Life as a Second Year Student at MIIS
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a second year student in the Korean T&I program? Here’s an interview with a second year student majoring in Translation!
What motivated you to come to MIIS?
I thought it’d be the perfect place to gain mastery over Korean and to work towards a language-focused-career.
What surprised you most about the program, after you started it?
The rigor and intensity of the program.
What were your biggest challenges during your first year?
Native or near native language fluency in both language pairs is a prerequisite to translate and interpret well at the advanced level. I was constantly challenged by the need to enhance my Korean fluency. It also took quite some time to get accustomed to speaking in public and receiving critiques.
What would you say are the biggest differences between first and second year so far?
Each year has its own share of excitement and challenges. In the first year, there’s a sense of excitement that comes with being a student again, learning new things, meeting new people, exploring the city—and the list goes on. But it also takes quite a bit of time and energy to get accustomed to everything—from finding housing to managing time, stress, and relationships.
In the second year, students choose their majors and delve deeper into their tracks of study—whether it’d be T, T&I, CI, TLM, or some combination of them. So everything from classroom dynamics and daily schedules to career-track change. There’s also a sense of excitement that comes with gaining more practical experiences, not to mention that of stepping ever closer to our dreams. But we continue to face challenges—some new, some not-so-new—like job searching and good old time management.
What is your favorite part about the T program?
I love that students are given more liberty in exploring new approaches and styles when translating in the second year. We can also gain experience and exposure in translating more kinds of texts. Workshops enable students to take more initiative—be it choosing a literature excerpt to translate or leading classroom discussion on a subject of choice.
What kind of advice would you give to someone who is thinking about applying to MIIS for the T&I program?
Apply! But also be sure to do your research. Ask your questions away. Get in a habit of reading a lot and becoming knowledgeable about all sorts of things.
What advice would you give to first-year T&I students?
Study tirelessly while finding time to treat yourself and refuel. Be purpose-driven.
Lastly, what is your favorite thing about Monterey? Give us a short description of what it feels like to live here.
Beauty. We are surrounded by some of the most beautiful coasts and national parks in the world. I sure will miss taking walks along the scenic coast where I can see marine animals playing (or chilling) in glistening waters or the ever-shining moon and stars in the skies above, depending on the time of day.
