Mackenzie King ‘15 has been studying abroad on the Dickinson-in-Moscow program for the 2013-2014 academic year. This spring, Mackenzie is working as an intern at the Institute for Global Research and Social Movements (IGSO), where she put together a comprehensive summary of the book The USSR: Life After Death. While the original text was in Russian, her task was to write a summary of each chapter in English as part of a book proposal for the book’s translation into English.
“This task was much more challenging than I anticipated,” said Mackenzie. “I typically translate press releases from Russian to English for IGSO, which is fairly straightforward. However, reading an entire book in Russian and distilling the main ideas into English was a whole different type of task. Fortunately, the essays in the book were fascinating, so it was a pleasure to read. However, I was quite nervous that I would misunderstand a point made by one of the authors and misrepresent his ideas. I frequently consulted with my colleagues, to have them explain to me the more nuanced essays.”
With less than two months left of her nine-month stay in Moscow, Mackenzie writes: “Working for IGSO has been a fantastic experience so far, partly because I am forced to read materials in Russian, for which I would otherwise not make the time. My work for the organization is only a minuscule part of their operation, but I am proud to be involved with an alternative news source in Russia. Working with economists first hand has further clarified my post-graduate plans and I know the connections I have made here will remain relevant in the future.”
