The future of the translation profession: Jack of all trades, master of what?

On 22nd March at 5 pm CET, Arqus organises the webinar “The future of the translation profession: Jack of all trades, a master of what?”, by Catherine Way (University of Granada). It will be broadcast live on the Arqus YouTube channel.

The proliferation of new translation contexts (localization, transcreation, the creation of a language data market, etc.) and the increasingly blurred identities, roles and responsibilities of translators undeniably offer a multitude of opportunities and challenges for translators and translator training. Translators now have to juggle a complex network of relationships between the text (in whatever form it may be), the context surrounding the text, the commission and the multiple agents involved in the translation process.

In this lecture, we will consider the role of translators, the challenges faced (technology, remuneration, self-concept), the training they require (competence, expertise, technology, resources) and how to bridge the gaps between graduate training and industry requirements. The advent of new professional profiles, the growing need for continued professional development (CPD) and the multitude of new employment possibilities for legal translators call for a renaissance of legal translation and training (Way 2020) if we are to eliminate the traditional constraints on the translation profession through proactive action. Particular attention is paid to professionalization, expertise and interdisciplinary training. Effecting sustainable change by embracing our metamorphosis is vital if we are to face current challenges and overcome any that may emerge in the future, empowering translation graduates as multilingual and multicultural communication experts.

Catherine Way

Catherine Way is an Associate Professor of Translation at the University of Granada with 30+ years experience. Lead researcher of the AVANTI research group, she has practised as a court/conference interpreter and freelance translator. She has co-edited several books, is a member of the Editorial Board of The Interpreter and Translator Trainer (previously Editor) and of the Advisory Board of Fachsprache and the International Journal of Legal Discourse amongst others. Her research interests are legal translation, directionality, the translation profession, translator training and action research. She has participated as an expert for the EU in the TRAFUT programme and one of her recent PhDs has received the CIUTI Award for excellence in doctoral research and contributing to advancing TS.

References

-Way, C. (2016) “The Challenges and Opportunities of Legal Translation and Translator Training in the 21st Century” International Journal of Communication (10): 1009-1029. ISSN: 1932-8036.

-Way, C. (2020) “Training and Pedagogical Implications” En Gary Massey, Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow y Erik Angelone The Bloomsbury Companion to Language Industry Studies, London/New York, Bloomsbury Academic Publishing.

The lecture will take place on Monday 22nd March at 5 pm CET. It will be broadcast on the Arqus YouTube channel.

This activity is part of the Arqus Action Line 3, Student-centred Frameworks for Quality Learning.