What we needed - sm Posted: Nov 16th, 2017 - 7:47 pm In Reply to: Union representation! - Anyone know?
...were certification standards. Hindsight is 20/20. Because MT is a lot harder for an offshore ESL to do than coding, but coders have rigorous testing and coding standards that are helping to keep their pay high.
Unfortunately for coders, offshore ESLs can be taught to code and pass the same level of certification fairly easily as their US counterparts. So MT should be at an advantage. Because MT requires a great deal of skill with the English language, something that is NOT easy for an ESL to obtain. But we aren't at an advantage. Because we didn't put a system in place when things first started going south.
What we needed a decade ago were certification programs similar to what coders have now. It would be almost impossible for the average ESL to pass a rigorous MT certification program at the level of difficulty advanced coders have.
ASR was never our problem. Editing is still necessary. Offshoring is what ruined us. Because no one understands that ESLs can't do the work, that it requires multiple layers of US quality control to screen it to make it acceptable. The MTSOs have the hospitals convinced ESLs do work every bit as good as we do. Right? And those of us inside the business know that couldn't be farther from the truth.
ASR is a tool, just like computer software can be used now as a tool to assist in coding. But it still requires talented coders to review and correct. And coders still make good money because coders have convinced employers that the highest levels of certification matter and are worth a lot of $$$.
That is where we missed the boat. Is it possible to fix it at this late date? Who knows? AAMT sold out to the ESLs and they were the only ones who were in a position to organize that for us. Maybe someone could come along and create a system of certification. And no, not CMT, which is just too easy. Most of us with over a decade of experience could pass certification tests three times harder than CMT.
Maybe somehow they could get the MTs to rally behind such a system. Maybe somehow they could get the hospitals to understand the importance of making sure the MTs their MTSO or service provider hires are certified.
But I don't think unions are the answer. Not for MModal MTs now, not a decade ago. For the reasons mentioned above, and because the real issue is that we need to raise awareness of how important and valuable our skill set actually is, how much the success of ASR depends upon the skill set of the MT editing it, and how inept the ESLs are at those same skills because of the language barrier.
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