Linking professional practice with translation training in a business-oriented setting : the Portuguese Association of Translation Companies example

This paper is aimed at surveying the Portuguese translation market from the point of view of the translation services provider by presenting some of the conclusions of a research project focused on the universe of the Portuguese Association of Translation Companies (APET). Based on some of the findings of an academic survey specially designed to outline the sociological profile of the associate members of the Portuguese Association of Translation Companies, this report aims to contextualise the translation industry both at a national (APET) and international level (EUATC), by characterising the sector and the background in which some of the most important translation agencies usually operate in Portugal. Besides offering a brief overview of the language industry in Portugal, this survey provides new insights into market expectations (features, skills and competences, profiles, needs, constraints, requirements and working conditions, among others), and builds up a picture of the ideal translation services provider’s profile, which may eventually lead to a redefinition of the way translators are trained according to professional standards by tailoring translation curricula to new business-oriented settings. Background Based on the perspective of training future translation professionals, the major goal of our study was to assess a specific context of translation practice, as it is lived and felt at a daily level of professional practice in terms of technical and specialised translation. We would then try to mediate the results obtained with the major training courses currently on offer in Portugal. Faced with the socialprofessional dynamics and mutability of a profession that has barely been studied from a sociological perspective, and is so often undermined in terms of its context and socio-professional background, we have decided to search for the answer to the following questions, firstly: “What is it to translate today within a businessoriented context? ”, and, secondly: “What are the most important skills and basic requirements for new translators entering a market that is increasingly more specialised, volatile and unique? ” According to Don Kiraly, we are now witnessing a sort of "whirlwind of change in the language market" (Kiraly, 2000: 2), and indeed, the way he subsequently compares the current professional status quo to an undeniable social void, whose characterisation or de-characterisation will imply "deep fundamental and decisive changes within the scope and nature of translation skills" (Kiraly, 2000: 19), gives us some legitimacy to centre our approach round the concept of the specific restructuring of professional translator training aimed at the essential collaborative and cooperative aspects of the translator’s task. Context Within the scope of a specific training project on the undergraduate course of LEA (Applied Foreign Languages), from the University of Minho, the Department of English and North-American Studies (DEINA-ILCH), together with the cooperation of the Sociology Department of the Institute of Human Sciences (ICS) and the APET (Portuguese Association of Translation Companies) carried out a sociological survey on the profile of some of the major translation agencies operating in Portugal, under the following title: The profile of translation companies in Portugal – A brief sociological survey. Based on the universe of study of some of the major translation companies currently operating in the Portuguese translation market, the said research project was carried out during the second semester of 2005. Its aim was to outline the model picture of a specific socio-professional universe yet to be explored, at the same time as contributing towards promoting a deep academic reflection on the industry’s major features, needs and requirements. Besides offering a general overview of the current market needs, it is our hope that the survey findings will enable university-level training to be geared towards and adapted to the constraints and demands of business-related domains. General and specific objectives Safeguarding from the outset the anonymous and confidential nature of the data from all the answers indicated, the study was aimed essentially at the people responsible for managing, supervising and running the selected translation companies, and was designed to meet several previously established objectives. In broad terms the survey that was carried out was based on the following general goals: 1 To outline the model picture of a socio-professional universe yet to be explored; 2 To contribute towards a profound academic reflection on the sector’s most important features, needs, demands and requirements; 3 To offer a broad overview of the current market perspective; 4 To guide and adapt training at undergraduate level to the constraints and demands of business-oriented settings. In fact, these broader goals actually broke down into the following specific goals: 1. To draw the prototypical profile of the translation agencies currently operating within the Portuguese market; 2. To outline the socio-professional profile of the major key-players and other parties involved in terms of human resources and staffing; 3. To identify the sector’s basic needs and requirements; 4. To create a specific base typology of the services provided by companies; 5. To establish the size and nature of the translation services currently available on the market; 6. To identify the typical procedures and pattern behaviours within a specific frame of reference from the point of view of a business organisation; 7. To study the key work contexts and frameworks involving the supply of translation services; 8. To analyse the basic organisation methodologies and management procedures; 9. To reflect upon the quality control procedures that are commonly adopted; 10. To analyse the relationship between the translation agencies, their clients and the people in their service; 11. To identify the essential profile skills of a translation service provider within a professional business-oriented setting; 12. To list the basic data regarding the technological resources currently available and used on the market; 13. To study current market trends and major market needs; 14. To explore the real expectations and inner motivations of the sector; 15. To detect the major types of behaviours and strategies for making services suitable for the market and how they are adapted in order to improve the services offered; 16. To identify future perspectives and trends designed to diversify and transform the sector.