Translators and Interpreters in the
Occupational Outlook Handbook
This post aims to provide an overview of a milestone
in the recognition as a professional activity of the work performed by
translators and interpreters: its inclusion in the Occupational Outlook
Handbook of the United
States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before doing so, it is necessary
to establish what is understood by the terms profession and occupation,
as these concepts vary from person to person, from one field to another, and
even over time. The terms profession
and occupation also tend to be used
interchangeably, but for some actually refer to two different ideas.
Another view comes
from the Profession Standards Council, which defines a profession as a disciplined
group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and possess special
knowledge and skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from
research, in which education and training is at a high level, and which is
recognized by the public as such. Professional knowledge and skills are used
and applied in the interest of others. A
professional thus is a member of a profession, which as pointed out before
is governed by codes of ethics and is bound by ethical principles such as competence,
integrity and morality, altruism, and the promotion of the public good within
their professional domain.
The existence of ethical standards seems to be the common
denominator in the definition of profession. Standards are, in general, created
and applied to bring predictability to the manufacture and delivery of goods
and services, with the ultimate goal being the establishment of trust by their
consumers. Of course, standards can also bring about liability for failing to
comply with them.
Translators and
Interpreters in the Occupational Outlook
Handbook
As can be seen
in previous posts, translation and interpretation meet
the definition of profession as described above. Of course, translation and
interpretation involve different sets of skills, taken as a whole there is no doubt
that they are both professions and both translators and interpreters are
considered professionals.
While both
activities have been performed since time immemorial, there have been several
stages in their development as a profession. Their inclusion in the 2002-2003 Occupational Outlook
Handbook (OOH) by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor contributed
greatly to their perception as a profession. In the 2002-2003 edition, the OOH
included translators and interpreters in the section Occupations Not Studied in Detail, which means it included only a
brief employment projection and not an occupational profile. This is the entire entry:
Interpreters and translators
Translate or interpret written,
oral, or sign language text into another language for others.
• 2000 employment: 22,000
•
Projected 2000-10 employment change: Faster than average
•
Most significant source of training: Long-term on-the-job training
As modest
as it may appear, this event represented a milestone in the recognition of
T&I as professional activities in that it joined the ranks of occupations
such as nursing, engineering, accounting, and numerous others. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics gathers occupational information through the Occupational Information Network – O*NET, which is a wide-ranging database
that describes worker competencies. Information gathered in this database come
mainly from job descriptions and professional associations. It is also worth noting that in its glossary
of terms, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
includes the term occupation but not profession; defining the former as a
“set of activities or tasks that employees are paid to perform.”
Evolution of the description of
T&I on the Occupational Outlook Handbook
Since its
first entry in the OOH, significant changes can be seen in the description of the
occupation for translators and interpreters.
The 2010-2011 edition of the OOH includes an occupational profile for the
T&I industry. In its Significant Points section, it says that
about 26 percent of interpreters and translators are self-employed; that some work
only sporadically; and that employment was expected to grow faster than average
depending on specialty and language. It also provided a distinction between
translation and interpretation – a distinction a great number of people still do
not know. The OOH described the work of interpreters and translators in
settings such as conferences, the judiciary, healthcare and services for the
deaf and provided information on working environments, education requirements (indicating
that it can vary but a bachelor’s degree is often requested) certification, and
means for advancement. Very importantly,
it provides job projections, earnings, and sources for additional information. Information
for the occupational profile is drawn from professional associations such as
the American
Translators Association,
the National
Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, the National
Council on Interpreting on Health Care,
and the Registry
of Interpreters for the Deaf.
Technology
has allowed for more innovative ways to display data, and this is reflected in 2016-2017 edition of the OOH.
Not only is information in this latest edition presented differently;
i.e. in separate tabs, but it is also more detailed. For example, the tab What Interpreters and Translators Do describes
the difference between these two activities and provides details about
simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. Unfortunately, it includes a third
category – whispered interpreting – which is, in fact, simultaneous
interpreting performed without any equipment. A third mode of interpreting
which was not included is sight translation – the oral translation of a written
document, which is used in many settings.
While there
is room for improvement in the description of this profession – or occupation –
great progress has been made. In less than fifteen years, this profession has
gone from one that did not have a profile in the Occupational Outlook Handbook
to one whose profile is now over eight pages in length. Despite some errors,
the OOH can be used as a tool to educate and sensitize the public on the skills
of translators and interpreters and the challenges they face in the delivery of
their services.
This post
does not address the evolution of compensation in the T&I industry as it
will be discussed in a separate post which is coming soon.
