It is our absolute pleasure for you to meet our first executive assistant intern, Sebiha. What sort of internship is that? Better let Sebiha tell you – but first, a bit about her and how she got here.

What attracted you to the English language?

I’ve always been interested in English from an early age. I love foreign languages in general. My grandfather always told me when I was a child: “One language, one person. Two languages, two people”. This means that if you know one language, you’re one person; but if you know two languages, you’re two people. When you learn more than one language, you also learn other cultures. And that makes you another person. So I grew up with the ambition of learning as many languages as possible. I consider English to be a universal key to communication, and speaking it fluently is one of my biggest goals. I’m still a long way from achieving my goal, but I’m working on it!

 

What made you decide to enrol in your course in Executive Assistance?

At first, I decided to study medicine, but I soon realized that this field was not for me. I’m someone who loves to travel and discover new places. I couldn’t see myself spending all my days in a white building or a small practice – I have to move! I’ve always wanted to work independently. I couldn’t choose a course of study that restricted me to a single field. So I found this course, which brings together all the basic knowledge needed for a business and foreign languages. The advantage of this course is the versatility of the tasks and the wide choice of fields. It also gives us the chance to do an internship abroad to improve our skills in another language. 

 

You’re completing a mandatory overseas internship placement as part of your course of studies. Why did you choose to come to Berlin?

Right from the start I knew I wanted to go to Germany, that’s for sure! However, I started my research in Frankfurt because – I’m not going to lie – I was dreading the trip abroad. I told myself I shouldn’t stray too far from France, you never know. But that didn’t last long, because I’m also a risk-taker, and I had to take this opportunity to get out of my comfort zone. I’d always wanted to visit Berlin, and everyone around me was talking about it! My teachers encouraged me in my choice, because even though I didn’t speak a word of German, Berlin is a multicultural city, and English is widely spoken here. So this was my chance to live there for 3 months and make my own mind up about the city and, who knows, maybe consider moving there later… 

 

What are you hoping to get out of your 8-week internship?

First of all, I’d like this course to improve my English. I’m a shy person, and even if I don’t have a big problem understanding, the problem comes when I’m speaking: I don’t really dare speak for fear of saying something stupid! But I quickly became part of the Red Tape Translation team and I can’t thank Kathleen enough for that. Because she was so kind from the start, it made me feel at ease and able to speak in English without being afraid to speak up. 

It also taught me that nothing is impossible. It’s perfectly possible to settle in Berlin even if you don’t speak a word of German, as I did. 

 

What’s your favourite quote in your native language? Explain it to us and tell us why you like it.

“Le plus grand échec est de ne pas avoir le courage d’oser”. – L’Abbé Pierre.

“The greatest failure is not having the courage to dare”. – Abbé Pierre.

Explanation: think of all the things you could have done if only you’d had the courage to dare and tell yourself that today is the last day you’ll let your fear of failure, or anything else, stop you from daring to do whatever you need to do to live your dreams, to reach and exceed your goals.

Don’t follow the crowd. Just because the majority says it’s impossible, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You’ll never know if you don’t dare to try.

I’m always afraid of having regrets later on when I say to myself that I should have dared to do this or that. This quote motivates me to dare to do all the things that could turn into regrets later on.

 

What kind of tasks do you enjoy the most? Why?

I enjoy translating because I’m directly involved with foreign languages. It allows me to learn new words when I have to search for their translation in English or French. But I think my trips around Berlin are the best for me! It allows me to move around and discover the city at the same time.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Five years from now… I ask myself that question every day, every hour! And I’m not going to lie to you, it’s extremely tiring.

I’m an indecisive person and I’m afraid of regretting my choices. All I know is that I can see myself running my own business (which I have no idea about, because I’ve got lots of ideas in my head!), in a field that will allow me to move around, speak several languages and travel.

 

Name an interesting fact about yourself that you’d like to share with our readers?

It may seem strange for a girl my age, but I know how to knit. I knit hats, scarves, blankets, cardigans… for my nephews. You could say I have the soul of an old lady 🙂

 

Are you interested in an internship with Red Tape Translation?

Just send us an email at info@redtapetranslation.com and check out some of our past interns:

Marketing/Social Media:

 

Translation/Interpreting:

Destiny – “A day with Destiny…”

Sophie – “My talents are languages and sports – everything else ends in chaos…”

Hannah – “From the excavator cabin to the office…”

Malte – “Who says that playing computer games is a sign of a misspent youth?”

Yadhu – “Love attracted me to the German language…”