“Sound Legal Frameworks for a Better Translation and Interpreting Profession“
Is there anything we, translators and interpreters, can do to use the law in our favor to protect the profession? The answer is, of course, yes. Although the law is not the panacea for all the problems of humanity, it gives us tools to frame a better professional environment.
This presentation will look at how some countries in the world have regulated the profession and will critically analyze if something can be done to make things better for translators and interpreters worldwide. We will cover such topics as legislation on translation and interpreting, the influence of large undercutting companies in markets that should be restricted to individual professionals (emphasis will be put on the interpreting affair in Great Britain), the role of associations, and the power of lobbying. Wait, is lobbying a bad word? We’ll take a look at that, too.
Nowadays, many large companies have taken over the profession in many countries, with catastrophic results. In this presentation we will try to analyze if an alternative path is possible so that we, translators and interpreters, can be the managers of our own profession. Our future is in our hands. Let’s do something about this!
Mariano Vitetta is an attorney-at-law and certified translator (English-Spanish) specializing in legal and financial translation for clients from all over the world. He teaches Legal Translation at CAECE University, Mar del Plata, and Legal Writing at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires. As an expert translator and interpreter, he works for the courts in and for the City of Buenos Aires. He is also a founding member of IAPTI and its current Secretary General, a member of the Society of Certified Translators of Buenos Aires (CTPCBA), and a member of Clarity International.