The jobs of the future… include translating

A recent article in The Vancouver Sun entitled What are the jobs of the future? examines the skills and careers likely to be most in demand as the 21st century progresses. The article cites a study by Sharon D. Crozier, of the University of Calgary’s Counselling Centre, on “Waves of the Future and High Demand Careers” — waves in this case being career categories.

The main waves are:

Information Revolution
High Technology & Materials Creation
Global Village
Natural Systems Awareness
Demographics
Patterns of Working
Emerging Careers for the 21st Century

The “Global Village” section reads:

Global Village

E-commerce, Internet, telecommunications, free trade agreements, open borders, cheap travel alternatives – these are all contributing to a shrinking world with business, trade and tourism happening on a global scale. More and more companies are doing business on a worldwide scale, both with having offices and employees around the globe as well as selling internationally. Do you know the most well known Red & White logo in the world? It isn’t the Red Cross – yes, it’s Coca-Cola! The Internet has opened both lines of communication as well as being an amazing venue for both retail and service sales. Borders are opening not only for business, but also for skilled immigrants, and many developed countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States are increasingly multi-cultural environments.

High Demand Careers

  • Internet Specialists
  • Web-page Designers
  • International Lawyers
  • Protocol Officers
  • Language and Cultural Experts
  • Translators
  • Sensitivity and Diversity Trainers

Yet another reason not to listen to people who say learning languages — and by extension, learning about other cultures and culturally-based forms of diversity — is irrelevant.

By the way: the University of Calgary’s study dates from 2001, so it’s more than 10 years old. Any thoughts on how careers are developing with respect to the predictions?

By Marian Dougan

Published by Marian Dougan

Marian is a translator and editor (specialising in web content) currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. Marian previously lived in Italy for over 20 years, working as a language teacher, translator and policy analyst with the British Embassy in Rome. A qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and its Italian-language and ITI Scotnet networks, she is currently Scotnet's Convenor and Deputy Webmaster. From 2003 to 2006 Marian taught translation skills at the Italian Department of Glasgow University and now gives Master Classes as part of the new Masters in Translation Studies course. She also conducts web-writing and usability workshops to help people improve their websites and communicate more effectively with their readers, users and customers. In September 2014 Marian obtained User Experience Certification, with specialisation in Web Design, from the Nielsen Norman Group. She loves language, especially English, and is convinced that learning languages opens up people’s minds and horizons (and increases their brainpower!). To share her enthusiasm, she advises schools and educational authorities on language skills and enterprise. She gives talks to pupils on how to combine language studies with other subjects and so enhance their potential and increase their career options. Marian is an active member of organisations such as: Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI); Association of Scottish Businesswomen; Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Scotland. She also loves architecture, design, fashion (British Vogue!), cities and chocolate. She’s a great fan of Twitter and you can also find her on Linkedin.

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2 Comments

  1. Misplaced optimism? The « University of Calgary’s study dates from 2001».

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