Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

Chapter 17. Training translators 359This is usually because translation procedures are customized, job specificationsare ever more complex and comprehensive, and style guides are growing indefinitely.In short, having defined extremely detailed specifications for the workrequired, the companies concerned gradually move on to train their “own translators”.Some of these companies will not long resist the temptation to set up theirown translation or, more likely, localisation ‘academies’ or ‘institutes’. The veryfact that many universities rely on the translation industry to give their ‘translation’graduates the professional training they themselves are unwilling or unableto provide should very quickly confirm everyone concerned that there is indeed atraining ‘market’ out there just waiting to be developed. Various kinds of Institutesare already functioning, especially in localisation. Many more are in the offing. Itsounds as if the translation industry were of opinion that translator (localiser)training is too serious to be left in the hands of universities.12. Heaven help us!Experience shows that one should always expect the worst. So, let’s be prepared.It is more than likely, within the context of the ‘Bologna’ process, that universitieswill soon be offering “professional translation” diplomas at undergraduatelevel. Given that five-year courses are barely sufficient to train acceptable translators,one can fear that:– either the holders of such degrees will end up at the local job shop becausethey are insufficiently trained,– ortheywillswampthemarketattheexpenseofbetterqualifiedbutmore‘expensive’ translators,and maybe everyone will just dumb down to the lowest standard.Similarly, the new master’s degrees could signal the beginning of the end fortruly professionally-oriented courses. In many universities, understandably keenon ‘spending wisely’, the change provides a good opportunity to cut costs by introducingcore modules to be shared by several courses, in which case the advancesmade these last ten or fifteen years or so towards more professionally-orientedtranslation courses, go into reverse. Given the professional profile requirements forfuture multimedia, multilingual communication engineers, any movement backtowards more general course contents will devalue the Master’s degrees even beforethey have time to make an impact on the employment market.So, in all probability, the people in charge of existing courses will have to fighta hard battle trying to convince the industry that the changes in the educationalsetup have been put to advantage to reinforce the more professional aspects. Ifthat does not work, those who have the (physical, economic, and moral) resources