SMLC Spotlight: Joseph Lewsey

What are you doing now?

After graduating, I completed an MA in Applied Translation Studies, then got a job as a patent translator for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva from September 2017, focussing predominantly on translating patent texts from German into English. Since March 2018 I have been working remotely for WIPO back in the UK, covering fields including automobiles, chemicals, warehouse logistics, AI, and many others.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

The language and translation skills developed in the language modules were naturally invaluable for my current line of work, but also honing my writing skills and analytical skills in the content modules, as in my profession I need to put much thought into how I phrase and structure each sentence in the legal texts. Finally, as my first job was based in Switzerland, the fact I had already lived abroad for a year and done volunteer placements abroad meant I was well-prepared for a career with an international focus.

My language degree gave me the global outlook I needed to work within the UN system, as you work with people from all around the world on a daily basis.