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Is it a mark of quality if the translator is a member of a translation institute?
Yes – and no.
To give a precise answer to this question, we need first of all to go into the structure and the aims of the various translation associations in some detail.
Pro
There are a number of translation associations in Germany. They have set themselves various, and quite different targets.
The most important task of the associations is to exercise a positive
influence on the legal and economic conditions under which professional
translators operate, and so to establish secure quality standards based
on a consistent
professional code – this with a view to raising standards in the industry
and encouraging ongoing improvement.
In addition, the associations ideally offer their members a wide range
of services and practical assistance.
The objectives of the translation associations are as follows:
- to create a network for exchange between colleagues, encouraging professional improvement and mutual supervision;
- to make a contribution to quality assurance in the still unregulated field of translation and interpretation, by certifying their members and upholding professional standards;
- to foster intensive links with industry as the main source of demand for translation services;
- to foster an equally intensive partnership with institutes of higher education and academics;
- to contribute to the development of a consistent job description, throughout the Federal Republic, for the profession of translator and interpreter;
- to provide information and PR services in connection with translation;
- to advise people in need of translation services, and recommend translators and interpreters;
- to help their members in their marketing projects and assist them in the acquisition of new custom, by providing the necessary information and resources;
- to support and advise people who are currently studying for a translation qualification or who are interested in entering the profession.
Noble aims, certainly – but the translation associations do have certain problems nonetheless.
Contra
Critics of the associations of translators and interpreters see them
as a cartel – one that restricts the freedom of the individual to operate
on his own terms by imposing a blanket pricing policy. This means that
the associations are to some extent responsible for unemployment, because
they
make it difficult for translators to lower their prices.
This leads directly to the argument that the associations only represent
the interests of their members – not the interests of the customer,
of the industry or of translators who are not members of the association
(which from the point of view of the associations is perhaps understandable).
From the sociological point of view, as well, there is an opposition between the interests of the officers of the association and those of the freelance translator. The associations are hierarchical organisations which try to keep the translator – even the independent translator – in leading strings, seeing that the objective of the associations is to sell labour, as a commodity, at the highest possible price. It must be admitted that the national associations are losing out, as a result, in face of the globalisation of the economy. Only a few relatively insignificant translation associations are conscious of the global demand.
As a result, the associations are caught in a situational logic which makes them open to blackmail. If the high level of remuneration insisted on by the associations is strictly observed, this may be too much for clients to stomach. They will then vote with their feet, by leaving the area controlled by the associations and heading for sunnier climes.
Many critics see it as a major disadvantage that the associations
are to a large extent managed at regional level. This means that
the various federal state organisations develop in different directions,
so that
the services they offer may overlap, superfluously. The exchange
of
information is inadequate, so that any reaction to the formulation
of professional policy
comes too late.
Some associations, consequently, have been involved for some time
in debates about structural issues. It is hoped that these may be
able to resolve the problems referred to above.
Another point to be made is that the customer looking for a translator is not going to get the best translator available on the market for the job that needs to be done, but rather – even in an ideal scenario – the best translator coming from the translation association he consults.
Yet another serious disadvantage with most translation associations is that they only allow individual translators to join them, thereby excluding translation companies – which in recent years have collared the lion's share of translation jobs on the market, in view of their proven flexibility and the availability of the resources that they are able to offer.
So to sum up –
Is it a mark of quality if the translator is a member of a translation institute?
Yes – and no.
