Reskilling or upskilling? — that’s the question
In the last gathering (so called Stammtisch) of local translators, I’ve learnt that one of our long-standing members is leaving our profession. She acquired another academic degree while working as a translator and is now ready to take up a profession in a completely new field.
By no means is she an exception — in the current gloomy business climate I have witnessed that many fellow translators are seeking employment as in-house translators, editors, or teachers. Or younger ones — having still a long way to go until their retirement — even go through extensive requalification beyond the realm of translation.
Ongoing qualification, what Germans call “Weiterbildung“, is nothing new to our industry. We have learned to adopt a series of new technologies (CAT and glossary tools, DTP, html editing) or new quality aspects (ISO standards, SEO, translation in plain language). But all this learning remains within the framework of “upskilling”, i.e. improving your existing set of skills.
Those who can afford time to challenge something brand new, or rather who cannot afford to fight a losing battle, are jumping out of our trade into another.
Their career decision is somehow understandable. Yet, I cannot stop feeling it is a pity that their hard-earned skills as translators are now thrown into the waste bin.
What are the skills that enable us to survive as translators in the days of generative AI? 🤔 Any idea? (Yes, I am all for upskilling!)