Cover not available
Article published In:
FORUM
Vol. 8:1 (2010) ► pp.37–54

Education, Experience and Translator Certification as Signaling Mechanisms

A case study of job advertisements in Hong Kong1

| Division of Language Studies City University of Hong Kong
Alors que la demande en services de traduction a augmenté à cause de la mondialisation et de l’essor des technologiques de l’information et des communications, le caractère généralisé de l’usage d’Internet a également accru l’incertitude en matière d’embauche et, par conséquent, les coÛts de la recherche de traducteurs compétents. Afin d’examiner les effets indicateurs de la scolarité, de l’expérience et de l’agrément en traduction dans le processus de recrutement, Hong Kong a fait l'objet d'une étude de cas. Parmi les constats dégagés, mentionnons la fragmentation du marché de la traduction; le bas statut professionnel des traducteurs; le caractère généralisé de la traduction dans une deuxième langue; la surdépendance des employeurs envers le niveau de scolarisation comme indicateur de recrutement; une ignorance relative des divers agréments du domaine de la traduction; et l'importance accordée à l'expérience professionnelle et les connaissances en informatique. Même si le corpus de l’étude ne reflète que le marché de la traduction à Hong Kong, il pourrait s’en dégager des situations générales en matière de recrutement de traducteurs dans d'autres pays et régions bilingues.
Keywords: signaling, translation market, Professional translators, corpus of job advertisements, professionalization
Published online: 1 April 2010
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.8.1.02cha
References (34)
Ahlsvad, K. J. (1978). Translating into the translator’s non-primary language. In Horguelin, P. A. (ed.), Translating, A Profession: Proceedings of the Eighth World Congress of the International Federation of Translators, 183–188. Paris and Ottawa: Federation Internationale des Traducteurs and Conseil des traducteurs et interprètes du Canada.Google Scholar
Arora, A. & Gambardella, A. (2004). The globalization of the software industry: Perspectives and opportunities for developed and developing countries. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series, Number 10538. Stanford, CA: National Bureau of Economic Research. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barber, A. E. (1998). Recruiting employees: Individual and organizational perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Becher, T. (1999). Professional practices: Commitment and capability in a changing environment. New Brunswick, NJ & London: Transaction.Google Scholar
Bogdan, R. & Biklen, S. K. (1992). Qualitative Research for Education: An introduction to theory and methods. London: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Boucau, F. (2006). The European Translation Markets: Updated facts and figures 2006–2010. Brussels, Belgium: European Union of Associations of Translation Companies.Google Scholar
Bowker, L. (2004). What does it take to work in the translation profession in Canada in the 21st century? Exploring a database of job advertisements. Meta, 49 (4), 960–972. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Campbell, S. (1998). Translation into the second language. New York: Addison Wesley Longman. Google Scholar
Civil Service Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government. (2003). “Official Languages Agency responds to press report”. 20 January 2003. Retrieved from [URL]
Cohen, A. C. and Cohen, D. J. (2001). Truncated and censored samples: Theory and applications. New York: Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Common Sense Advisory. (2007). “Ranking of top 20 translation companies for 2006”. Retrieved from [URL]
Cronin, M. (2003). Translation and globalization. London & New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Greening, D. W. and Turban, D. B. (2000). Corporate social performance as a competitive advantage in attracting a quality workplace. Business and Society, 39(3), 254–280. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hong Kong SAR Government. (2005). Hong Kong Yearbook 2005. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.Google Scholar
Japan Corporate News. (2008). “Launch of Robert Walters Asia Job Index: Hong Kong posts second quarterly rise in job advertisements, Singapore down slightly quarter on quarter”. 25 July 2008. Retrieved from [URL]
Kelly, D., Nobs, M.-L., Sánchez, D. & Way, C. (2003). La traducción ‘inversa’ en la bibliografía de la traductología. In Kelly, D., Martin, A., Nobs, M. L., Sánchez, D. & Way, C. (eds.) La Direccionalidad en Traducción e Interpretación. Perspectivas Teóricas, Profesionales y Didácticas, 21–32. Granada, Spain: Editorial Atrio.Google Scholar
Lee, P.-T. (2006). Japanese culture in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.Google Scholar
Li, D. (1999). “Tailoring translation programs to social needs: A survey of professional translators”. Presented at Translation in Hong Kong: Past, Present and Future. March 17-19, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Lie, R. S. C. (1995). Commercial translation. In Chan S.-W. & Pollard D. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Translation, 95–109. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.Google Scholar
Lise, W. (1997). Machine translation: Is it working in Japan?. Language International, 9(1): 27–35.Google Scholar
Liu, C.-C. (1998). A comparative study of translation syllabuses at tertiary level in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Lingnan College.Google Scholar
McAlester, G. (2000). The time factor: A practical evaluation criterion. In M. Grosman, M.K., Kovačič I. & Snell-Hornby M. (eds.), Translation into Non-Mother Tongues: In Professional Practice and Training, 133–139. Tübingen, Germany: Stauffenburg Verlag.Google Scholar
Monopolies Commission, United Kingdom. (1970). A Report on the General Effect on the Public Interest of Certain Restrictive Practices So Far as They Prevail in Relation to the Supply of Professional Services. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.Google Scholar
O’Hagan, M. (1996). The coming industry of teletranslation: Overcoming communication barriers through telecommunication. Clevedon, UK & Philadelphia, PA: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Pokorn, N. K. (2005). Challenging the traditional axioms: Translation into a non-mother tongue. Amsterdam & Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Robinson, D. (2003). Becoming a translator: An introduction to the theory and practice of translation. London & New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schäffner, C. (ed.). (2000). Translation in the global village. Clevedon, United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Smelser, N. J. & Baltes, P. B. (2001). International encyclopedia of social and behavioral sciences. Oxford: Elsevier Science.Google Scholar
Snell-Hornby, M. (1997). “Released from the grip of empire: Lingua franca as target culture”. In La palabra vertida. Investigaciones en torno a la traducción, M. A. Vega and R. Martín-Gaitero, eds. Madrid:Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 45–56.Google Scholar
Society of Japanese Language Education, Hong Kong. (2007). “Japanese Language Proficiency Test: Frequently Asked Questions”. Retrieved from [URL]
Spence, A. M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics 87(3), 355–374. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1974). Market signaling: Informational transfer in hiring and related screening processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.Google Scholar
Weiss, A. (1995). Human capital vs. signaling explanations of wages. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(4), 133–54. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Li, Xiangdong
2022. Identifying in-demand qualifications and competences for translation curriculum renewal: a content analysis of translation job ads. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 16:2 ► pp. 177 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 7 september 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.