SANT Branch Presents: Of Snakes, Dragons & Trapezes: Is Thriving in a post-COVID Gig Economy a Fantasy Tale? with Sam Berner

Registrations CLOSED

The last decade has moved the free market from in-house full-time jobs to part-time and then casual positions, highly associated with lower income security, almost zero entitlements and elevated risks for the workers.

Previously known as "freelancing" and "contracting", the constant increase in the number of industry sectors that have moved to this model of work - from warehousing to locum doctors - is now known as the "gig economy".   Between 2015 and 2020, this sector of workers has increased nine-fold in Australia alone.

It is not limited to unskilled employment. The gig workers have been impacted by the two and a half years of COVID-19 more than full-time and part-time employees.  Economic reports in Australia and overseas show, however, that very little is known about the gig sector.

Translators and interpreters are very much at the heart of this system. In addition to COVID, technology, world-wide competition and lack of proper business sense have all affected us in very specific ways.   As such, we are in dire need to rethink our work environment and ethos promptly if we don't want to hit the hard bottom and end up in an unsustainable situation.  Not all is bleak, however, and being small and fast offers as many opportunities as it offers risks. 

In this presentation, we will use stories and lessons learned in an attempt to flesh out a quick SWOT analysis of the profession’s current situation, then discuss possible remedies to answer the question: can we still thrive, or is it just a myth?

The last decade has moved the free market from in-house full-time jobs to part-time and then casual positions, highly associated with lower income security, almost zero entitlements and elevated risks for the workers.

Previously known as "freelancing" and "contracting", the constant increase in the number of industry sectors that have moved to this model of work - from warehousing to locum doctors - is now known as the "gig economy".   Between 2015 and 2020, this sector of workers has increased nine-fold in Australia alone.

It is not limited to unskilled employment. The gig workers have been impacted by the two and a half years of COVID-19 more than full-time and part-time employees.  Economic reports in Australia and overseas show, however, that very little is known about the gig sector.

Translators and interpreters are very much at the heart of this system. In addition to COVID, technology, world-wide competition and lack of proper business sense have all affected us in very specific ways.   As such, we are in dire need to rethink our work environment and ethos promptly if we don't want to hit the hard bottom and end up in an unsustainable situation.  Not all is bleak, however, and being small and fast offers as many opportunities as it offers risks. 

In this presentation, we will use stories and lessons learned in an attempt to flesh out a quick SWOT analysis of the profession’s current situation, then discuss possible remedies to answer the question: can we still thrive, or is it just a myth?

The last decade has moved the free market from in-house full-time jobs to part-time and then casual positions, highly associated with lower income security, almost zero entitlements and elevated risks for the workers.

Previously known as "freelancing" and "contracting", the constant increase in the number of industry sectors that have moved to this model of work - from warehousing to locum doctors - is now known as the "gig economy".   Between 2015 and 2020, this sector of workers has increased nine-fold in Australia alone.

It is not limited to unskilled employment. The gig workers have been impacted by the two and a half years of COVID-19 more than full-time and part-time employees.  Economic reports in Australia and overseas show, however, that very little is known about the gig sector.

Translators and interpreters are very much at the heart of this system. In addition to COVID, technology, world-wide competition and lack of proper business sense have all affected us in very specific ways.   As such, we are in dire need to rethink our work environment and ethos promptly if we don't want to hit the hard bottom and end up in an unsustainable situation.  Not all is bleak, however, and being small and fast offers as many opportunities as it offers risks. 

In this presentation, we will use stories and lessons learned in an attempt to flesh out a quick SWOT analysis of the profession’s current situation, then discuss possible remedies to answer the question: can we still thrive, or is it just a myth?

Presenter - Sam Berner

Sam Berner has been a translator, mentor, motivational speaker and active AUSIT member for decades.

She is the Paul Sinclair Award winner (2009, 2017) and a Fellow of AUSIT (2014), as well as being one of the first few AUSIT Senior Practitioners. Passionate about the crossovers between language politics, technology, business and ethics, Sam has presented at various conferences here and overseas since 2001. She is a strong advocate for change to be embraced and to occur within the T&I profession. Sam’s involvement with the translating profession in Australia extends to engagements with NAATI, RMIT and a number of settlement organisations. Prior to coming to Australia in 1995, Sam lived for over twenty years in the Middle East and North Africa, teaching, publishing and translating. During those years Sam worked for a number of regional and international publishing houses, as well as the UNICEF.  She was a founding member of the WATA (World Arabic Translators' Association), a National President of AUSIT, and is currently co-organising yet another successful AUSIT conference with the amazing team in Brisbane.


PD Level - Intermediate
Certificates for PD purposes will be available approximately two (2) weeks after the event. 

TAFESA Students are invited to also attend; please email Michelle our National Secretariat to admin@ausit.org providing your TAFE Student Number to receive the CODE to register as mentioned below.

We look forward to seeing you there! 


SANT Branch Committee