Education, Experience and Translator Certification as Signaling Mechanisms
A case study of job advertisements in Hong Kong1
Published online: 1 April 2010
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.8.1.02cha
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.8.1.02cha
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.
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.
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.
Barber, A. E. (1998). Recruiting employees: Individual and organizational perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Becher, T. (1999). Professional practices: Commitment and capability in a changing environment. New Brunswick, NJ & London: Transaction.
Bogdan, R. & Biklen, S. K. (1992). Qualitative Research for Education: An introduction to theory and methods. London: Allyn & Bacon.
Boucau, F. (2006). The European Translation Markets: Updated facts and figures 2006–2010. Brussels, Belgium: European Union of Associations of Translation Companies.
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.
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.
Common Sense Advisory. (2007). “Ranking of top 20 translation companies for 2006”. Retrieved from [URL]
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.
Hong Kong SAR Government. (2005). Hong Kong Yearbook 2005. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
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.
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.
(2005). “Teaching of specialized translation courses in Hong Kong: A curricular analysis”. Babel 51(1): 62–77.
Lie, R. S. C. (1995). Commercial translation. In Chan S.-W. & Pollard D. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Translation, 95–109. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.
Liu, C.-C. (1998). A comparative study of translation syllabuses at tertiary level in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Lingnan College.
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.
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.
O’Hagan, M. (1996). The coming industry of teletranslation: Overcoming communication barriers through telecommunication. Clevedon, UK & Philadelphia, PA: Multilingual Matters.
Pokorn, N. K. (2005). Challenging the traditional axioms: Translation into a non-mother tongue. Amsterdam & Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
Robinson, D. (2003). Becoming a translator: An introduction to the theory and practice of translation. London & New York: Routledge.
Schäffner, C. (ed.). (2000). Translation in the global village. Clevedon, United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters.
Smelser, N. J. & Baltes, P. B. (2001). International encyclopedia of social and behavioral sciences. Oxford: Elsevier Science.
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.
Society of Japanese Language Education, Hong Kong. (2007). “Japanese Language Proficiency Test: Frequently Asked Questions”. Retrieved from [URL]
Cited by (2)
Cited by two other publications
العتيبي, هاني مقعد, نايف العنزي, عامر قبطي & حسين أبو رياش
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 9 december 2025. 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.
