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Article published In: Translators’ and Interpreters’ Job Satisfaction
Edited by Minna Ruokonen, Elin Svahn and Anu Heino
[Translation Spaces 13:1] 2024
► pp. 7–31

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What do we know about translators’ job satisfaction?

An exploratory overview of research results

ORCiD logo with link | University of Eastern Finland
ORCiD logo with link | Stockholm University
Published online: 9 April 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.23019.ruo
Abstract
This article is an exploratory overview of research on translators’ job satisfaction (JS). We analyze the data (51 articles) for indications of (1) translators’ overall JS; (2) associations of overall JS with individual, job-intrinsic, job-extrinsic, societal, and background factors; (3) translators’ satisfaction with job-intrinsic, job-extrinsic, and societal aspects of their work. Translators’ overall JS in the data is fairly high, and it is linked to emotional intelligence, the nature of translating, autonomy, interpersonal relationships, status perceptions, working mode, gender, and experience. The translators studied are mostly happy with the job-intrinsic aspects, but their views on extrinsic and societal aspects are more divided. Gaps in research include individual factors (e.g., self-efficacy, personality traits), background factors (e.g., cultural and socio-economic differences), and the interaction of the different types of factors.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Method and material
    • 2.1Search process
    • 2.2Material
    • 2.3Categorization
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Translators’ overall job satisfaction
    • 3.2Individual factors
    • 3.3Job-intrinsic factors
    • 3.4Job-extrinsic factors
      • 3.4.1Correlations or causal links between JS and job-extrinsic factors
      • 3.4.2Satisfaction with job-extrinsic aspects
    • 3.5Societal factors related to translators’ job satisfaction
    • 3.6Background factors related to translators’ job satisfaction
      • 3.6.1Working mode
      • 3.6.2Specialization
      • 3.6.3Gender
      • 3.6.4Experience
      • 3.6.5Age
      • 3.6.6Education
  • 4.The JS in TS: Summary and discussion
  • Notes
  • References
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