This special issue will address translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction as a multifaceted... more This special issue will address translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction as a multifaceted, interdisciplinary phenomenon that can serve as a bridge between research and the T/I profession. We are calling for contributions exploring translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction from conceptual, empirical, methodological, and ethical perspectives. Proposals should be submitted no later than May 13, 2022, and article manuscripts by April 1, 2023. The special issue will be published in July 2024.
This article analyses Finnish in-house translators' experiences regarding physical locati... more This article analyses Finnish in-house translators' experiences regarding physical location and organisa-tional position. We examine how translators are positioned in the organisational structure of their workplace ; where they are physically situated; and how satisfied they are in these respects. We also study whether the statutory status of Swedish as an official language is reflected in the results as compared to other languages translated in-house. The data come from a 2018 survey with 185 respondents. The analysis combines quantitative and qualitative methods. The results indicate that organisational position and physical location are intertwined. The respondents mostly work in the same location as their organisational unit and find their position optimal. Satisfaction with position was particularly high with translators placed within a communication related unit. The results show variety in whether the respondents prefer working close to other translators or to internal commissioners or other experts. The degree of telecommuting varies , with some in-house translators working entirely from home. The results for Swedish are in line with overall results for government translators. Lastly, we suggest further enquiry into topics such as office plans vs. job satisfaction, the motivations behind telecommuting, and links between translator status and agency and organisational position.
Kaantajan ammatin statusta eli arvostusta on alettu tutkia vasta viime vuosina. Tama artikkeli on... more Kaantajan ammatin statusta eli arvostusta on alettu tutkia vasta viime vuosina. Tama artikkeli on kriittinen katsaus empiirisiin statustutkimuksiin, jotka jaottelen Chestermanin (2000, 2007) pohjalta muokkaamieni vertailu-, kausaalija toimijuusnakokulmien mukaan. Varsinaista statustutkimusta on melko vahan, mutta statusta kasitellaan myos ammatti-identiteettia tai ammatin tilaa tarkastelevissa tutkimuksissa. Tutkimuksissa yhdistetaan usein eri nakokulmia ja menetelmia. Kaantajien arvostus on tutkitustikin keskitasoa tai sen alle. Statukseen vaikuttavat monet tekijat, mutta sita nayttaisivat parantavan nakyvyys ja toimijoiden yhteistyo. Lisaa tutkimusta tarvittaisiin etenkin alihankkijoiden statuksesta, statukseen vaikuttavista tekijoista ja toimijoiden strategioista statuksen muuttamiseksi.
Research on translator status, or prestige, has only been studied empirically within the last dec... more Research on translator status, or prestige, has only been studied empirically within the last decade and mainly from the perspective of professional translators. Less attention has been paid to future translators: translation students. This article explores Finnish translation students’ perceptions of translator status and its parameters, discussing implications for the future of the profession. The data consist of 277 responses from five universities, collected in 2013–2014 by an electronic survey adapted from Dam and Zethsen’s translator questionnaires. Quantitative analyses indicate that the students’ perceptions are partly very similar to professional translators’: they rank translator status as middling or low and believe that translators’ expertise is insufficiently recognised outside the profession. On the other hand, the respondents also perceive translators’ influence as higher than in previous research. The study also illustrates the complexity of translatorial (in)visibil...
The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research
This article explores how Finnish professional translators perceive the status of the profession ... more This article explores how Finnish professional translators perceive the status of the profession in general as opposed to the status of their own work, and how these status perceptions are affected by various factors. We first consider the multiple meanings of status, summarize previous empirical research and introduce the Finnish context, and then go on to statistically analyze survey data consisting of Finnish business, literary and audiovisual translators' responses (n=450). The analysis reveals that the respondents rank translator status in general as middling (as in previous research) but, at the same time, see the status of their own work as high. Further analysis indicates that while status perceptions of the profession in general are mostly not linked to the respondents' working conditions or job satisfaction, perceptions of the status of one's own work fluctuate more. Interestingly, the respondents' backgrounds and qualifications fail to produce statistically significant differences. Moreover, the role of some factors varies among business, literary and audiovisual translators. Distinguishing between the status of the profession in general and the status of the respondents' work thus appears to be important for a better understanding of status and may even partly explain why a middling-status profession nevertheless fosters satisfied translators.
HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business
In most countries, there are no restrictions on who is allowed to work as a translator, apart ... more In most countries, there are no restrictions on who is allowed to work as a translator, apart from the context of legally valid or authorised translations. Nevertheless, the significance of authorisation for translator status has hardly been studied, apart from Dam/Zethsen (2009, 2010). This article investigates how authorisation affects Finnish translators’ status perceptions, and whether they believe that the profession should be protected further, and if so, how and why. The data come from a survey conducted in 2014 with 450 respondents (business, literary and audio-visual translators), based on Dam/Zethsen’s questionnaires and expanded and adapted for the Finnish context. The analysis is partly quantitative and statistical, partly a qualitative thematic analysis of the respondents’ open comments. Statistically, authorisation produced no significant differences in the respondents’ status perceptions. Similarly, in open questions on factors affecting translator status and measu...
This special issue will address translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction as a multifaceted... more This special issue will address translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction as a multifaceted, interdisciplinary phenomenon that can serve as a bridge between research and the T/I profession. We are calling for contributions exploring translators’ and interpreters’ job satisfaction from conceptual, empirical, methodological, and ethical perspectives. Proposals should be submitted no later than May 13, 2022, and article manuscripts by April 1, 2023. The special issue will be published in July 2024.
This article analyses Finnish in-house translators' experiences regarding physical locati... more This article analyses Finnish in-house translators' experiences regarding physical location and organisa-tional position. We examine how translators are positioned in the organisational structure of their workplace ; where they are physically situated; and how satisfied they are in these respects. We also study whether the statutory status of Swedish as an official language is reflected in the results as compared to other languages translated in-house. The data come from a 2018 survey with 185 respondents. The analysis combines quantitative and qualitative methods. The results indicate that organisational position and physical location are intertwined. The respondents mostly work in the same location as their organisational unit and find their position optimal. Satisfaction with position was particularly high with translators placed within a communication related unit. The results show variety in whether the respondents prefer working close to other translators or to internal commissioners or other experts. The degree of telecommuting varies , with some in-house translators working entirely from home. The results for Swedish are in line with overall results for government translators. Lastly, we suggest further enquiry into topics such as office plans vs. job satisfaction, the motivations behind telecommuting, and links between translator status and agency and organisational position.
Kaantajan ammatin statusta eli arvostusta on alettu tutkia vasta viime vuosina. Tama artikkeli on... more Kaantajan ammatin statusta eli arvostusta on alettu tutkia vasta viime vuosina. Tama artikkeli on kriittinen katsaus empiirisiin statustutkimuksiin, jotka jaottelen Chestermanin (2000, 2007) pohjalta muokkaamieni vertailu-, kausaalija toimijuusnakokulmien mukaan. Varsinaista statustutkimusta on melko vahan, mutta statusta kasitellaan myos ammatti-identiteettia tai ammatin tilaa tarkastelevissa tutkimuksissa. Tutkimuksissa yhdistetaan usein eri nakokulmia ja menetelmia. Kaantajien arvostus on tutkitustikin keskitasoa tai sen alle. Statukseen vaikuttavat monet tekijat, mutta sita nayttaisivat parantavan nakyvyys ja toimijoiden yhteistyo. Lisaa tutkimusta tarvittaisiin etenkin alihankkijoiden statuksesta, statukseen vaikuttavista tekijoista ja toimijoiden strategioista statuksen muuttamiseksi.
Research on translator status, or prestige, has only been studied empirically within the last dec... more Research on translator status, or prestige, has only been studied empirically within the last decade and mainly from the perspective of professional translators. Less attention has been paid to future translators: translation students. This article explores Finnish translation students’ perceptions of translator status and its parameters, discussing implications for the future of the profession. The data consist of 277 responses from five universities, collected in 2013–2014 by an electronic survey adapted from Dam and Zethsen’s translator questionnaires. Quantitative analyses indicate that the students’ perceptions are partly very similar to professional translators’: they rank translator status as middling or low and believe that translators’ expertise is insufficiently recognised outside the profession. On the other hand, the respondents also perceive translators’ influence as higher than in previous research. The study also illustrates the complexity of translatorial (in)visibil...
The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research
This article explores how Finnish professional translators perceive the status of the profession ... more This article explores how Finnish professional translators perceive the status of the profession in general as opposed to the status of their own work, and how these status perceptions are affected by various factors. We first consider the multiple meanings of status, summarize previous empirical research and introduce the Finnish context, and then go on to statistically analyze survey data consisting of Finnish business, literary and audiovisual translators' responses (n=450). The analysis reveals that the respondents rank translator status in general as middling (as in previous research) but, at the same time, see the status of their own work as high. Further analysis indicates that while status perceptions of the profession in general are mostly not linked to the respondents' working conditions or job satisfaction, perceptions of the status of one's own work fluctuate more. Interestingly, the respondents' backgrounds and qualifications fail to produce statistically significant differences. Moreover, the role of some factors varies among business, literary and audiovisual translators. Distinguishing between the status of the profession in general and the status of the respondents' work thus appears to be important for a better understanding of status and may even partly explain why a middling-status profession nevertheless fosters satisfied translators.
HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business
In most countries, there are no restrictions on who is allowed to work as a translator, apart ... more In most countries, there are no restrictions on who is allowed to work as a translator, apart from the context of legally valid or authorised translations. Nevertheless, the significance of authorisation for translator status has hardly been studied, apart from Dam/Zethsen (2009, 2010). This article investigates how authorisation affects Finnish translators’ status perceptions, and whether they believe that the profession should be protected further, and if so, how and why. The data come from a survey conducted in 2014 with 450 respondents (business, literary and audio-visual translators), based on Dam/Zethsen’s questionnaires and expanded and adapted for the Finnish context. The analysis is partly quantitative and statistical, partly a qualitative thematic analysis of the respondents’ open comments. Statistically, authorisation produced no significant differences in the respondents’ status perceptions. Similarly, in open questions on factors affecting translator status and measu...
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