Some ideas on how efficient work of translators in the oil and gas industry could be achieved.
Vlad Belousov, member of the Union of translators of Russia, author of text-books and training courses for oil and gas translators and interpreters.
How should industry-specific translation be arranged? Today I would like to present my understanding of the issue on example of oil and gas translation that can be used as model for other industries.
If we apply the principle of priority, then first of all oil and gas translation must become industry-based, and the sooner, the better. Nobody can define requirements to oil and gas translation better than the very specialists of oil and gas industry. In addition, training of oil and gas translators, and also training of oil and gas industry specialists in foreign languages taking into account oil and gas industry specifics and terminology would also become industry-based. In other words, oil and gas industry could provide itself with all linguistic services, and at better quality level.
Why do I consider the issue of oil and gas translation to be industry-based as a priority? As we discussed earlier, it is important in order to maintain and develop the existing oil and gas linguistic resources, and namely translators and trainers. I have already explained, that most of experienced oil and gas translators lost their jobs because major international oil and gas companies left the Russian market. Such translators changed the industry of work, and it is highly likely that they will not return.
The new generation of translators nowadays does not see a prospect of work in oil and gas industry, and therefore they do not strive to gain knowledge in this area. Currently we are losing the bundle of translation knowledge accumulated during the last 30 years. It is most probable that at the time of origination of new international oil and gas projects in Russia (which will definitely begin sooner or later), we will find ourselves in the situation of early 1990-s, when no professional oil and gas translators existed.
Further, standard defining oil and gas translation as fully fledged “oil service”, and also requirements to specialized oil and gas translation and its providers, including certification of translators and licensing of translation companies should be developed and adopted in oil and gas industry. This will assure significant improvement of translation quality and removal of occasional and incompetent players from the translation market. It is not a secret that many translators, and particularly translation companies position themselves as competent in oil and gas area, but actually they are not.
Why is it important to consider oil and gas translation as an “oil service”? First, because actually it is really so, of course, if we talk about professional oil and gas translation, but not about occasional players. And at once it changes status of an oil and gas translator, turning him from a servant into a specialist. Second, for providers of oil and gas translation it opens the door to oil and gas industry and its associations, members of which they can become, assures an opportunity of participation in oil and gas conferences and forums. Today any request to make a report at such events from a translation organization will be rejected regardless of the raised problem, just because normally the agenda does not include translation activities.
Also, professional standard – Oil and gas translator, providing for creation of a new profession in oil and gas sector, and defining requirements to development of training programs, training, qualification and certification of oil and gas translators should exist in oil and gas industry. Indeed, a translator who attended training in such programs must have advantages in the process of employment in oil and gas industry based on documents awarded to him.
Possibly not all of you know that National Qualification Development Agency was established in 2016 by a decree of the RF President, and has Councils practically in all industries, including oil and gas complex. If a new profession – Oil and gas translator is created in oil and gas industry, Council for Professional Qualifications in oil and gas complex will have to include it into its work, which also means establishment of Qualification Assessment Center for oil and gas translators. This can be a perfect model for development of technical translator professions in other industries.
After completion of the training, duly certified translators should be included into National register of oil and gas translators with their localization and rating. Such register must be created in oil and gas industry and be updated annually. It can provide for significant saving of funds for oil and gas companies on logistics both inside the country in case of personnel business trips to oilfields, and also business trips abroad, when such register becomes international. It will be possible just to localize a competent translator included into the Register, in the business trip location, and receive translation services from him.
If oil and gas translation becomes industry-based, then within limits of one industry it would be much easier to develop dictionaries and glossaries, combine accumulated resources, exchange them, also at international level, and perform their standardization.
Somebody can ask – but why cannot we do oil and gas translation as before, not making it industry-based? Taking into account the above-mentioned, nobody cares about it now because currently there is no need in oil and translation. And if nothing is done, then it will disappear in principle. After some time there will be no professional and competent oil and gas translators. And oil and gas translation will start to develop again from the ground, as in the beginning of 1990-s.
