Meet Lena, Translation Trainee

My name is Lena, I recently moved to Finland and joined Metso's Document Control and Project Support Team in Minerals Plant Solutions Business Line. I am in the middle of my career, with over 18 years of experience in life sciences and technical translation, and I was craving for something fresh and new. That led me to apply for a summer job at a world-leading industrial company. I started as a trainee in April 2023 at the Espoo office. When I first received the offer, a part of me thought that I might be a bit too old to be a trainee. But Metso countered all my preconceptions and helped me become a more confident, open-minded and skilled team member in just a few months.

New perspective through constructive feedback

My main job has been translating various documents for the Minerals department, ranging from correspondence to electrical schemes, datasheets and technical specifications for different projects and technologies. My work requires constant research, and I am always learning new things, which is extremely rewarding.

While I had some previous translation experience in the areas of chemistry and physics, Metso opened a new and exciting world for me. In my view, it is impossible to translate information about a product or process accurately without a proper understanding of how it works. To have at least a basic level of comprehension, I needed to study Metso’s technologies, which was a significant challenge. Thankfully, with fantastic support from my colleagues in the translation team, as well as the corporate training environment LearningPoint and the live online training programs, I was able to digest a lot of necessary information and acquire relevant terminology in a surprisingly short time. Additionally, I was able to connect with Metso’s experts in different parts of the world and ask for their advice. It is great to have the opportunity to talk to specialists about the kind of topics that just aren’t written about in the literature. It was also a new experience for me to be able to ask colleagues who requested translation for clarifications and explanations – my questions never went unanswered.

Feedback is crucial in my job; it allows me to reflect on the topic and sometimes see it from a new perspective. Receiving constructive feedback from my colleagues is invaluable, and I feel enriched by their insights. Despite needing a lot of support from my line manager and teammates when it came to corporate procedures, terminology and tone, which I was unfamiliar with, I never felt like a burden on the team. Rather, I was made to feel like an asset, and in turn motivated to contribute as much as possible to the company.

One of the highlights of the traineeship was visiting Metso’s filtration technology center in Lappeenranta, along with the Dewatering Technology Center (DTC). I was extremely excited to take part in the team visit and explore the production site. Seeing some of the terms I had encountered on paper come to life was truly fascinating.

Making a difference by overcoming challenges

There are three things I have always valued in my work: autonomy, new challenges and being able to make a difference. All three aspects were fully realized during my time at Metso. I had the freedom to shape my own development, encountered great (but not impossible!) challenges and was able to bring new energy to the team by utilizing expertise from my previous experience. I genuinely enjoyed the work – and it should be mentioned that, in general, the workload allowed time for creativity and retrospective analysis.

Metso as a company is structured intelligently and puts emphasis on reasonableness, awareness and innovation. It is truly rewarding to know that the company I am working for genuinely cares about people, the planet and preserving resources for future generations. It sets a high bar for the industry.

At the Summer Trainee Day, President and CEO of Metso Pekka Vauramo said, “What’s good for the people is good for the business.” And that is the principle that the company works by. I can only hope that our work as summer trainees has done as much for Metso as Metso has done for us. This company will always have a special place in my heart and in my professional journey. My experience here has had a lasting impact on me in terms of personal growth, enhancing my CV and advancing my career.