Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

366 Translation as a Professionof the translation process, have deeply changed the way translation is perceivedand understood. The status of both the translation itself and of the process oftranslating has changed as have the words used to describe them.Today, a translation is definitely seen as a product (even when it is a literarywork or art form). The product is the result of a manufacturing processwhich includes the use of basic resources (i.e. terminology, phraseology, knowledge,information, etc.), of recycled components (i.e. translation memories andpreviously translated segments) as raw material or input, and where speciallytrained operators use a range of specific tools and equipment or devices to achieveoptimal efficiency, measured according to increasingly sophisticated and standardisedbenchmarks and metrics, applying flow management principles. At the sametime, we are witnessing the emergence of production process sheets (accordingto the materials concerned) and product lines (according to the nature of theclient’s needs, the work provider’s specifications, and end-user ergonomics). Finally,the marketing and provision of what are now ‘translation service packages’rather than ‘mere’ translations take into consideration market conditions, time tomarket, cost/quality and quality/cost ratios, added-value or value-loss, return oninvestment, quality assurance, quality control, sampling techniques, product adjustmentand re-working, after-sales servicing, updating, and so on, just like anyother kind of production process. The fact that translation is fundamentally anintellectual activity is only true for part of the process and does not make anydifference as regards the mechanisms at work here.This being so, customization is also the rule: the industrial-like processesand procedures are there because of the huge volumes, the quality requirements,and the productivity gains. But, at the same time, each translation is customized(tailored) to suit the specific requirements of each and every client. This isprobably the biggest revolution: every translation is a special case and customersatisfaction is paramount, both in terms of quality of the end product and interms of quality of the service provided. Hence the importance of the humanrelations and trust aspect of the transaction between the work provider and theservice provider.As the image of translation (the product) has changed, so has that of thetranslator (the manufacturer). He is now seen more and more as a highly qualifiedtechnical professional with two, three or four special skills areas, operating in aparticular field and in one or more specialised technical areas within that field.This creates new opportunities for added value but conversely, imposes new andparticularly stringent constraints. All the more so as he is expected to abide bythe procedures, to ensure quality of the customized end-product, and to providezero-defect performance and service.