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Voices From Old Students :
Joe Goldstone, German and Business, graduated 2003, now working in New York.
I work as Product Manager for Schick Technologies ...
"Having spent my third year working for Bayer AG, in Leverkusen, I left Aber with every intention of taking some time off then heading back to Germany to work. A change in personal circumstances saw me stay in the UK and stumble into the dental industry, working for a manufacturer of dental drill pieces in Gloucester. During my time there, I spent a great deal of time travelling to and working in the US - which meant long hours, but also the opportunity to meet my future wife in New York. I moved to New York in December 2005, and after 8 months of stress over work permit and green card and miserable temp jobs, I returned to the dental industry to work as Product Manager for Schick Technologies, a manufacturer of digital sensors for intraoral x-rays. My job involves ensuring that product produced by the company will fit into the dental surgery and meet the needs of dentists, as well as ensuring the company's sales team is properly trained. Schick is an off-shoot of Sirona, a large German dental company based just north of Heidelberg, which has provided me with opportunities to keep my German fresh (and somehow free of any American accent, which is more than I can say for my English) - while occasional visits to Germany and Manhattan's ecclectic range of German bars has kept me in touch with some level of the culture (and beer, Haxe and Schnitzel)." Wed, February 13, 2008
Belinda Cassidy, German, graduated 2000, now working in Paris.
I work in the translation department of a French pharmaceutical company....
I did a Single Honours German degree, and on impulse went to Paris afterwards with the intention of spending a year with friends. Four years later I'm still here, using my German and the French that I have since learnt as well as the Spanish that I started to study in the last year. I work in the translation department of a French pharmaceutical company where we receive requests for translations from within the company that are sent to translators and proofreaders.
My role has changed over the three years that I have worked here: I was initially hired as a bilingual assistant to administer the comings and goings of documents between ourselves, the translators and the proofreaders and to add the corrections made by the proofreaders as well as ensure that the documents were neatly presented. Then I was made trilingual assistant as my French improved. After a while the administrative aspect of my job became boring, so I decided to take on some of the documents myself, to either translate or to proofread. As my confidence grew, I took on more and more projects. In the end more of my time was devoted to what was not in my job description! The boss was happy though, and has suggested that I become responsible for the quality of our finished documents, which are mostly in English. I either approve or refuse the corrections made by others, correct the documents myself or translate.
I also work on an English/German glossary and help my French colleagues if they have questions about English or German. Like most companies we have our own terms that we like to use that the external translators/proofreaders are not necessarily aware of. Part of my role is to homogenise the style of the documents that we send out using our own glossaries or terms that are officially recognised. As during my studies, I have to think carefully about the implications of using a specific term, take into account the context of the document, who it is aimed at (doctor or patient, for example), how changing the order of a phrase can change its meaning, as well as look out for potentially serious mistakes (such as the use of hypotension instead of hypertension ). Not understanding the language of the original document doesn't necessarily matter, which is useful since there can be over 140 different source languages that we treat.
I got the job via a recruitment agency that specialises in bilingual assistants. There are many of these in Paris , and the fortnightly free FUSAC magazine (for Anglophones in France ) is a good place to begin a job search. Finding my feet in a country where I didn't speak the language very well was aided by the confidence I had gained in my year abroad in Germany . And of course, not mastering a particular language does not mean that you still cannot communicate! Learning one language gives you confidence to learn others. I'm a supporter of language learning: the more, the better! The sense of freedom that it gives is addictive, and I like not having to remain confined to one particular country or set of countries. And it is not just about words and grammar, but the social and cultural aspect, too. The scope for personal enrichment is vast…
Glenda Ingham (German/Spanish) Graduated 1997
Now, I'm a teacher....
My name is Glenda Ingham and I studied German and Spanish at Aberystwyth from 1994 -1997. I chose Aberystwyth because of the friendly, approachable department and because of the location. I grew up in the busy city of Leeds and I appreciated living by the sea and being able to visit everyone on foot.
During my year abroad I went to Costa Rica and to Germany. I spent the academic year studying Spanish and Latin American Art History at the university in San Jose, and at weekends and in the holidays I went to the Caribbean or Pacific coast! In Germany I shadowed a social worker, and in my spare time I went to local wine festivals and visited Berlin, Heidelberg and many other places.
I was involved in voluntary work in primary schools and childrens' homes in Costa Rica. In Germany I worked in a residential home for adults with learning difficulties. I lived with native speakers . I chose this option because I always had the opportunity to speak Spanish or German at work and play!
The highlights of the year were touring Central and Southern America by coach and air with a group of like-minded students I met from London : Christmas shopping in Mexico - Mayan style; Christmas Day at Atitlan Lake in Guatemala (we were roasting not the turkey!) and New Year's Eve in Quito, Ecuador.....The best days of my life!!
The year abroad was beneficial in many ways. I experienced different cultures, climates and cuisine. I recommend that you take a "hands on" approach and try to work alongside some natives for work experience that is second to none.
Now, I'm a teacher of German, French and Spanish at Brigshaw High School near Leeds and I am the International Links and Exchanges Co - ordinator for the school.
I would recommend Aber to others because you will receive excellent lectures and tutoring and you will make excellent life-long friends.
Dr Jeremy Evas (French/Welsh) Graduated 1995
I'm now a research associate in the Department of Welsh....
Since leaving Aberystwyth in 1995, I've lived in Cardiff, close to many of my Aber co-students. I studied for a PhD in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University in Language Planning and Language Policy, which I completed in October 1999. I'm now a research associate in the Department of Welsh, where I'm working on a project to analyse bilingualism in the National Assembly for Wales. The French I learned at Aber helped me immensely with my PhD, a whole chapter of which analysed nation state formation, and the attitudes of the French government to its regional language communities. I also taught Breton to adults at Cardiff University, which I learned during my year abroad in Rennes and St Brieuc. Even in my present job, I use French frequently, to communicate with language planners in France and Brussels, and to research into the policies of bilingual parliaments in, for example, Canada. I am also in charge of ab initio provision in Welsh at the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University. |
