Translation Internships as Catalysts for Career Planning: A Qualitative Study with Translation Students

Authors : Sinem Canım, Büşra Çelik

Pages : 310-330

Doi:10.47777/cankujhss.1842103

View : 452 | Download : 2099

Publication Date : 2025-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Practice is a fundamental component of translation education, supporting the professional development of students who aspire to pursue a career in translation. Within this context, internships represent a form of professional practice that exposes students to real-life translation tasks and industry dynamics. This empirical study investigated the impact of translation internships on the career plans of translation students. The research was conducted with fifteen students from the Department of English Translation and Interpreting at Istanbul University who had completed an internship. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed descriptively. The findings indicated that students’ self-images play a decisive role in shaping career goals and the strategies devised to achieve them. Consistent with image theory, a hierarchical relationship was observed among participants’ images: when new information reshaped their value-image, it was reflected in subsequent goals and actions. Drawing on Kiraly’s social constructivist approach, the study conceptualized internships as socially situated learning environments, in which knowledge is co-constructed through authentic participation in professional settings. The results suggested that internships serve as pivotal authentic experiences in defining students’ career trajectories. Taken together, the study contributes to the ongoing debate on the pedagogical value of professional practice in translation education.
Keywords : Career trajectory, decision making, image theory, internship, social constructivist approach, translation and interpreting, translation education

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