Friday, November 30, 2007

Conflict and Confluence of Interest

There is an almost interesting discussion almost transpiring over at the Big Translator’s Portal, centering, or attempting to center, on the latest example of conflict of interest in our field. In this instance it has to do with a large UK translators’ association which is “preeminent” in the field [and which also is apparently touting the absolute necessity for certain certifications and also, none too coincidentally, providing the tests for same] and their fledgling subsidiary, a translation agency.

What? A great big nonprofit rolling out for-profit spinoffs which are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the non-profit’s members and their dues? And we’re shocked?

I’m certainly not.

For heaven’s sake, those very translators over at the Powerful Portal are having to tiptoe around the topic, due to the very nature of the for-profit Portal itself. They might be spanked, mocked [and were], deleted, censored [and often are], blackballed even, if they dare to offend the mercantile sensibilities of their kind overlords. And there can certainly be no topic more offensive to those finely tuned sensibilities than Conflict of Interest.

In the States they call it the Revolving Door, where highly placed politicians or government employees move in and out of large lobbying firms and corporations, trading influence, cash and position. And, like at the Powerful Portal [just have a peek at their management’s CVs], they have no shame, even flaunting the intimacy of their profitable relationships.

The buzz word for all of this is “synergy.” The confluence of various streams of market, client and product. An “association” might gather up thousands of needy translators, lead them down the path of certification, then market them like new-age slaves to their own agency clients. A portal might gather up tens of thousands of translators, “partner” with companies that produce “must-have” software and then structure the portal in such a way that all those translators are convinced they cannot survive if they don’t help pay for the software, training and, oh, yes, even the Portal’s staff through their dues.

I have no issue with the making of money, after all, we must put food on the table. I do take issue, however, with how easily and openly these conglomerates are taking control of the entire depth and breadth of the field. From translators to agencies, software to training and certification – forging one big plantation, making more and more money from the synergy of their multi-faceted operations.

Nor am I surprised that the translators so rarely complain about being played as witless pawns. The game is as old as time: intimidation, perceived dependence on the their masters [be it agency, portal or association], the insistence on very strict rules, and, of course, a structure that creates a façade of democratic camaraderie. But absolutely NO control, power or profit for the unwashed worker bees.

I rather picture them smiling tolerantly whilst we translators are content to bicker and whine about those horrid translation agencies, knowing we will never have the acumen or nerve to pierce their own armour, power and profits.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's no different from the Instrumentation Engineering community where "Standard organisations", on whose committees one can find many members belonging to intrument manufacturers, who invent problems (intrinsic safety, safety integrity levels) most of those being complete frauds yet the standards being mandatory, all designers must comply to them and it gives an unfair advantage to all the firms who had employees as members of the standards committees.

For instance, I do not know of a single accident, fire, explosion, caused by 24 Volt DC in the oil and gas industry. That means that by itself 24 V DC must be quite safe, yet I find myself having to specify Intrinsic Safety barriers for all circuits in hazardous locations. I am protecting against a fictitious hazard.

But what do I care, it creates more work for me. It's just tedious boring work :^)

janet said...

Yes, very much the same sort of fraud. The difference being, perhaps, that very few translators - the ones who do the actual work - are making any money off the winks and handshakes.

More akin, perhaps, to the "creation" of capital when corporate interests insert themselves into transactions, with all that newly minted coin being siphoned into corporate coffers.

Really Wild Cat said...

Very interesting weblog, I will add it to my favourites.

Thanks a lot!
Laurent

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Laurent, and I shall do my best to rediscover my sense of humour and begin posting once again.