Abstract

This study investigates the industry-based internship experiences of 81 undergraduate English translation majors at a Vietnamese university. Employing a mixed-methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) based on a dataset of 81 internship reports, the research identifies the business sectors and roles they engaged with, the benefits they perceived, and the challenges they encountered. The findings reveal that 73% of the students completed their internships in fields directly related to language and translation, while 27% worked in interdisciplinary environments, reflecting a trend of career transition. Internship roles were categorized into translation-focused positions, administrative tasks, communication-related functions, educational support, and creative production. Students highlighted six significant benefits enhancing their professional competencies and employability, including: (1) Improvement of soft skills and personal development, (2) Understanding of industry workflows and professional environments, (3) Development of professional translation skills, (4) Application of academic knowledge to real-world contexts, (5) Exposure to specialized content and subject-matter areas, and (6) Enhanced career awareness and motivation. Simultaneously, they faced six substantial challenges arising from internal and external causes, including: (1) Time pressure and deadlines, (2) Struggles with adapting to practical workflows and workplace communication, (3) Complexity of assigned tasks, (4) Limited knowledge of technology and systems, (5) Inadequate training and job preparation, and (6) Unexpected changes or disruptions. It recommends stronger integration between universities and industry, enhanced preparation, and more structured mentorship. These findings contribute to the literature on experiential learning in higher education and provide evidence supporting student employability and competence development.