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.

Paying the Price: the paradox of outsourcing

Clients are only human.

They want quality, speed and cost-effectiveness, not necessarily in that order.

And so they outsource, the very same way that toy manufacturers outsource to China, clothing firms to Singapore, call centres to India. They do so for the very same reasons that everyone else is now doing so. In order to cut corners and to improve their ever more subterranean bottom line.

The fact that the toys are riddled with lead and contain chemicals that alchemize into the date rape drug the minute a toddler swallows a bead – the fact that the hot little shrug purchased on the high street was produced by exhausted children in an obscene sweat shop – the fact that the excruciatingly polite, incomprehensible “service” operator has nary a clue about the matter at hand – well, oops, outed.

It might appear to the world weary and cynical that the above referenced firms didn’t give a tinker’s dam about those facts until they came to general light and nipped them in the proverbial derriere. Not until the legal teams were sequestered, the media cleanup campaign began, the bottom line bottomed out.

But what about firms who outsource their translation work to translation agencies who further outsource to mini-agencies who then outsource to similarly far-flung, untested and often incompetent translators? Will those chickens come home to roost as well? Are there liability issues lurking in the shadows for those whose third world wage slaves happen to toil with words?

Of course there are, and the smarter and meaner are already inserting suitably impenetrable liability clauses – mostly of the disclaimer sort – in their contracts. In some fields, such as those of a medical, legal and political nature, the stance comes naturally and is more of a shell game. If no one is at fault, then there is no fault.

Most other entities, both for profit and not for profit, will find the chickens’ homeward journey a bit slower, but roost they will. The ludicrous website, the painful marketing brochure, the incomprehensible grant proposal, the unreadable novel will all have their consequences, and they will inevitably be monetary in nature. There is nothing more disastrous in today’s business environment than botched, bad communication. And, yes, the irony is delicious.

The usual point of having something translated is to broaden one’s base, expand markets, sell products, reach more customers, secure funding. A bad translation will not only not do that, it will, in fact, accomplish the opposite.

And if anyone has any doubts as to the ubiquity and widespread nature of this phenomena, I only have to point you once again to the major translator portals. There you will find translators asking for help with difficult words and phrases, where they are quickly met with a rush of responses [more on the “game” and its goals later]. The asker is often obviously not translating into his mother tongue, and the responses can be horrifying. They are frequently produced by idiots googling the precise phrase, with no accounting for, you know, actual meaning, usage, context or nuance. One is left with the firm conviction that none of these “translators” have ever actually read anything, studied anything or, god forbid, had a life.

And, thus, we can rest assured that the final product will be shoddy, useless, inexpedient and ultimately much more costly than if – heaven forbid! – the work had been done by a competent and fairly paid professional, regardless of where he might live.

Translators: Pearls of Wisdom

I know the only thing any of us really wants to read about is the 10 elusive, surefire steps that will enable us to secure and maintain a steady stream of clients. Or at least enough of them to put food on the table on a fairly regular basis.

If you hang out at any of the major translator sites, you have certainly already discovered the disconcerting fact that we seem to be divided into two major, and apparently fixed, castes. There are those proud few who maintain that they always have more than enough work, and not just any work, but work of the highest caliber and which always commands the most impressive rates.

And, when we, the not so lucky, ask for advice, tips, whatever, those privileged souls often respond to the rest of us untouchables as true Brahmins should. A bit of a sneer, perhaps a touch of patrician disdain, a curt reminder to “check the threads,” “search the site,” as those questions have been asked and answered so very many times before.

Yes, they have been answered many times [and asked many times, for the obvious reasons], and I would certainly counsel skimming through the many threads and articles. I would venture that one might find something useful [and by that I mean a pointer that wouldn’t be immediately obvious to a semi-articulate 4 year old] once every 20-30 pages.

Once you have managed to wade through all the “advice,” you will learn that you should specialize [and that tends to mean legal, financial, medical, engineering, IT and fields of similar ilk]; your profile pages and CVs should be professional, comprehensive and up to date; if you are going to inundate the universe of agencies with your CV, you should at least take the time to be sure they are interested in your particular language pair and field; and, oh yes, be sure to register as a paying member at their translator site.

Um, sure, except perhaps the latter, given that translators starving for work might prefer, for the moment, to invest any excess funds in foodstuffs.

And do I have any pearls of my own, you might wonder?

Work. Translate. For free. There are thousands of organizations out there that are crying for translators, but they, like you, don’t have any spare cash. You will be doing a damn good thing, have an opportunity to practice and perfect your craft, add to your resume and get your name out. Not to mention being able to look yourself in the mirror in the morning.

Spend more quality online time. Fewer craigslist ads and more MySpace. Seriously. If you’re looking for bandwidth and depth, don’t waste your time posting ads. Network, as socially as possible. Start a scintillating blog, possibly in your “field.” Be interesting, make waves, have fun. I’ve had my own for several years, not this one, but another, where I have to use my nom de plume.

More pearls to come.