Today, a press release went out to announce the appointment of the new President of the American Translators Association, the largest association for translators and interpreters in the United States.
It included an excellent quote:
"Our services tend to be commoditized and it is the Association's objective to demonstrate that neither translation nor interpreting is a commodity. Just as knowing how to cook doesn't make you a chef, knowing another language doesn't make you an interpreter or translator. There's a lot more to it than that."
This quote nicely echoes perfectly a recent post from this blog, which stated, "Interpreting is anything but a commodity".
It's reassuring to know that the elected representative of 10,000 interpreters and translators is leading with this exact motto. Starting off on the right foot, indeed.
And, it's nice to think that the "discount store" mentality that plagues our industry may be on its way out. Once consumers have a better understanding of the major financial and legal risks posed by inadequate T&I services, they will be better able to make purchasing decisions using the right criteria. For this to happen, client education is key. Many clients base their decisions only on price, because they simply don't know any better. Slowly but surely, the word is getting out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Sometimes you come across a post like this one, and it makes you feel better. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I am glad to hear it!
Post a Comment