Group 1

Subject: Intership 1
GVHD: Triều Nguyễn Quỳnh Như
Members: Dương Thế Trọng-1957012014
Lê Võ Thùy Dương-1957012008
Phạm Hữu Khôi-1957012010
Võ Xuân Vĩnh- 1957010376

Group intership report

Topic: Pricing issues in tranlation profession

With the rapid development of Vietnam in its integration into the global economy,
translation service sees itself as a booming business as the need for communication
across the language barrier continues to rise. However, the growth in this field also
results in more challenges, and various problems have emerged, such as dumping prices.
Establishing a fixed price in the translation business in Vietnam is currently faced with
three major issues which are the imbalance between workload and payment, as well as
the fierce competition between companies in the business. However, this phenomenon
could be resolved with thoughtful preparations from translators themselves, prompt
actions from the government, and cooperation among translation companies.

The first price issue is the disproportion between remuneration and workload amount,
which is one of the most common trade issues of the translation profession. For
translators, their job is to receive difficult or specialized texts that require them to spend a
great deal of time studying the relevant topic to grasp a good understanding as well as the
vocabulary used in the text so that they can translate it properly. For example, if
translators receive a project which specializes in engineering, they might have to search
for the meaning of vocabulary related to this topic. Then, they also proofread all the text
to make sure that there are no mistakes, which is a time-consuming process. For
interpreters, they usually perform under high-pressure situations, demanding both their
mental and physical strength in order to stay focused and be proactive. When interpreting
for two people with different mother tongues, for instance, they have to ensure the
conversation between two sides happens smoothly. If not, misunderstandings may be
likely to happen, causing troubles in delivering the right message for both sides.
Generally, in Vietnam, translators and interpreters enthusiastically devote themselves to
their careers but the remuneration they receive is not enough. This can be seen in the fact
that although many are often required to work overtime, the effort does not often pay off.

On top of that, price competition among translation companies is also another reason
making translator’s remuneration unstable. Translation companies compete with others
by decreasing translation costs to attract more customers. As a result, the employed
translators will likely get paid low wages. This poses a detrimental effect on the business
as other companies may follow their competitors to keep up with the trend and further
injure the price, especially when the translation business is not under the protection of
anti-dumping law in Vietnam. Furthermore, the situation is increasingly exacerbated with
the presence of foreign companies in the international market where the price is more
appealing. Foreign companies present a tough challenge for the domestic ones. The
wages in a foreign company are most likely equal or higher than those from a domestic
company since they operate on a global scale and thus must follow the international
market and its standards. And even if the wages are slightly lower, working in an
international organization means better opportunities and connections as well as a good
label in one’s CV.

For the problem of the unfairness between translation workload and payment, there are
several strategies translators can employ to handle it. First of all, if the translation
workload is slowing, diversifying into other translation-related professions is worth
considering. For example, using proofreading and localization services for articles is a
great approach to improve the quality of the translation. Besides, by evaluating their
unique skills and experiences, translators will certainly find even more options to extend
their own business. This helps them to identify their strengths and weaknesses so that
they can know exactly which project is most suitable for them to take. Moreover, another
skill that a translator should hone is to learn to negotiate a secure contract for both sides.
The ultimate objective should be to build a loyal customer base that will bring consistent
employment. Translators may spend less unpaid time attempting to attract new clients
and more time working on paid projects. For example, in the contract, translators can
offer some terms in which they will produce a particular amount of labor each month and
the customers can get compensated if mistakes happen.

As for the competition between translation companies, there are several ways to tackle
this problem. First, it is necessary for the government to implement suitable policies
regarding price to create a friendly and fair environment for these companies to operate.
For example, the government could introduce a policy in which there will be fixed prices
for all kinds of translation services whereby if one violates this policy, they will be
punished by paying a fine. On top of that, establishing a network of translation companies
is also an ideal way to promote positive competition among translation agencies. By
doing this, they can not only stimulate the cooperative spirit but also promote healthy
competition in terms of price in the market. This can be done by translation companies
conducting a contract involving specific terms that one has to offer a standardized price,
but in turn, they will receive other benefits such as using resources from the others for
their next translation project.

In conclusion, balancing the price in the field of translation has become increasingly a
painful issue, in which there is an unfairness between how much people earn and their
workload’s amount as well as the fierce competition between translation companies in the
market. In order to improve this situation, for translators and interpreters themselves, they
should make specific provisions with their clients, constantly enrich their expertise and
knowledge, and get advice from experienced colleagues. To a larger extent, it is
important for the government to formulate relevant policies to promote healthy
competition and translation companies also cooperate with each other by creating a
network. By doing these things, the future of translation in Vietnam will be definitely
brighter, thereby not only creating favorable conditions for people pursuing this
profession but also making great contributions to society, especially in the era of
international integration. (1000 words)