The Indian Translators Meet 2005

Many issues were discussed, highlighted and proposed in the Indian Translators Meet this year. This article highlights the issue the participants of the Meet currently plan to focus on and provides an insight on the future, as proposed by the professionals of this rising sector.

The growing translation industry in India received a great boost with the organization of the Indian Translators Meet 2005 on the 17th of September in New Delhi. The interest evinced by leading linguists, acclaimed academics and representatives from some of India’s best-known multinationals stands as proof to the importance of this forum as a catalyst to changes to come. The Chief Guest, Mr. R. Vishwanathan, the Head of the Latin American Division at the Ministry of External Affairs, a stalwart in the field , emphasized the increased need of translation agencies to constantly upgrade translation skills through the adaptation of ever-changing technologies and tools”. He urged the translation community to come forward in favor of making the field of translation a recognized profession.

Many other renowned professionals lent their voice to the Meet. Mr. Anil K Dhingra, an Associate Professor at the Centre of Spanish Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, stated that the knowledge of two languages does not alone qualify an individual as a translator as the adequate form of training would prove to be a decisive factor as well. Mr. Sanjay Ray, a certified Russian English Translator, underlined the issues that currently plague many translation professionals. While he stated the lack of recognition and respect accorded to translation as a profession was a major issue, he listed poor networking and inter-communication among professionals as other issues for the poor visibility of the industry currently. Technological awareness of new tools and techniques, he went on to say, along with exchange of client-based information to weed out incidents of fraudulence, would also enhance the viability of this industry.

The great bulk of the Indian translation community is wholly freelance. Mr. Ashok Bagri, a managing partner at Trans Infopreneur Inc, spoke about the relationship between translators and translating companies. Speaking about the roles of translating agencies, he said that it is the responsibility of these companies to perform value addition to the tasks they take up and the output from translators. He also commented that the current scope of most companies limits itself as a go-between between clients and translators and hardly offers any value added services.

To generate awareness of the capabilities of developing technologies in the work of translators, Mr. Vishal Dhakoliya, exhibited Microsoft’s premier productivity programs suite, Microsoft Office 2003, which comes fully configured in Indian languages, as a facilitator to the requirements of Indian translators. While giving a presentation on Microsoft Office 2003, Dhakoliya explained various features and tools that can help translators easily type and edit content in any of the major Indian languages, even if the user is not conversant with the use of language specific key-board. The showcasing of Office 2003 highlighted the necessity to focus energies and empower the translator community using Indic language computing technology. The development of the Indian translation industry to the fullest extent possible would be one of economic necessity and a task of social relevance.

Participants and speakers at the Indian Translators Meet 2005 discussed issues like the proposed steps necessary to upgrade the quality and efficiency levels of the translators’ work, scientific methods at managing taxation slabs applicable and benefits due to workers in the translation industry and the identity crisis faced by translators in the present circumstances. A prominent feature of the Meet was the proposal towards the formation of the Indian Translators Association, an agency that would govern and address the issues that translators would, and currently, face. The association would provide a level of accreditation as a benchmark of quality to the works of translators. While accreditation would serve to increase the satisfaction level of any client seeking services of language professionals with wide-ranging ramifications for practicing linguists to enhance credibility and assisting growth.

The Meet, as well as the proposed association, would help promote the interests of a largely isolated, mostly unrepresented body of professionals by providing a forum for information exchange and sharing. A broad consensus was arrived at to develop a methodology to grade translators as per skills and experience to assist in the maintenance and quality improvement of the output of Indian translators. With the culmination of the Indian Translators Meet 2005, the stage is set towards a virtual revolution towards the reorganization and recognition of a sector that promises tremendous potential, both in terms of growth and economic significance. The focus of the Indian translation industry should thus be towards structural reorganization and the harnessing of technology to emerge in its fullest extent in the years to come.

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