Demographers like categorising people and sticking labels to their personalities. They even think they can describe whole generations! Inspired by the theory of Generation X and Generation Y, I tried to find out if these differences apply to translators. But please note, I don’t really think that translators can be categorised by when they were born.
1. Communication
Generation Y: Can you imagine your life without a smartphone, iphone, BlackBerry or your tablet? Instant messaging and e-mails are the basic way of communication. Messages are short, brief and exchanged at lightspeed. Generation Y reacts fast, sometimes perhaps too hastily, and expects to receive replies immediately.
Generation X: Translators from generation X do write e-mails, but they are usually longer, well-structured and really are similar to traditional letters. However, they prefer personal contact or telephone conversation over digitalised means. They pay a lot of attention to spelling, punctuation and structure.
2. Social networking
Generation Y: active on Twitter and Facebook, enjoying social interaction and sometimes mixing up private and professional life. They don’t do it consciously. They just treat work as a part of their life with no clear boundaries.
Generation X: still values face to face contact over the Internet. Visiting Twitter and Facebook from time to time, mostly receiving information, not creating content. Generation X clearly divides private from professional.
3. Technology
Generation Y: relies fully on technology and automation. Uses all possible short cuts to save time while translating. Treats technology as commodity and competes on the market based on technological advantage. Sometimes thinks that machines are immortal and don’t have backup copies of their data. Uses technology as excuse when something goes wrong.
Generation X: uses technology, but keeps healthy distance. Translators from Generation X always keep copies of their documents and think of alternatives in case their laptop breaks or Internet is down. Treats technology as an additional tool, but can live without it.
4. Education
Generation Y: they usually do translation as their first degree and pick their specialisation pretty much off the cuff. They engage in CPD and develop their translation skills. Usually are convinced that can specialise in many fields.
Generation X: they have their first degree in a specific domain and do postgraduate degree in translation later. Are very specialised and develop within their chosen fields.
5. Pricing
Generation Y: are quite happy to work for less, being aware of fierce competition outside. Work on flexible rates, agree to negotiated lower fees. Usually work for agencies.
Generation X: have their rates and don’t change them very eagerly. Usually work with a set of dedicated, long-standing clients.
Do you agree with what demographers say? Can you categorise yourself?
Marta Stelmaszak
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1 Comment
I would add:
Gen X: They tend to idealize translation, think of themselves as intellectually superior to the rest of the world. They consider themselves gifted and oh-so-special.
Gen Y: They know they are just a tool for big corporations to make more money. They tend to have more real-life experience, rather than a long list of books read.