Believing that people in life should lead, i.e. have influence, rather than unwittingly following others like sheep, this morning I pondered how this could relate to the translation industry...
... and to staff translator positions
Believe me, I'm having incredible fun running a translation business and working with my colleague, Hanna. Customers tell me they're happy, which is of course the goal.
But sometimes the mind wanders and I catch myself thinking on what terms would I ever go back to being a staff translator. Consistently, time and again, my one guiding criterion is management: how does senior management view translation? A cost item to be kept as low as possible? Or an opportunity to impress peers and clients with expertly written prose?
Generally, it is management that sets the tone as to whether translators (and their work) are respected in an organisation, as reflected in the following:
- The translator has a management-level contract (cadre in France, fondé de pouvoir in Switzerland)
- Pay is commensurate with qualifications and experience, on a similar scale to other skilled clerical positions
- The translation team leader participates in top-level meetings, especially regarding branding/marketing in languages other than the company's official tongue.
Any thoughts?
