Summary
So far, we have considered some of the constraints on translators working in the real world. Some of these limitations arise from the hegemony of the English language and an increasingly diverse and competitive global marketplace. English to Spanish translators face increasing demands for an artificial variety of Spanish that must be acceptable in twenty different Latin American and Caribbean countries – and sometimes in Spain, too. In contrast, Spanish to English translators not only have to use the correct vocabulary, idioms or spelling for each English-speaking country or international organization but may be required to modify text organization, rhetorical style and even content to ensure that a client"s work is accepted for publication. As we have seen, even a feminist journal committed to exploring issues of inequality and power can confuse "poor English" with "poor thinking" or have misgivings about the quality of "local" traditions and debates.
One result of globalization is that translation agencies, faced with an ever-increasing demand for new subject areas and language pairs, have cut back drastically on permanent staff, who once received in-house training and other support, in favor of freelancer providers who can now access terminology and supply camera-ready (or Internet-ready) text and graphics from virtually anywhere in the world thanks to advances in information and communication technologies. These new developments make it possible to combine translating with other activities, but they also increase opportunities for exploitation and fraud. Professional associations have done little to enforce international agreements on translators" rights in areas such as copyright and royalties and even less to stamp out unfair competition in the form of social security and tax fraud. In Spain, and perhaps elsewhere, older women seem to be the main victims as usual.
Paradoxically, the rapid growth of translation studies since the 1990"s has also done little to enhance the status of the profession. The academic study of translation does not seem to have come up with reliable ways of measuring translation quality and the alternative pathways to accreditation in countries like Spain, the UK and the United States mean that many professionals have little interest in academic theories anyway. Commercial clients still rely on crude measures of quality control such as back translation, which are fine for detecting basic mistakes in "factual" writing, such as omissions or terminological inaccuracies – the sort of mistakes that, in theory, professionals should not be committing– but are a poor guide to assessing naturalness or reader response.
On the other hand, translation companies and agencies complain that professional training courses concentrate too much on software and not enough on basic writing skills. Part of the problem can be laid at the door of agencies themselves and their clients. Even when they really are adding value, agencies tend to protect their own patch by discouraging or controlling communication between translator and client and sometimes the translator may not even know who the end-customer is. This lack of communication has been intensified by a growing number of purchasing managers concerned only about costs and with no knowledge of languages. Price pressure has also led to an overuse of translation software, resulting in deskilling of translators and a brain drain from the profession.
The translation of psychometric tests is interesting because test development requires systematic comparisons between groups of SL and TL speakers show that a conceptually and linguistically accurate translation does not guarantee dynamic equivalence – i.e. the TL speakers do not necessarily respond to it in the way that SL speakers do to the original. On the other hand, if translation is to preserve the diversity and richness of other cultures, removing all traces of foreignness from the TL text in the name of dynamic equivalence may not be the best approach.
Conclusion
This chapter has painted a rather bleak portrait of an unregulated and – for many – a badly-paid and frustrating profession with more than its fair share of unscrupulous operators. And yet, for a minority of exceptional translators, salaries can be quite high both in the private sector and in international organizations.
One obvious conclusion is that if you are studying for a translation degree or certificate and intend to make a full-time career in translation, you need to specialize in at least one area that is likely to remain in high demand. According to the US Department of Labor, the high growth industries for the future in the US are: Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive, Biotechnology, Construction, Geospatial, Health Care, Hospitality, Information Technology and Retail (USDL, 2007). But whichever subjects you are interested in, you need to plan ahead. Market forecasts and lists of importers and exporters can usually be obtained from Chambers of Commerce and similar organizations.
Specializing means reading up on your chosen subject in both languages. Begin with serious magazine articles, consumer guides and "teach yourself" books to get a clear overview of your field before moving on to the more technical aspects. I know several translators from the Parrot School of Translation who claim to specialize in (say) finance and economics but do not know the difference between Macro and Microeconomics and would not recognize a balance sheet if it hit them in the face. They learn the terminology but are caged in by the SL, unable to obtain a bird"s eye view of the text. You will never become an exceptional translator unless you fully understand what you are translating.
One option worth considering here is distance learning. The UK"s Open University (OU)[9] provides certificates, diplomas and undergraduate and graduate degrees in the following areas:
Business and management
Education and teacher training
Environment
Health and social care/Health studies
Humanities: arts, languages, history
Information technology and computing
Law and criminology
Mathematics and statistics
Psychology, philosophy, politics, economics
Science
Social sciences
Technology, engineering and manufacturing
Continuing Professional Development
(Open University, 2007)
Within each area, there are many different courses and most OU qualifications are modular in structure – in other words, you can buy the courses you need one by one. The advantage of distance learning for translators is that written materials are self-contained and explicit (no library books to borrow; no skimpy lecture notes) and so can be used as linguistic data at a later date. Also, there is usually extensive written feedback on essays (usually totaling eight assignments per course). At undergraduate level, two courses (or modules) are the equivalent of one year of full-time study.
Another obvious conclusion is that you need to learn to write in your TL. Ideally, this will be your mother tongue but not always. I myself learned to write in Spanish by working for a local newspaper in Spain, eventually rising to post of editor. Distance learning courses are open to non-native speakers with advanced level English and you will find that writing assignments provides you with excellent training in writing "serious" professional prose. This is the rationale behind the American Translators Association"s new accreditation scheme, which equates college education with translating experience.
Conversely, if you already have a non-translation degree, then accreditation is a must. Which country"s accreditation scheme you choose will obviously depend on the market you are targeting, but ATA accreditation ceases with termination of ATA membership –which means that you have to keep paying even if you take a career break – while the (British) Institute of Linguists" Diploma in Translation has no membership requirements attached and never expires. Despite the rather gloomy picture that emerges from this chapter, not all agencies are out to fleece you and there are some excellent agencies that pay promptly and trust you not to steal their clients. But these agencies do not employ amateurs. Training programs for the Diploma in Translation (which began in 1989) are available locally in Spain and Argentina.
Finally, it should be clear that you will have to market your services effectively. So, once you have done your homework, you will need to prepare some very good sample translations from texts in the public domain [10]to send with your CV. If you can get your own clients, so much the better; but if you are a beginner, make sure that you also get yourself a good proofreader. You may earn less for the first couple of years but you will learn from their corrections and they will help you build your reputation. Very often, your proofreader will also act as a mentor, providing you with encouragement and advice.
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Author
Douglas Andrew Town
Senior Lecturer (Profesor Titular)
Universidad de Belgrano, Argentina
[1] Examples from the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey, 1988, 1992, 2000
[2] The report does not actually mention income tax but it is impossible to pay tax for freelance work in Spain without being registered as self-employed.
[3] Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition
[4] I suspect the agency had been let down by someone else because the deadline was tight and they agreed to payment in advance. Normally, an assignment like this is asking for trouble.
[5] Umberto Eco, best known for his novel "The Name of the Rose, apparently found it hilarious and suggested it should be used for creative purposes. (Giussani, 1998)
[6] http://www.aati.org.ar/html/derechos_de_autor.htm
[7] The impudence of some so-called agencies is amazing. Once I sent a read-only but printable ‘test’ to an agency that wrote back complaining that I had made them re-type it.
[8] For humor based on back translation, see Federico López Socasau’s books in Spain or Basil Thompson’s articles in the Buenos Aires Herald
[9] There are, of course, many other institutions that offer distance courses. The OU is mentioned here because it is perhaps the biggest.
[10] Never use clients’ unpublished documents without their permission: it is unethical and no reputable agency will trust you if you do.
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