I started my MA in Specialised Translation at University of Westminster in 2016 and completed the degree the next year.

Our department was dedicated to translation and interpreting, and the university offered different language combinations to follow. The groups were made up mostly based on these combinations, not the exact degree name. This means that most of the students in my group were in fact part of the Translation and Interpreting degree, but as we all followed the English into Polish and Polish into English path, this was how were allocated to respective groups.

Still, we had different classes we attended with students from other groups. This applied especially to the modules dedicated to how to act in a professional surrounding, all the things career-wise, etc. I genuinely enjoyed the very hands-on approach toward the education the staff were giving to us. They all were not just academics, but often mostly translators and/or interpreters who just worked in their professions and knew the reality of these jobs. They were aware that it’s impossible to teach us all we needed in terms of our linguistic skills, as it obviously requires life-long learning and working on your own. That’s also one of the truths they would often remind us about. It gave us some sense of ownership and self-agency, and proved to be impossible to overestimate when faced with the reality of the job market. At the same time, we had classes with tutors who made sure we could grasp as much variety in terms of prospective projects as possible.

So, it was a good, pretty balanced combination of all the tools we needed to enter the ‘real’ world. And I realise how tricky it is, especially looking back with so much experience I gained afterwards, to combine it all within a 1-year-long MA programme.

There are various campuses belonging to the uni, and we were part of one of the central ones, which is Regent. It was a modern place with this very London kind of chic and cosy. You could have a meal in the cafe (the food was great), enjoy your time in the library with loads of books from different areas, take your time in the leisure space, or read and study in silence in the designated rooms.

Personally, I really cherish the time I spent as part of the University of Westminster’s student community. It is because I was a student with disability, and I struggled a lot with depression at the time. There were particular agencies within the uni that were dedicated to people with different health difficulties. They asked about it prior to accepting the candidate. So, they were aware of my mental health illness.

But it wasn’t just talking for the sake of a good image of the uni. At some point I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave the room I rented, so I couldn’t attend any lectures or workshops. I called them just to make them aware of the situation. What struck me was that once I confessed how I was struggling, this lady on the other side of the phone asked me if I had everything I needed to survive those upcoming days. She meant food, my medications, anything to get by for some time, as I wasn’t leaving my room. She said that if I didn’t, they would help me to arrange any delivery, that they would help. I can’t say how much this unexpected act of generosity and kindness meant to me at that point, and it still does after all these years.

I left this university 7 years ago, but I still can’t really find words to describe how valuable this time spent there was for me. Not just in terms of advancing my professional pathway of a translator, which I still follow, but also by restoring my belief in human beings.