Staying focused on the underlying issues
Post date: Jul 24, 2019 8:41:25 AM
There is no shortage of opinion and comment about the position of translation and interpreting in a post-Brexit universe. Here are a few examples:
https://www.capitatranslationinterpreting.com/translation-and-the-english-language-post-brexit/
https://www.languageinsight.com/blog/2019/how-will-brexit-impact-the-translation-industry/
It strikes me that, as the man said, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. There will be a period of huge uncertainty for businesses working with, and in, EU countries. There will be a period of churn in terms of our access to the EU market. Nobody knows how long this will last. Some businesses may struggle, or fail, as a result. But once we have made it through to the other side, to a situation in which we are able to trade under stable conditions with EU countries - and this will happen, eventually - the fundamental issues facing language professionals, such as recognition, working conditions, rates of pay, regulation, professional development, qualifications, etc., will not have gone away. If anything, they will have become even more urgent. So we need to maintain our focus on these issues throughout the current period of uncertainty, so that we are ready to face whatever the future holds.