Translator Status A Study of Danish Company Translators

• Published in: Translator (Manchester, England) Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 71 - 96
• Main Authors: Dam, Helle V., Korning Zethsen, Karen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01-04-2008
• Subjects: Company translators; Occupational prestige; Sociology of translation; Translator status
• ISSN: 1355-6509; 1757-0409
• DOI: 10.1080/13556509.2008.10799250

The consensus amongst translators and translation scholars regarding translator status is that it is decidedly low. But is translator status as low as often claimed, and how do we measure status? Is it only a question of salary? This article explores the concept of status and reports on the first step of a comprehensive empirical project aimed at investigating the status of professional translators in various contexts. The first study focused on here involved a group of translators working for 13 major Danish companies considered to be at the high end of the translator-status continuum, namely full-time Danish staff translators with MA qualifications in translation. The concept of status and how to define it were considered in relation to four parameters of occupational status: (i) salary; (ii) education/expertise; (iii) visibility/fame; and (iv) power/influence. The analysis, based on written questionnaires, charts the status of these translators as perceived by themselves and their fellow employees. On the basis of the findings, the authors suggest avenues and approaches for further research in this area.