In November and December, many professional
associations, including those of translators, begin their annual membership
campaigns. In recent years, the results have been disheartening to one degree
or another. At least among translators, fewer and fewer freelancers choose to
join even their national association, let alone a foreign-based organization.
The reasons for this decline are both technical, economic and social. Yet,
joining a national professional association is, in fact, a way to address those
economic and social issues as well as to maintain creativity in the long term.
All freelancers should seek that connection for both their personal benefit and
the collective good.
Membership in professional associations is declining
in most fields due to changes in technology, economy and social structure. AI
is the mammoth in the China shop, reshaping the entire landscape of how
businesses, big and small, work. Clearly, most freelance translators do not
have a high degree of certainty about their own future or the future of the profession in
5-10 years. At the same time, rates continue to decline or remain static
while many translators are experiencing a decrease in volume, a deadly
combination. Paying association fees seems an ill-justified luxury. On a more
general scale, many younger professionals grew up with the Internet and
consider it their community, convenient and undemanding. The time and energy
demands of physical participation, even by Zoom, feel uncomfortable. It is far
easier and often more than sufficient in the short term to use one’s Internet
persona and make connections. Thus, many newer and
even not-so-new translators choose to avoid professional membership.
However, conversely, joining a professional
association is an effective response to those issues. First, as nobody seems to
understand exactly when and how to use AI, learning from the experience of
others in the same position provides a wide-angle and more comprehensive picture
of the situation at any given time. A word to the wise is sufficient. Furthermore,
even more than ever, associations bring work. More and more buyers, struggling
to identify worthy service suppliers in the chaos of the Internet, consult
professional associations, seeking some kind of certification or recognition to
help them in their choice of supplier. Personally, most of my new customers
have found me on association lists. Furthermore, the official recognition
allows freelancers to charge higher rates, increasing income. No less importantly,
in the long term, the major challenge for any freelancer is to maintain enthusiasm
and flexibility. Even if a participant at a conference technically learns
nothing new, they leave the event with renewed energy, the result of being
around so many talented people. Thus, professional associations actually help
freelancers deal with technology, find customers and grow professionally.
Therefore, I believe that when the going gets tough,
the tough get joining, gathering the strength, business and knowledge in
uncertain times. There is strength and synergy in numbers. I strongly recommend joining relevant
associations at all levels, local, national and foreign, and physically
participating in their events.
