Newcomers to the T&I professions are almost invariably at a loss as to what they should charge. Rates discussions among translators and interpreters are very often stifled with the warning that “Antitrust laws require that specific rates should not be discussed”. The ATA’s Policy statement specifies that “Matters that affect rates or restrain competition among members should not be discussed at meetings”.
But legislation varies from country to country, and there is room for exceptions as well. AIIC negotiated fixed rates for its interpreters with the UN. In several countries, professional associations for translators are encouraged to set minimum rates for their members – which is a wide-spread practice in other professions all over the world. Surveys on past years’ rates have been published by well-known associations such as SFT, BDÜ, and even ATA. Common Sense Advisory, a market-research company serving primarily big translation buyers, also considered information on translators’ rates important enough to run a recent survey on it. Several huge online translation portals publish community average rates.
Despite the availability of information, many T&I professionals remain seriously under informed or misinformed. That’s why this session aims to:
• raise awareness about the actual legal limitations imposed by antitrust laws,
• encourage peer-to-peer communication about rates and pricing strategies within the legal limits,
• present published and unpublished data to provide reference figures,
• compare the reliability of different sources of data,
• analyse the weak or misleading points of certain rate surveys,
• discuss wholesale translation buyers’ strategies to increase the price pressure on T&I professionals.
Moderator: Attila Piróth
Attila Piróth holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MSc in scientific translation. He made the choice between the two careers when he had the opportunity to translate some of Einstein’s original articles.
In 2007, Attila passed the American Translators Association certification exam, which boosted his freelance career. In the same year he set up the Solidarités translation team with the twin aim of providing linguistic aid to a humanitarian organisation and of creating a unique working environment in which translators can network around worthy projects. In 2009 he started mentoring new translators, and in 2010 he joined IAPTI to promote ethical business practices in the translation and interpreting sectors and currently serves as Vice President of IAPTI’s Ethics Committee. Attila has given workshops and conference talks in 10 countries.
Panel Members
Lorena Vicente is an English-into-Spanish Technical, Scientific and Literary Translator. She graduated from Lenguas Vivas “John F. Kennedy” Translation School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2004 she has been working as a freelance translator, after working in-house for a local engineering company for several years. She specialises in the following fields: technical and engineering translation, medicine and pharmaceuticals and software/apps localization. Since 2009 she has served as Vice President of the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI) and participates actively in several of the association’s chapters and committees.
Suïntha Uiterwaal holds an MA in Russian language and literature (University of Amsterdam) and a BA in interpreting. As a freelancer she works as a court and conference interpreter from Russian and English to Dutch. She is passionate about translating Russian literature and poetry. In 2010 she was one of the founders of the Association Registergroup for Interpreters and Translators http://registergroep.nl/. This was established in order to bring the devaluation of the interpreting and translating profession in the Netherlands to a halt, stir up the professional landscape and protect and professionalise its representation.
Heidi Cazes is a translator, interpreter and terminologist. She has a Graduate Diploma in Translation from EL Colegio de Mexico and a Masters in Terminology from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She is also a court-certified Interpreter and an ATA-certified translator. Heidi is a freelancer who works directly with clients and with some agencies. She also works as a contractor with the Puerto Rico Federal Court, the District Attorney’s Office and the US Department of State as a translator and interpreter (court, liaison and conference). Heidi has worked in terminology research and as a lecturer in terminology, and is currently an instructor for the English version of the Online Terminology Graduate Course provided by IULA. She is a member of ATA, NAJIT and IAPTI. Heidi is also a member of ASTM, working on committee F43.01. Born in the United States, she was raised in Mexico and currently resides in Puerto Rico.
Geoffrey Buckingham worked at a senior level in marketing and sales in the financial services sector for twelve years before taking up his career in CJS interpreting in 1993. He served on the APCI Committee on two previous occasions, and it was he who prepared the very first computerised list of members in 1994. “That was a long time before online databases”, he says.
Geoffrey was first elected APCI Chairman in 2006, then re-elected in 2008, 2010 and again in October 2012. He has driven a programme of modernisation, professionalisation and documentation of processes which are now indispensable to the Association. He combines these with the development of close working relationships with work providers such as HM Courts and Tribunals Service, police constabularies and ACPO. More recently he has led the Association into membership of FIT and EULITA, whose advice and assistance is now so important. “Our future progress depends upon these relationships and being taken seriously”, he says, adding, “we absolutely must be seen as providers of solutions”.
Geoffrey represents the APCI in the umbrella group “Professional Interpreters for Justice” (PI4J), which groups together interpreters’ membership bodies. This group is driving a campaign against the outsourcing of language services in the justice sector using a monopoly supplier. In this role he has had several appearances and interviews on national and local television. An interview with Al Jazeera may be seen as part of an article here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wL9aXzG_K_0. He has also done live and recorded interviews for radio and in particular an in-depth interview for File on Four, a BBC radio documentary series, which is available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ng83c. An interview on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire may be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/talk-russian/its-too-expensive
Geoffrey is also a well-travelled and experienced international speaker, having given presentations at the FIT Legal Forum in Tampere, the EU sponsored TRAFUT workshop in Helsinki, organised by EULITA, and elsewhere in Europe. He also Chaired the APCI International Conference, held in London in April 2013, with guest speakers including the Shadow Justice Minister, Andy Slaughter MP, Lady Sarah Ludford MEP, sponsor of the EU Directive in the EU Parliament and speakers from Fair Trials International and Reprieve.
Copyright © 2013 IAPTI - All rights reserved. Web developed by Websites for Translators. Theme by Olevmedia.