Cathy, the last time I looked, those agents in 'related' areas that you refer to, represent the interests of their clients, i.e. writers, performers, etc. Is that what you believe intermediaries in the translation 'industry' do for the translators?
I don't think so. Their clients are the end user, and many if not most intermediaries do not even represent their client's interests engaging the cheapest rather than the best translators to maximising their margins. They are simply intermediaries, arbitrageurs; some are just opportunists, hucksters and plain internet fraudsters.
I for one, have decided to only refer to the good (professional) ones as intermediaries, and the rest in accordance with their deserts. It does not help our cause to perpetuate the myth that intermediaries 'provide' language services. We must differentiate the 'industry' from the 'profession' and slowly educate the end user by getting the terminology right. We are experts at that, aren't we?
I. Brucher - 11 years ago
A translator is also a "Language Services Provider", so this expression is totally ambiguous anyway.
Everybody says "agency". Sometimes "intermediary" to include translators who subcontract to other translators, thus acting as an agency but, to me, the atmosphere is not the same at all. With a subcontracting colleague, you have a much better relationship than with a dum "PM", often low-cost people who have nothing to do with the translation world... It's a profound mistake to have translators supervised by non-translators or by non-university-degree people (if only with a diploma in foreign languages, or litterature, or art, i.e. some related area), I think. It's a highly intellectual job, so finding yourself scorned by some low-level person whose job is to exploit you is profoundly disgusting... Only technical translators who come from the technical world might not see the difference, but for the rest... If only those agencies would explain to end-customers the COSTS of translating, end-customers would understand that it's not just an intellectual service coming out of the blue, without any costs, like insurance policies, accounting services, annual subscriptions to online dictionaries, a larger apartment so as to have an office, marketing webinars, conferences, time spent on marketing and keeping abreast of the evolution of the profession, the latest software programmes, buying them, learning about them, including dealing with bugs and upgrades, - one should make a full list with average costs and show this to agencies and end-customers!! But I am starting a related but different subject. I swear, I am refraining myself from adding "fucking" every time I type "agency"... Well, consider it as done now !!! :-)
I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE AGENCIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cathy Flick - 11 years ago
I don't understand why just "translation agency" or "translation and interpretation agency" doesn't work. The abbreviation would just be TA or T&I A. The concept of an agent is well-established in related areas (such as for writers of books/articles, performers, etc.). I'm also tired of being called a "linguist" in those "Dear Linguist" letters. I just translate for a living in my fields, that's all. Excuse my crankiness, I'm a tad sleep deprived and caffeine seems to just make me sleepy.
Cathy, the last time I looked, those agents in 'related' areas that you refer to, represent the interests of their clients, i.e. writers, performers, etc. Is that what you believe intermediaries in the translation 'industry' do for the translators?
I don't think so. Their clients are the end user, and many if not most intermediaries do not even represent their client's interests engaging the cheapest rather than the best translators to maximising their margins. They are simply intermediaries, arbitrageurs; some are just opportunists, hucksters and plain internet fraudsters.
I for one, have decided to only refer to the good (professional) ones as intermediaries, and the rest in accordance with their deserts. It does not help our cause to perpetuate the myth that intermediaries 'provide' language services. We must differentiate the 'industry' from the 'profession' and slowly educate the end user by getting the terminology right. We are experts at that, aren't we?
A translator is also a "Language Services Provider", so this expression is totally ambiguous anyway.
Everybody says "agency". Sometimes "intermediary" to include translators who subcontract to other translators, thus acting as an agency but, to me, the atmosphere is not the same at all. With a subcontracting colleague, you have a much better relationship than with a dum "PM", often low-cost people who have nothing to do with the translation world... It's a profound mistake to have translators supervised by non-translators or by non-university-degree people (if only with a diploma in foreign languages, or litterature, or art, i.e. some related area), I think. It's a highly intellectual job, so finding yourself scorned by some low-level person whose job is to exploit you is profoundly disgusting... Only technical translators who come from the technical world might not see the difference, but for the rest... If only those agencies would explain to end-customers the COSTS of translating, end-customers would understand that it's not just an intellectual service coming out of the blue, without any costs, like insurance policies, accounting services, annual subscriptions to online dictionaries, a larger apartment so as to have an office, marketing webinars, conferences, time spent on marketing and keeping abreast of the evolution of the profession, the latest software programmes, buying them, learning about them, including dealing with bugs and upgrades, - one should make a full list with average costs and show this to agencies and end-customers!! But I am starting a related but different subject. I swear, I am refraining myself from adding "fucking" every time I type "agency"... Well, consider it as done now !!! :-)
I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE AGENCIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't understand why just "translation agency" or "translation and interpretation agency" doesn't work. The abbreviation would just be TA or T&I A. The concept of an agent is well-established in related areas (such as for writers of books/articles, performers, etc.). I'm also tired of being called a "linguist" in those "Dear Linguist" letters. I just translate for a living in my fields, that's all. Excuse my crankiness, I'm a tad sleep deprived and caffeine seems to just make me sleepy.
LSI = Language Services Intermediary
Language services dealer (LSD) is better than LSP if you think that the TA make transactions with the translations.