A new concept perhaps: "adjunct translator"? (Being independent)

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A new concept perhaps: "adjunct translator"?
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A new concept perhaps: "adjunct translator"?

Thread poster: Malik Beytek (X)

Malik Beytek (X)
Local time: 02:35

Oct 3, 2006

I'm curious how the community of professional translators would feel about this conceptualization "adjunct translator". Google returns null set to these key words.

I was obviously inspired by the position of "adjunct professor" at universities. There is a proposed definition and sufficient elaboration for that term on this wikipedia page with URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjunct_professor

Briefly, however, and basically, an adjunct professor is an outsider to the university and his or her responsibilities are typically limited to an assignment of teaching a particular course during a specific academic period.

In terms of a possible analogy to translation sector, from the position of adjunct professor in higher education sector, the aspect I whish to focus, at this time, at least, is this -- it is really a matter of stark contrast between the two sectors:

In higher education sector, the outsider (adjunct professor) teaches very much under control of insiders (full professors)-- the insiders set the rules.

In translation sector, the "outsider", the fellow who does translation even though he or she is not "professional translator"(*), does so without the professional translators even knowing about it in any specific manner.

University professors want adjuncts because the adjuncts bring teaching capacity that improves quality of education without increasing teaching load of professors, so that they have time for research, administrative duties, conference activity, sabbatical leave, etc.

An "adjunct translator" would be, I guess, a sufficiently well qualified freelancer who (a) engages in translation on a part time basis or on an on-and-off basis and (b) works with or in close contact with "full time professional translators" most of the time, in this or that organizational setting (rather than working directly with clients or through not-so-well-established translation agencies, i.e. the ones that do not employ full time professional translators who have a concern for quality and well being of the translation sector).

Now a specific question:

How would the users / members of proz.com feel about someone's wielding the username "adjunct"? (Nobody seems to have that username at this time.)

(*) OK, if someone does translation then s/he is translator but is s/he necessarily "professional translator"? ▲ Collapse

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A new concept perhaps: "adjunct translator"?

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