Die Berufszufriedenheit von DolmetscherInnen in Österreich
Maria Anita Brandstötter
2009
unpublished
This MA thesis aims to examine the level of job satisfaction among interpreters in Austria. Following the introductory chapter, which discusses the sociological aspects of interpret-ing along with its history and professionalization, a brief overview is provided of the status quo in industrial and organizational psychology as well as in interpreting studies. Based on the current state of knowledge in these disciplines and the research find-ings presented, a questionnaire was drawn up in an
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... t to assess interpreter job satisfac-tion among the members of the Austrian Interpreters' and Translators' Association (UNIVERSITAS). After several revisions of the original design and some initial testing of the questionnaire, the interpreters on the UNIVERSITAS list were invited to participate in a web-based survey, the results of which are discussed in detail in this MA thesis together with the theoretical background of the research endeavour. Out of the 123 interpreters invited, 62 completed the questionnaire, which corre-sponds to a response rate of 50.4%. The sample comprised 53 female and 9 male respon-dents, mostly freelance interpreters, who, on average, had 25.9 years of regular working experience and were aged 53.3 years at the time of data collection. The survey included two open questions focussing on the most (un)satisfying aspects of the profession. While the respondents regarded the variety of tasks, working with and for people and a high degree of autonomy as particularly satisfying, they considered the lack of appreciation for their work, the unawareness of their professional needs, the fact that frequently insufficient material is provided for preparation and the time pressure they face the main disadvantages. As for closed questions, the following aspects gave the inter-preters considerable satisfaction, with some 78% being "very satisfied" or "satisfied" (in the given order with a tendency to level off): clients, cooperation with colleagues, nature of work, remuneration and promotion opportunities. 60% [...]
doi:10.25365/thesis.6379
fatcat:6wsmne5z4jgk7kqncguoeg6kpa