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Intern experience sharing @ Sotheby
Cissy Li Yee Sheung (Year 4)
 
This summer, I had a fun time working at Sotheby’s Hong Kong as a PR intern. Working in an auction house was my childhood dream for two reasons: I loved reading tomb-raiding thrillers as a kid, and the industry seems mysterious as it is perceived to be serving exclusively the rich. Therefore, when I saw Sotheby’s was hiring an intern back in May this year, I seized the opportunity without hesitation.
 
 
After the internship began, I found that what I have learned in translation courses is extremely helpful for my job. As Sotheby’s is an international company headquartered in New York with clients all over the world, a lot of translation from E-C is needed when promotion campaigns targeting Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong customers are launched. In PR translation, the functionalist approach I have learned in school is widely adopted. We always need to bear in mind whether we are publishing a text on WeChat, local newspapers, or the official website.
 
The other perk of working in the luxury industry as a wordsmith is that they value the artistic aspect of the language. Flowery and polished language is essential for creating a classy image for an auction house. If you think commercial translation is too bland and legal translation too rigid, working for an auction house might give you more satisfaction!
 
Lastly, besides translating and producing texts, I also got chances to attend various activities like wine tasting event, autumn sales, online live auction and press preview during my time there. It is definitely an eye-opening experience.