It’s 8:09 AM and you’re standing in a circle of caffeinated, red shirted employees. A manager drones numbers off repeating, “up ‘only’ 15%, up 30%…” They end the sad speech with a less than motivating team thank you.
“So… when are we going to see those numbers directly affect our paychecks?” I asked new-to-the-store-and-department manager Mice (pronounced like ‘Mike’) who was freshly promoted from a floor position adjacent to myself, interviewed, and like me received an offer for the raise and position, only they actually followed through with his offer while I was attending college on my day off. Such is the luck of the draw in the professional world.
He went on a word salad which I walked away from and to my post.
Luckily, I was able to receive the $3 pay raise for a less stringent position after months of applying and silently interviewing for other roles. Sometimes you have to dig your way out of the sandpit. With my less than two weeks notice in, I was glad to career hop my way to a better opportunity again.
It’s only a matter of time until the right person asks and receives a raise for a valuable skillset, and it should be you!
Why don’t companies automatically pay their bilingual employees more?
In short, paying employees adequately for their skillset doesn’t convenience employers who are profiting from the bottom line. The less you’re “worth”, the smaller the number they can write you off for.
Native Spanish speakers are not seen as reputable as certified or “studied” language experts, despite their language and cultural caliber
From applying to numerous roles, stating my spoken and written language advantage in interviews and resumes—this is not enough to gain repute among certain employers.
Applied knowledge is just as valuable as classroom knowledge, and they both have their strengths.
In reality, we are not compensating native Spanish speakers enough. There are not enough established opportunities, and too many times we are regaled to the sidelines, maybe receiving a “supervisor” title within our labor unit.
What’s so dissatisfying, besides not being able to make a living from my natural skills and education which everyone should be able to do, is that I’ve seen these language opportunities given to those with the right charisma and certificate.
Okay, let me go get one of those. Update: It doesn’t work for everyone. Before holding my medical interpreter certification, I struggled finding a job that centered around my language skillset to help the community. In fact, I was physically followed and ghosted by a temporary job agency who was helping me through my application with a local school district.
Devaluing employees is an interview tactic
Just over a month ago, I had a less than professional interview experience with a large “international” language service company. This recruiter asked me to share my Skype location with her personal account. But aside from that weird behavior, she took every work experience I had and tried to tone it down by saying the longevity or intensity wasn’t up to the level that their need is at. I had offered my services as a coordinator firstly, and if they did not have internal roles I said I would be willing to interview as an interpreter. While my email confused this recruiter, the way the interview was conducted matched up with multiple YouTube accounts of the less than professional language agency and their hiring tactics. You can view a good account of this experience here.
Wanna hear another funny story?
I later saw Mice after being spontaneously let go from my seasonal, “upgrade job” while ringing up sandwiches. I had a real Ant Man moment. And he did not seem happier. Alas, I know any entry-level position is respectable and temporary.
Has the language market (not direct clients) always been waiting for large language models to ‘overtake’ competent interpreters?
In a world where freelancers are coordinated with less than human consideration, how can we decelerate the loss of language jobs?
From my experience working within interpretations coordination, I can say the conditions for interpreters and translators can be improved a lot. As a duel employee, I received the dual-edged sword where I was thrown around without an actual say to projects on a moment’s notice. As a coordinator, I needed to fill appointments. As a contractor, I was not comfortable interpreting outside of professional circumstances. As an employee, I had to follow orders to not lose my job today instead of tomorrow.
After experiencing burnout from working a nonprofit position just about 24/7 for four months, I finally was let go with a 4:30 p.m. question and answers meeting with no right answers (I had a lot of questions about the disorganization within). I am proud of hosting the organization’s first ever National Interpreter and Translator Appreciation Day event, in honor of the freelancers who provide business profits for the organization to be able to run alongside their government funding. While I jumped back in to the world of professional writing and local journalism, I felt I needed to distance myself from all the toxicity from working back-to-back-to-back codeswitching in both language and professional demeanor. I couldn’t sleep without an interpreter who did not have medical clearance (meanwhile I was waiting for confirmation of my certification completion for a $1 raise), but was directed by my superior to cover the hospital appointment, ringing the 24/7 phone to tell me that they couldn’t find the emergency department.
How can you be an ally to bilingual employees and other language skilled people?
Check in with your polyglot friends. Are your coworkers being respected when they’re not in the room? If you’re in a position of hiring people, advocate for pay raises and adequate compensation for skills that exceed the position’s responsibilities.
If you’re promised a raise or promotion for X, make sure you follow up and actually receive the offer, or recognize when something is not worth your time and you should move on.
Mi Espanol no es gratis, ni garantizado, pero siempre apreciado.
Are you interested in my early career exploration? Check out my first WordPress.com blog (from 2009!) where I share a little bit about the beginning of my career adventures.
How can large language models nurture existing language careers? Please share any thoughts you have by leaving a comment or sending me a message. Take care!