Lost in Translation? How is Business Model Canvas Used Among Translators and Interpreters in Finland
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2019
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management
Language
en
Pages
60+21
Series
Abstract
We read books and novels that are translations, watch movies and TV series with subtitles, read translated manuals when setting up a new device, even hear dubbed advertisements. Even though translations surround us, the person behind these texts is left unnoticed: the translator. One main theme of this thesis is to shed light on the translators and interpreters. According to the statistics, 48 percent of published fiction titles and 63 percent of children’s and youth books were translations in 2016 in Finland. Still, translators feel that their work is not appreciated enough, and speed is seen as the most important factor instead of quality. The idea behind this thesis is to bring more respect to this field of business. The percentage of self-employed people in translation industry is higher than the average in Finland. The industry is clearly female-dominated (74 percent of the people in the industry are women), and the industry has highly educated workers (75 percent have at least a lower degree in higher education, even though no degree is required by law). Even though the education level is high, the average income in the field is lower than the average in all industries (expect when working for the state). But how to bring respect to the field? One way is to take a look at the business models created by the self-employed translators and interpreters. The focus on this thesis is especially on Osterwalder and Pigneur’s Business Model Canvas: has this model been tapped into in the translation and interpretation industry at all? Are there possibilities involved in this model in this industry? How is it used in the education programmes in these fields? A questionnaire was sent to translators and interpreters and an email interview was held with a university teacher to gain information about this field. According to data, approximately only half of the respondents had made a business model prior to establishing a company. Also, only one quarter of the respondents had studied entrepreneurship or taken entrepreneurial courses during their language studies. Out of the ones who had taken part to entrepreneurship studies, over 75 percent said that they had either not received information about business models during their courses, or at least they could not remember this being taught. When asked an open-ended question whether entrepreneurship is taught enough in different educational establishment, 95 percent of the respondents clearly answered that it is not offered enough during language studies. A Business Model Canvas template for a potential translator or an interpreter was also collected based on the open-ended questions in the questionnaire. Further research ideas that arouse from this study is be to focus on the educational aspect: either by focusing on the translators and interpreters and make another questionnaire focusing on education, or concentrating on the different syllabi of one or several educational establishments.Description
Thesis advisor
O'Shea, GregoryKeywords
entrepreneurship, translating, interpreting, Business Model Canvas, education