Are professional bodies worth the effort?

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Most would-be translators find online communities of translators such as Proz or Translators Cafe pretty early on in their career. They fill out the necessary forms, create the relevant profiles and spend hours lurking on the discussion boards. But I’m always surprised at how few students and starters take the time to join one of the proper associations for professional translators, such as the UK’s CIOL or ITI.

I know the application process is decidedly offline and I know it involves contacting colleagues to provide references. But remember, nothing worth having is easy. These associations are in a league of their own when it comes to honing your craft and engaging with the profession. They usually do a pretty good job of outlining the key benefits of membership for themselves (examples here, here and here), but there are other benefits that are not quite as obvious:

• Being accepted for membership gives you a sense of validation. This is because professional bodies often (and quite rightly) have demanding membership requirements. When you meet them, it can give your confidence a well-deserved and very welcome boost. Also, while the extra letters after your name won’t necessarily impress your clients (see proviso below), they may give you a little extra kudos among family and friends. “Hmm, maybe she does do a little more than just potter about the house, then…”

• Membership is valued by exactly the kind of clients you want – that is, those who are aware of what it means to be a translator, and are therefore more likely to be prepared to pay a fair rate for your services.

• It’s a great way to build relationships with other translators. There’s a lot more value in this than you might think. After word of mouth, my second most important source of work has been other translators. It’s a welcome surprise to see how willing others are to pass work your way and give you a chance to prove yourself. Even more satisfying is the feeling you get when you are in a position to pay it back and do the same for other translators.

• You have instant access to a vast body of experts. No matter what translation, business or freelance-related problem you are facing, chances are you have access to someone who has already been through it and is more than happy to offer advice. Even better, it is often country and/ or language specific – invaluable when it comes to sorting out your tax or banking issues, for example. And as there are no A N Others about, information is likely to be a lot more reliable and transparent.

• Professional bodies may be good for your social life. Freelance translation is a pretty solitary pursuit, however if meeting people is a top priority, then joining a translation association probably isn’t the only thing you want to do to help with this. You may have to travel far and wide to attend events, some associations are more active than others and each group is will be as different as the people in it. Saying that, I know a couple of recently established translators who have found themselves happily entrenched in the social scene of two of the ITI’s Regional Networks. But it’s probably best to think of an influx of invites as an added bonus, rather than a key benefit.

A few provisos though: remember, you don’t have to agree with everything that goes on and you don’t have to take any one association’s view on the profession as gospel. Professional membership does not make you a better translator, nor in my experience is it a unique selling point in itself (there are too many members out there, and most will be more experienced than you). But joining is a must if you’re serious about being a translator.

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