Overseas Interpreting (OI) welcomes a new intern from Italy, Paola Massa, who will be interning for two weeks in our Valencia office alongside our seasoned translators. As one of the global leading companies providing interpretation and translation services to the global deaf community, OI aims to maintain a global practice of inclusion in its workplaces and the services it offers.

Earlier this year, OI also welcomed Douglas Izuchukwu from West Africa, Nigeria, who will intern as a Social Media Strategist for three months in Valencia. This initiative showcases OI’s recognition of the talents of deaf people in the Global South.

In a welcoming remark for the new intern, Annika De Maeyer, the Managing Director of OI, stated, “I always look forward to welcoming new interns at OI. They enrich the diversity of our team and offer unique perspectives from the global deaf community.”

Emphasizing OI’s commitment to bringing in staff and interns from diverse parts of the world, Annika added, “I strongly believe that it’s OI’s duty to create opportunities for deaf talent, particularly since we strive to be one of the leading inclusive workplaces for sign language users.”

Razaq Fakir, Interpreter and Translator lead expressed optimism about OI’s position as the market leader in translation. In his words of expectation, he said: “I expect the new intern to be very adaptable. OI has been a market leader in translation as such the intern needs to be a fast learner and willing to take challenges to think outside the box and get out of their comfort zone.”

“We work with multiple languages, not only those they are comfortable with. Therefore, adaptability, flexibility, and a willingness to learn are crucial. Once they join us, they should leave everything they know outside the door, remaining open to learning new things and new strategies.

“OI teams are highly collaborative, and we also expect the intern to share their ideas and strategies to help us learn as well. They should be ready to challenge us too,” Razaq concluded.