Virtanen, Taru
(Helsingin yliopisto, 2019)
ABSTRACT
As independent topics, translator status and job satisfaction have not attracted very much research before the 2010s. In light of the previous research, the perceptions of translator status have been low among both translators and people outside the profession. At the same time, however, translators would seem to enjoy their work. The present study drew on these apparently inconsistent findings. Consequently, the aim was to examine the perceptions of translator status and job satisfaction among the English translators employed by Finnish government ministries and to map factors underlying these perceptions.
The study falls within the scope of the sociology of translation where translation and translators are studied in light of the social context and social phenomena pertinent to the chosen object of study. The main research orientation is that of a case study research design due to the explicit and in-depth focus on a contemporary phenomenon within a clearly defined real-life context.
The study is based on two sets of data: the primary set of data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews among the government English translators in 2013 (n=16). The secondary set of data is based on an online questionnaire administered among all government translators in 2014 (n=28). In addition, the sources of research data include statutes, archival records, government reports, statistics, minutes of meetings, and the ministries’ websites and internal instructions.
Both the quantitative and qualitative results indicated that translator status in society was perceived to be low by the examined government translators. At the same time, they considered their own translator status at the workplace very high. Some of this difference could be explained based on the status parameters applied in the previous research (income, expertise, visibility, power). However, a thematic analysis of the interview data demonstrated that the government English translators’ perceptions of their personal workplace status was affected by a wide array of other factors, too – such as the level of personal contacts and opportunities for cooperation, work autonomy, and a sense of inclusion and meaningfulness.
The government English translators also considered that the level of their job satisfaction was good, that their jobs were characterised by a wide range of job resources and that they were in a position to influence their occupational circumstances through job crafting.
The results suggest that qualitative research on translators’ perceptions of translator status and job satisfaction would be useful among different kinds of translator groups, too. Such research could target, for example, work engagement, the sociocognitive processes pertinent to translation, and the role of professional networks. All this would provide wider insight into the factors and mechanisms that determine and shape translators’ status perceptions and job satisfaction and, by doing so, produce new information on the factors that support translators’ physical and psychological wellbeing at work.