Työelämän tutkimuspäivät 5.–6.11.2015
Työryhmä: Kehittämistä hankkeen vai työpaikkojen tarpeisiin? Tulokset vitriiniin vai
hyödyksi arkeen? – Tutkimuksen ja käytännön vuoropuhelulla kestävään
kehittämistoimijuuteen
Taru Virtanen
Helsingin yliopisto
[email protected]
What makes a government translator tick – exploring the
sense of status, job satisfaction and work engagement
among government English language translators in
Finland
1. Introduction
The focus of my doctoral thesis is on the sense of status, job satisfaction and possible
work engagement as perceived among the government English language translators in
Finland.
In 2008, Professors Helle V. Dam and Karin K. Zethsen from the Aarhus University stated
that, by then, translator status as an independent topic had not been given proper
consideration in translation studies. In their opinion, there was a clear lack of systematic
and thorough empirical investigation of the topic. Dam and Zethsen also concluded that,
in the light of earlier international studies, translators in general felt that their work was
not valued and that they constituted a peripheral group in terms of expertise and interest.
And more disturbingly, the perception seemed to be shared widely among those who
requested or purchased translation services, too. (Dam & Zethsen 2008, 71–73.)
To be able to examine translator status on the basis of empirical data, Dam and Zethsen
conducted four questionnaire-based studies among different groups of professional
translators in Denmark: company, agency, freelance and EU translators. In 2014, they
summed up their findings as this:
A general picture has emerged from our empirical data: translators see themselves
as having relatively low status, they consider themselves to be experts to a very
large degree, but they do not feel recognized as such (Dam & Zethsen 2014, 263).
Based on my personal experience as a government translator, discussions with
colleagues, and feedback from the government translation service users, I find the
conclusion somewhat difficult to accept. Undoubtedly, the government translators in
Finland also encounter moments of depreciation, dissatisfaction and disappointment but
the overall impression of the profession and professional status seems to be somewhat
less depressing.
In this light, my basic assumption is that the hypotheses and claims of the earlier studies
with regard to perceived translator status do not hold in the context of the Finnish
government. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to investigate translator status as
perceived among the government English translators and identify and describe factors
that contribute to the experienced level of professional status. Furthermore, and perhaps
even more interestingly, the objective is also to establish to what extent translator status
is linked to the sense of job satisfaction and discuss the reasons behind the discerned
interconnections. An attempt will also be made to examine whether the data gives
indications of work engagement which from “a purely scientific perspective, [...] can be
defined as a unique positive, fulfilling, work related state of mind that is characterized by
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vigor, dedication, and absorption” (Schaufeli 2013, 24). In this connection, particular
attention will be given to role and impact of the translators’ own action and initiative.
Based on the findings, the overall aim is to predict whether similar factors and similar
actions in different circumstances could generate similar results (transferability). In other
words, what makes a government English translator tick and – at the same time –
enables him or her to fulfil the requirements set for the pace, reliability and high quality
of the work.
The main focus of the study is restricted to government translators with English as their
main working language. The reason for limiting the scope to English translators was that
their employment and duties within the Finnish government have in no point of history
been regulated and guaranteed by statutes or statutory requirements as, in turn, is the
case of both Swedish and Russian translators. This will facilitate the exclusion of factors
that might provide the respondents with an externally imposed sense of status or
position. The Swedish and Russian translators are, however, included in the research
as a comparison group.
2. Theoretical framework
The study falls within the field of the sociology of translation in which translation is
considered as a social activity and a product of the translation process which are affected
not only by the translators but also, among other things, by their expertise, attitudes,
operating environment, and professional status. It also places importance to the voice of
the translators and other participants included in the process and centres on the cultural
and social nature of translation in the given context (Fukari & Wolf 2007, 4). Therefore,
the approach provides opportunities for examining the significance and impact of the
operating environment and the translators’ own action on the construction of professional
status and on their sense of job satisfaction and possible work engagement within
government where the main task is not that of translating.
However, due to the chosen research question, it would be futile to approach the data
solely with the theories of translation studies. They may be useful in explaining certain
aspects of the research findings, such as relations between translators’ work methods
and the quality or quantity of output, but they will not allow to explain factors behind the
experienced levels of job satisfaction and work engagement.
For that reason, it is inevitable that a successful analysis of the data calls for an
interdisciplinary theoretical approach based on theories from the field of occupational
research and that of the sociology of translation. I am currently in the process of trying
to establish which research framework would provide the most appropriate means of
illustrating and explaining factors that promote and/or downgrade the translators’ sense
of status, job satisfaction and possible work engagement in the given operating
environment. By doing so, I hope that the results may reveal new avenues for supporting
job satisfaction and work engagement in similar kinds of occupational settings and, thus,
have impact beyond the central administration.
One of the fundamental characteristics of the present study is that it is based on reflexive
research since I, as a researcher, am also part of the professional community under
investigation. By definition, reflexivity implies that “In carrying out qualitative research, it
is impossible to remain ‘outside’ our subject matter; our presence, in whatever form, will
have some kind of effect. Reflexive research takes account of this researcher
involvement.” (Anderson 2008) By acknowledging and reflecting on the influence of this
‘involvement’, it will be possible to approach and build up knowledge about a particular
research question. The present study is based on a framework which combines and
entwines a reflexive approach with a systematic and in-depth analysis of interviews,
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questionnaires, relevant official documents, related research literature and earlier
empirical studies.
3. Data collection and respondents
The data for the present study was collected by two methods: (i) structured individual
interviews with open ended questions and (ii) a questionnaire using a five-point Likertstyle scale. The interviews were conducted in March-July 2013 and the questionnaire
survey in October-November 2014. The respondents of the mixed-method study are
government in-house translators, that is to say, translators employed by the Finnish
ministries. Use will also be made of the data collected by a study among the document
translator section of the Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL) in
2011 and the “Kaikki hyvin työssä” survey conducted every second year among
government employees by the State Treasury.
To be able to draw parallels with the results of the Danish studies, it was important to
ensure a sufficient match between the respondent profiles. Therefore, as in the Danish
studies, the selection was limited to translators holding a full-time permanent position
and having translation as their main occupation. The interview questions were based on
the factors that the Danish studies had established as central in the assessment of
professional status (pay, education/expertise, visibility and influence) but aimed at a
more detailed and personal level of information. The present study also included
questions relating to wellbeing at work and job satisfaction. (Dam & Zethsen 2008, 2009,
2011, 2012.)
In connection with the interviews, the respondents also filled in an information sheet
relating to their age, experience, education, expertise, and membership in professional
organisations. With this background information, it will be possible to draw certain
conclusions of the interviewees as a group and see whether any of these factors signal
a strong correlation with the answers provided during the interviews. The total number
of interviewees was sixteen.
The questionnaire, on the other hand, made part of a wider, national level electronic
survey initiated by Minna Ruokonen from the University of Eastern Finland in 2013. The
questionnaire was, to a large extent, based on the questions devised by the Danish
researchers. The objective was to collect comparable data on translator status from the
Finnish context. In the first phase, in October 2014, the questionnaire was opened only
to government translators. This was done to obtain data that could be used exclusively
for the purposes of the present study. Out of 72 government translators 28 filled in the
questionnaire – this time translators into Swedish and Russian were also invited to
participate.
In addition to the interviews and the questionnaire, reference will also be made to the
administrative and statutory framework that has necessitated, governed and shaped the
employment of translators within the Finnish Government over the past three centuries.
The aim is to describe societal and legislative developments that have affected the
emergence and development of the government in-house translation services on the
basis of earlier research, legal documents and various government reports that either
focus or touch on the government translation services. This will make it possible to
explain factors that have influenced the status of government English translators within
central government. This may cast some light to the perceived sense of job satisfaction
but only from a limited viewpoint that stems from the translators’ relative professional
standing among the government employees, or their rank as it was referred to in the 19th
century.
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4. Preliminary conclusions
According to a very precursory examination of the data, the situation would indeed seem
to be strikingly different among the government translators in Finland – in view of both
the empirical Danish studies and the general opinion of the situation. The government
translators perceive their professional status relatively high and find their work both
meaningful and fulfilling. The results are interesting and informative as such and enable
to draw parallels and comparisons with the earlier conducted studies. However,
statistical analyses and comparisons with the earlier quantitative results do not bring us
any closer to explaining the most consistent and concrete reasons behind the
government translators’ experienced sense of job satisfaction and features of work
engagement. Therefore, to be able to provide new insight into the subject, my aim is to
identify the reasons behind this state of affairs on the basis of the interview data and
explain, within the framework of occupational research, the main factors that contribute
to job satisfaction and glimpses of work engagement among this particular group of
translation professionals.
At the same time, it is interesting to take note of the reality in which the government
translators conducted their daily work at the time of collecting the research data. The
Finnish Ministry of Finance stated in the summary of its Economic Survey in autumn
2013 that “growth will remain slow because of low employment levels, balance sheet
adjustments in both the household and public sector, and persistently low
competitiveness. The financial and debt crisis has eroded the euro area’s growth
potential. The US economy is continuing on its path of slow recovery. World trade growth
remains exceptionally sluggish.” And as we all know, the situation has not improved since
that time. How is it then possible that this unquestionably negative atmosphere and
outlook is not reflected in the level of job satisfaction and work engagement among the
government translators who read and translate related texts every day? Where does
their sense of job satisfaction and work engagement come from?
According to a Dutch study, people who make effort to craft their jobs are also able to
affect their own work engagement (Bakker, Tims & Derks 2012, 1360). The data of the
present study suggests a very prominent link between job crafting and the experienced
level of job satisfaction and indications of work engagement. This, together with the
concepts of meaningful and sustainable work, might elucidate and provide answers to
the established research question.
I must admit that, in this phase of the process, I find the words of Professor Keijo
Räsänen very comforting: “Ammattilainen on oman työnsä paras tuntija, vaikka hänkään
ei aina ymmärrä, missä oikein on mukana ja miksi.” (A professional knows best his or
her own work, although even he or she does not always understand in what he or she is
involved and why.) (Räsänen & Trux 2012, 10). This encourages me to continue on my
chosen research path.
Key words: translator status, job satisfaction, work engagement, job crafting, government
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