Looking for Real World Language Practice?

Mondokio is an international news website based out of Columbus, Ohio and the Ohio State University. Mondokio addresses the problem that one cannot properly understand an international news story through one culturally-specific perspective. In response to this, the site has introduced an innovative way of presenting international news whereby the same stories are covered by multiple perspectives from all over the world. These news articles—the primary content for the site—are translated from the native language into English. At the moment, these translations are performed by bilingual and/or 3rd - 4th year language students at OSU. The students receive credit from OSU’s Office of International Studies and the Department of Communication. We would like to introduce this internship at Indiana University Bloomington.*

Details of Internship
Students would be assigned a particular country (or countries), which corresponds to their language competency. They would translate ONE article per day, 5 days a week. On average this takes 2-3 hours per day, 10-15 hours per week. This content is then emailed to the site administrators and uploaded on a daily basis. The students’ work, therefore, can take place from anywhere there is an internet connection. That being said, Eric Wittke, the IUB coordinator, would usually hold a meeting once a week to discuss various components to the site such as media analysis, cultural aspects of the countries covered, site growth, etc.** The internship would last the entirety of Fall 2010 Semester. This is an unpaid position. We take great pride in attempting to integrate our interns goals/interests with our own, and considering our size and flexibility, we are usually able to accommodate this. To apply, students should contact Mr. Wittke with proof of their ability to receive internship credit, as well as proof of proficiency in their foreign language.

Execution
Management of the internship would be divided between Brady Calestro, the founder of Mondokio, and Eric Wittke, a Senior at IUB. However, Mr. Calestro would take full responsibility to ensure the quality of the internship experience is comparable to the organization’s successes at OSU. The initial training and introduction of Mondokio would be performed by Mr. Calestro, and Mr. Wittke will then manage the program for the remainder of the Fall 2010 Semester. For the past 3 Quarters at OSU, Mondokio has been student-run in this manner and has not encountered any major difficulties.

We strive to make this internship an enriching experience for all, and look forward to having you on board!


*For legal reasons students must receive internship credit from Indiana University to be eligible for this opportunity.
**Time and location of meetings will be arranged according to students’ schedules.