In a nutshell, CO-OP allows you to take the concepts you learn in class and apply them in a real job setting, through three different internships over the course of your degree. Just as there is no one type of translation, neither is there just one type of internship or employer—did you know, for instance, that some regular partners for translation students include Canada Revenue Agency, Statistics Canada, Canadian Blood Services, and even the University of Ottawa? Each one of these organizations and institutions handles very different texts and subject matter. And don’t feel like you’re even limited to the national capital region: so long as an internship fulfils the requirements established by the CO-OP office, you could end up working anywhere in Canada, or even abroad! By the end of your degree, you will have accumulated roughly 12 months of experience, not to mention you will have built an important professional network and an impressive CV.

In order to be accepted into the CO-OP program, you must fulfil certain requirements that are explained here.

If you fit the profile, you have until the 30th of September to submit your application, and accepted candidates will be notified by mid-October. As soon as you are admitted into the program, your second year becomes something of a preparatory year: through a variety of mandatory workshops, you will learn to build your CV and write cover letters, how to succeed in interviews, how to network, and much more! These workshops will serve as tools to guide you through the process and prepare you for situations you might encounter in a work environment.

During your winter session, you will finally have the chance to apply your new-found professional knowledge. You’ll apply for various job postings through the CO-OP Navigator, you’ll interview with different employers, and, in the final step, you will be matched to a position. At the end of the semester, you will officially be an intern!

So there you have it—a very brief look at what your experience with CO-OP might resemble. The CO-OP web site contains personalized pages for each discipline, so if you’d like to know more, check out the page catering specifically to translation students here. You’ll find all kinds of details on admission requirements, the work/study sequences, examples of tasks at work, and more!