It woke up. Phew!
It bounced a bit.
Well, the unplanned bounce had unexpected benefits.
Two scientists
described the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission to land the probe Philae
on a comet. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to be precise. Comet 67P for short.
The New Scientist magazine hosted the
lecture at London’s Conway Hall to a packed house. The words “To Thine Own Self Be True” were
emblazoned above the stage. The two strong characters on the stage, Matt Taylor
and Monica Grady, certainly lived up to that expression.
As they discussed
the highs and lows of the Rosetta Mission, my mind could not help wandering. I
contemplated the occasional bruising bounces of the freelancer’s life.
Portent
of doom?
Comets were
traditionally seen as portents of doom. A comet appears in the Bayeux Tapestry.
Doom for Saxon Harold, but not for Norman William the Conqueror. His Tower of
London still stands firm on the banks of the River Thames today. Many more
recent constructions have fallen or been demolished.
Stefan Gentz
issued a wake-up call at ITI’s 2015 conference in Newcastle. He foretold the
doom of the traditional translator. While we slept 99% of the market has been
lost to Google and Microsoft. The remainder is still sizeable and worth the
fight.
I’m convinced that
language professionals will survive under a different guise. They will perform different
roles and tasks.
We must reposition
the translation industry. We must reinvent, rebrand and promote our creativity.
A past
innovator
A suitable
comparison emerged from the Wallace Collection’s Friday Late in June 2015. The
exhibition was entitled: Joshua Reynolds:
Experiments in Paint. This British artist is widely regarded as one of the
greatest portrait painters of the 18th Century. His taste for
innovation and experimentation with pigments have not always stood the test of
time. And yet, you can see in the life and creativity of his early portraits
that he was destined to excel his master.
Historical
Professional Guilds
The Guild of
Wigmakers was so outraged that young men were wearing their hair naturally that
they protested to the King. The Guild of Wigmakers ultimately gave way to the
Guild of Hairdressers.
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
The Worshipful
Company of Armourers and Brasiers was founded in 1322. Its first Royal Charter
dates back to 1453. Today, it maintains its link with metal. Now it focuses on
charity work.
Technological
disruption in translation
The translation community
is experiencing major technological disruptions. Barely has one innovation
bedded in as more appear on the horizon. For practitioners, there is a choice.
You can either rigorously hold onto the past or embrace technology. The later
course offers the best chance to shape the future and nudge it in a more
palatable, less threatening direction.
By way of example,
there is an enormous gap between the modern active Hair Council and the
historic relic of a Worshipful Company.
Free
oxygen
As freelancers in
the disruptive digital age, we may feel that we are trying to land on a comet.
It sounds crazy to even try. The Rosetta Mission succeeded and is ongoing. It
is sending high resolution pictures back to Earth.
In October 2015,
Rosetta’s scientists discovered oxygen in the comet’s atmosphere. The finding
contradicted long-held theories that free oxygen can’t survive in space.
As we head rapidly
towards 2016, freelance translators can take heart from the inspirational
Rosetta Mission. The translation profession is not doomed. It is simply undergoing a major
transformation as professional guilds have done in the past.
The choice of
direction is ours.
