Here's what ATA, the American Translators' Association, wrote in its newsletter sent out yesterday:
Thinking about whether to renew your ATA membership for 2009? For independent contractors and company owners alike, ATA membership is not a discretionary expense. It is essential to success in this market. Networking with your ATA colleagues lets you know where the jobs are and what others are doing in this tough economy. This is the time to stay informed, and ATA remains your best source of professional information.
I have come to consider ATA membership neither necessary nor essential to anything. I have had some serious concerns about the association for years, but time has finally come to bid them a fond farewell.
Now, what I am about to say here will look like sweeping generalizations, but please note that my comments, while, indeed, quite general in nature, should not reflect badly on all or specific ATA members.
ATA seems to be more an agencies' association, rather than one that supports the interests of freelance translators
Unlike Canadian associations, ATA membership is open to translation agencies. This creates an unnecessary conflict of interest. Can you imagine a labour union that would accept evil company bosses and other capitalist pigs into their fold? No, of course not.
Unfortunately, there have been many instances over the years that have thrown this conflict of interest in stark relief. On payment practices message boards and mailing lists, which freelancers around the world use to find out about the creditworthiness of translation agencies, I have seen tons of complaints about ATA member agencies that regularly fail to pay their freelance translators. Yet, despite official complaints made to the association's executive, ATA regularly accepts sponsorship money from such non-paying agencies for its own events, such as the annual conference or professional development seminars.
What is even worse, ATA's code of ethics does state that prompt payment to freelancers is a must, yet when translators complain to ATA that a member agency has not paid them, the usual advice from the association is to go "work it out amongst yourselves". Not only is this attitude unacceptable, but it also defeats the purpose of having, or belonging to, an association that is supposed to represent the interests of translators.
It is also this mingling with agencies that is the real reason why ATA keeps telling translators not to discuss their rates among themselves and/or in public, rather than the "fear" of being subjected to allegations or charges of price-fixing. All other professions (lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc.) and occupations (plumbers, bricklayers, carpenters, etc.) state their prices and rates openly. And let's not forget the labour unions: what is a collective agreement if not price fixing par excellence?
Those agency members wield considerable influence, and they are, naturally, afraid that they may have to pay higher – read: decent and professional – rates for the services of professional translators.
I still remember that one annual ATA conference years ago. I attended a presentation by a woman who managed an agency in Montréal. At one point in her presentation, as she explained how the process of dealing with clients and assigning jobs to translators worked at her agency, she mentioned that her agency charged a minimum flat fee for small jobs.
One of the ATA executives at the time, an agency owner, himself not known for punctual payment, according to various payment practices lists, jumped to his feet and screamed at the top of his lungs, "WE CANNOT DISCUSS RATES! HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO REMIND YOU PEOPLE?"
Of course, he was afraid that translators listening to the presentation would get the "silly idea" of charging agencies, like his, for example, a flat fee for small jobs. The nerve!
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