Piilokääntäjät esiin! Paraprofessionaalinen kääntäminen suomalaisessa työelämässä

Abstract

<p>In this paper, we investigate the contexts, frequency, and actors of paraprofessional translatorial action in Finland through three pilot studies. The results of our two surveys and one job advertisement analysis indicate that paraprofessional translation is common across sectors and fields and performed under a wide variety of job titles. While translation rarely features explicitly in job advertisements for non-translator positions, we were able to uncover examples of, for example, communications, marketing, and secretarial roles in which translation was a named task. However, when we surveyed professionals of diverse fields, we discovered that translatorial action was in fact extremely common in expert professions and ranged from simple exchanges to demanding tasks such as the translation of highly specialised texts into an L2. Journalists are a common and increasingly researched example of an expert group that produces great amounts of texts through a translatorial process. While research has sometimes pointed to a lack of awareness and identification of translation among journalists, the pilot group in our study was predominantly aware of its significance. Furthermore, in an analysis of the languages involved, we found support for the key role of the English language in the Finnish working life.<br></p>