The Translator’s Role in Italy: An Invisible Professional
The Translator’s Role in Italy Translators play an essential role in contemporary society, acting as a bridge between cultures, markets, and academic subjects. However, in Italy, their profession is not recognized as it deserves to be. Why does such a crucial profession for global communication keep being underestimated?
No Professional Association
The Translator’s role in Italy. One of the main reasons why the translator’s profession is not appreciated in Italy is the lack of a professional association. Whereas other professionals, such as lawyers and engineers can rely on a register or roll which defends their rights and regulates access to these professions, translators don’t have such an association, roll or register, therefore they are subject to economic exploitation and underestimation of their skills.
Low Rates and Job Insecurity
The Translator’s Role in Italy.
Another widespread problem is represented by the economic issue: many translators, freelancers above all, work at low prices without any contractual guarantee. The translation market is a highly competitive market often dominated by translation agencies imposing minimum rates, making self-employed professionals’ survival very hard. The competition with amateur translators and the increasing use of automated translation make the situation even worse.
Underestimation of skills
Even though translating requires deep linguistic and cultural knowledge, it is often considered a second job or an activity within everybody’s reach on condition that you have a good command of two foreign languages. This prejudice leads to low consideration for the job and a lack of regulations. Moreover, the lack of obligatory educational training and official certificates makes it difficult to set a clear professional standard.
Prospects for the future
The Translator’s Role in Italy
The following steps would be necessary to recognize the translator’s role in Italy:
- Establishment of a professional register that ensures legal protection and clear regulations.
- Establishment of minimum rates to avoid professionals’underpayment.
- Awakening people to the importance of a quality translation.
- Promotion of certification training courses to ensure high professional standards. Until translators aren’t considered crucial professionals for the economy and culture of the country, they will keep being invisible professionals. Recognizing their value is the first step to providing for their future.
