Freelance translation in existential transition? When career change seems to have the last word. : A study of the determinants and career change trajectories of freelance translators in Belgium.

Details

Supervisors

Lefer, Marie-Aude ; Girletti, Sabrina

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en traduction, à finalité spécialisée: traduction et audiovisuel

Abstract

enThis master’s dissertation examines the professional satisfaction of freelance (or self-employed) translators, as well as the factors that lead them to undertake a career change process. It has three main objectives. The first objective is to define the concepts of job satisfaction and task satisfaction, and then to provide an overview of the job satisfaction of freelance translators based on existing literature, in order to highlight the factors that generate dissatisfaction, which may in turn lead to career change. The second objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of career change through an in-depth review of the literature in work and organizational psychology and to examine the strong link between this process and overall job satisfaction. Finally, the third objective is to investigate how the factors identified in the literature are reflected in the career change narratives of self-employed translators in French-speaking Belgium. To this end, a qualitative approach was adopted and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of this study demonstrated that dissatisfaction related to both extrinsic and intrinsic factors encountered by freelance translators forms a backdrop that sometimes directly leads to career change. The analysis of career change trajectories also showed that the current working conditions in the profession have not had the same impact, as other factors related to more individual needs have also proved to be equally or even more determinant.