Expresso 17 | Shaping tomorrow

When interviewing for the corporate communications team, you learned that you were joining a global company with 90+ offices and a bilingual team. What was your perception when hearing this and did it change your idea of the role and a traditional team dynamic? What about the interview process and onboarding signaled EXP had an environment where you could learn and grow?

Martin: It was exciting to know that I was going to work with people spread across North America and gain a variety of perspectives. It did not really change my idea of the role since, in translation, we are used to working as part of teams where cultures unite. Eileen: Learning that the team was global, and bilingual allowed me to view the role as collaborative and multi-dimensional. Since my existing expectation was that I would be meeting my co-workers virtually, the idea of working with people in a different country didn’t seem as unfamiliar as it might have before working remotely. If anything, it was more exciting! Martin: It was the open mindedness that I felt from my interviewers, Emmanuelle and Marie-Hélène. Their authenticity allowed me to be myself, and we then discussed the team’s collaborative working style. I immediately felt that this team was synchronized, and I believe that’s a successful foundation for learning and growing. Eileen: During the interview process, Nadia shared that entrepreneurial spirit is engrained in EXP’s work. This made me realize that there would be ample opportunities to learn and grow from the talented professionals I would be working with. Martin: This is my first experience working in translation, and it’s beneficial to work with Marie-Helene who is a certified translator and have her review my work and explain areas of improvement. She has been with EXP for almost ten years, and I feel that I have and will continue to learn a lot about the profession and the company by working with her. Marie-Hélène: Translating is much more than putting words into another language and all translators know that what gets lost in translation can sometimes bring serious consequences, especially with technical, financial or legal documents. A little like engineering, translating is a process that involves considering and integrating several elements, and that leaves no room for ambiguity. Over my ten years at EXP, I had the opportunity to work with many experts from our different sectors and regions who

What role do you feel mentorship plays in your role as a translator?

walked me through what they do so that I could gain comprehensive and precise understanding of source texts and deliver accurate and quality translations. With Martin coming on board, I can now share that wealth of information, while also benefiting from the new fresh-out-of-university skills of a talented young translator. Mentorship is a two-way street on which we both learn, become better and look to the future.

Martin Angers Translator

SHAPING TOMORROW | 21