Why, when and how you need to take a fresh look at time as a factor in your translation practice. For some translators, time is, above all, a billing option. By tallying up hours – as opposed to piecework-inspired price-per-word – we align ourselves with professionals delivering other intellectual services. And, with luck, this will mean we can reap some of the same respect and remuneration as lawyers, doctors and architects. But time is also an integral part of the processes that shape how we work and what we produce, or claim to be producing. Far too many translators have bought into a commoditised vision built on technology-driven productivity.
