECTS credit is equal to 25 hours of work on behalf of the student), for what will be a total of 100-125 hours that the student will complete onsite at the center or remotely, receiving translation, interpretation, documentation, editing, revision, or glossary assignments and multilingual materials or other items specific to the company or center in question.
The student is responsible for choosing one of the offers published on the online platform.
At the beginning of onsite classes, students will be given a specific dossier with detailed instructions pertaining to the Master’s internship program. There will also be an informative meeting held during an advisor meeting in which the general proceedings of the program will be explained as well as other aspects related to the institutions and companies where students will have the opportunity to complete their internships.
Each student will be assigned an advisor that will be responsible for the correction and evaluation of their translations, and another advisor in the company or institution, responsible for guiding them regarding functions, assignments, giving feedback and evaluating their work as well as their attitude and disposition during the internship.
There will also be a University internship coordinator that will supervise the internship program, assuring that assignments and schedules are completed, supporting communication between students and advisors, resolving conflicts or misunderstandings, and claiming and compiling all documents that are generated throughout the internship process.
- Specific guidelines for students, companies and supervisors: the online platform of the program
- Consult the general ruling on external internships in postgraduate programs for the UAH
Please check more specific information on the official website: Servicio de Prácticas
Internships Centers
Currently, there are more than 90 agreements signed with companies and institutions, which include (but are not limited to): city halls, hospitals, ministries, NGOs, associations, private businesses, and foreign universities. See here a more complete list of signed agreements.
Students can complete their internships in any institution within Spain or outside its borders. There are short-stay student mobility agreements (1-2 weeks) signed with other European universities. All students that have already participated in mobility programs in previous courses highlighted the complementary nature of this kind of internship upon completing their stay at an institution other than UAH.
Evaluation
Each student will be assigned an internship advisor in their assigned institution or center. The advisor will evaluate and give a mark for the student’s activity within the institution.
In fact, students will be evaluated considering the following aspects: the mark given by the university advisor for the translations completed by the student; the mark given by the advisor in the business or institution, that should be accompanied by a report for each student; the evaluation the student receives for the completion of their internship report (a document that describes and evaluates assignments completed); an evaluation of aspects such as: their organization, response, attitude and responsibility, given by the internship coordinator.
- Mark from the UAH advisor (internship correction): 40%
- Mark from the Institution advisor: 40%
- Internship report: 15%
- Organization mark: 5%
Graduate Job-placement
Professional Profile of Graduates
The general professional profile that can be developed from the training acquired in the MA in Intercultural Communication, Public Service Interpreting and Translation is varied.
The Master’s program prepares its students for a variety of professional profiles:
- Translator and Interpreter specialized in the healthcare, judicial-legal, or administrative field.
- General translator and interpreter.
- Linguistic and intercultural mediator.
- Reader, writer, editor, and reviser in editorials or businesses/institutions of a different character.
- Lexicographer, terminologist, or Linguistic project manager.
- Translation and Interpretation professor.
- Linguistic consultant in various businesses and communication mediums.
- International relations manager or consultant.
- Interpreter for cultural or economic relations, or with the administration of various fields (legal, healthcare, education).
- Specialists in intercultural mediation, an activity that has a broad spectrum of professional opportunities.
- Specialized tour guides.
- Political or economic mediators or consultants.
- People that work in the cultural field as agents, editors, or organizers of expositions or concerts.
- Linguistic and cultural mediators in hospitals, schools, etc.
Evaluation of Job-placement
The procedure for evaluation of job-placement will be done internally through a specific questionnaire that is sent every year in the month of January to previous students.
98% of those surveyed affirmed that the training they received in the Master has been essential to carry out their current job.
47% of those surveyed found work directly or relatively related to the theme of the Master 1-3 years after finishing their studies.
Further information: