Ever wondered about the kinds of people who translate for free, or in their spare time? Maybe assumed they’re unskilled, or at the very least unprofessional, in its broadest sense?
If so, here are three things that might change your mind:
First, a very interesting interview with Masahiro Kyushima, a volunteer translator for TED – nothing unprofessional at all what’s going on there.
Second, a whole blog dedicated to “unprofessional translation” – or what is known more specifically as natural translation, native translation and language brokering (definitions here). Brian Harris is clearly more than qualified to address this oft-maligned aspect of translation, and his blog is a fascinating look at the stories behind those practitioners of translation who do not fall into the professional category.
Finally, the University of London will address this very issue in a public roundtable discussion on 27 April 2010.
A reminder perhaps that a per-word rate shouldn’t be the only way we measure respect for our fellow translators.
Really fascinating links, Sarah – like Brian, I’m not religious, but had actually often wondered about the linguistic logistics of massive, multicultural church gatherings like the one he describes.
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Hi Sarah. Welcome back from your sojourn. Great article, but I think the choice of term is confusing. I tend to associate unprofessional with amateurish, incompetent, whereas I think non-professional (with or without the hyphen I guess) tends – at least to me – to indicate someone who works without payment, i.e. an amateur (noun) rather than someone whose quality of work might be questionable. Do you agree? Great to have you back in Oz anyway.
Andy
Hi Andy,
You’re right, it is a bit confusing – and I’ll readily admit to being deliberately loose with my use of the word “professional” here (hence my reference to “… unprofessional in its broadest sense”). I was wondering whether anyone would pull me up on it 😀
It’s true that professional can be read in the sense that you describe, i.e. when an activity is carried out for payment rather than as a hobby, but its meaning is actually far broader than that. In the context of occupations, it also covers things like education, expertise, practice, peer review and approval, ethics and the old chestnut of CPD. So when we talk about professionalism in translation, or making sure translators are recognised as professionals, for example, it’s not just a question of whether we are getting paid for our work but also of trying to meet these other requirements, usually with the aim of increasing our status as a profession.
I think that’s what interested me about this particular collection of links. Here we have many examples of people who translate although not as their main source of income, but who still meet some the criteria for professionalism to varying degrees. Career translators can be quick to cast aspersions on those who translate for low or no payment, or as part of a volunteer team (e.g. crowdsourcing), but these links show that such people can be just as (if not more) “professional” than many of us who actually earn a living from translation.
I believe we would benefit enormously as a profession if we took the time to truly understand how every type of translation practitioner operates, including their practices, motivations, realities, etc. That’s not to say we have to wholeheartedly embrace every variation of the translator model that we find, only that we don’t need to view those who operate in a way that is different to us, or new, as a threat to be feared and dismissed.
Anyway, there’s no shortage of interesting studies on the professionalisation of occupations and what traits constitute professionalism, etc. so it’s worth looking into if you’re interested. I’ve touched on it before here, too.
A long answer to a short question, but I can’t think of anything I’d rather get my head around on a rainy Friday morning. Thanks for your comment Andy – it’s great to be back.