What does it take to be a translator? : Macao (China) case study

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on the teaching and the learning of translation between Portuguese and Chinese languages, in Macao, and the Macao Polytechnic Institute’s role in the training of translators, since 1991[1] to 2004. Since the arrival of the Portuguese, more than four centuries ago, translation is deemed an essential condition for the functioning of institutions and people’s social life. Intercultural and interlinguistic contacts between the Portuguese and Chinese languages, today official languages, have compelled to translation efforts and the training of translators has been an area of primordial research. Over one century of experience in teaching translation, it is critical to analyze the translation labor market from the perspective of the professionals themselves, allowing to identify its characteristics and to figure out the future prospects; such analysis is essential for the curriculum design of translation training programs in line with the translators needs. Before the research we made the following assumptions: (1) the number of translators available in the market is insufficient but, every year, more graduates come to the market; (2) the local market is seeking translators and interpreters who are able to translate any document in any field, in both directions; (3) Macao Public Administration is the largest employer of Chinese-Portuguese translators and also the preferred place to work as a translator; (4) there is a significant number of translators that opt for another career, such as law or assume other duties not related with their studies. The main focus of this research is the vision of the translation professionals, since it aimed to identify the aspects considered by the translators themselves as the most relevant, and which must be taken into account by the higher education institutions in the translation curriculum design.

[1] The public higher education in Macao was created in 1991.