{"id":963,"date":"2025-01-23T12:46:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T17:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/?p=963"},"modified":"2025-01-23T12:46:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T17:46:30","slug":"2024-lawd-membership-survey-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/2024-lawd-membership-survey-results\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 LawD Membership Survey Results"},"content":{"rendered":"
Introduction<\/b><\/h5>\n

This report presents the findings from our 2024 LawD Membership Survey<\/strong> conducted among 96 members of the ATA Law Division. The survey aimed to gather comprehensive insights into the services offered by legal translators and interpreters, their areas of specialization, working languages, technology utilization, and their interest in professional development. The responses provide valuable data that can inform our understanding of current trends and needs within the legal translation and interpreting community. Below, we summarize the key findings from the survey.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Service Offerings:<\/b><\/h5>\n
    \n
  • Translation<\/b> remains the most common service provided by participants, with 93.75% offering this.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Editing, reviewing, and proofreading<\/b> are also significant at 52.08%.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Interpreting services<\/b>, both non-court (48.96%) and court interpreting (41.67%), are also widely offered.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    2. Legal Translation\/Interpreting as a Field:<\/b><\/h5>\n
      \n
    • Almost half of the participants consider legal translation\/interpreting as one of their working fields (46.88%), while 45.83% view it as their specialty. Only 7.29% see it as an area of interest rather than a core part of their work.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      3. Working Languages:<\/b><\/h5>\n
        \n
      • The dominant working language is <\/span>English<\/b> (82.29%), followed by <\/span>Spanish<\/b> (43.75%), <\/span>French<\/b> (26.04%), and <\/span>German<\/b> (14.58%). Other languages such as <\/span>Mandarin<\/b>, <\/span>Italian<\/b>, and <\/span>Russian<\/b> are also represented, though in smaller percentages. A variety of other languages, including less common ones like <\/span>Bosnian<\/b> and <\/span>Cantonese<\/b>, were mentioned.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        4. Experience:<\/b><\/h5>\n
          \n
        • A significant majority (71.58%) of respondents have over 15 years of experience in the field. Only a small percentage (5.26%) have between 1\u20135 years of experience, indicating a highly experienced pool of professionals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          5. Use of Technology:<\/b><\/h5>\n
            \n
          • 43.75% of respondents use <\/span>SDL Trados<\/b>, followed by <\/span>MemoQ<\/b> (26.04%), and <\/span>Wordfast<\/b> (14.58%). While 28.13% do not use CAT tools, there is a diverse range of software adoption among participants.<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Regarding machine translation (MT) and AI tools, 46.67% do not use such technologies, while <\/span>DeepL<\/b> (42.22%) and <\/span>ChatGPT<\/b> (22.22%) are the most frequently used among those who do.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            6. Client Base:<\/b><\/h5>\n
              \n
            • Most participants work for <\/span>direct clients outside of law firms<\/b> (76.04%), followed closely by <\/span>direct clients from law firms<\/b> (68.75%) and <\/span>agencies<\/b> (68.75%).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              7. ATA Conference Attendance:<\/b><\/h5>\n
                \n
              • Only 14.74% of respondents attend the ATA Annual Conference every year, while 28.42% attend every 3\u20135 years. Notably, 48.42% either hardly ever or never attend the conference, pointing to potential barriers to participation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                8. Supplementing Income:<\/b><\/h5>\n
                  \n
                • The majority (57.89%) of participants do not need to supplement their income outside of translation\/interpreting, while 42.11% do.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  9. Interest in Professional Development:<\/b><\/h5>\n
                    \n
                  • If the ATA Law Division were to offer virtual working groups on marketing to legal clients, nearly half (47.92%) would attend, and another 45.83% are open to considering it. Areas of interest for marketing development include attending real-life events with potential clients (50.00%) and running email campaigns (46.43%).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    10. Webinar and Legal Topic Interests:<\/b><\/h5>\n
                      \n
                    • \n
                        \n
                      • The most sought-after webinar topics include <\/span>AI in legal translation\/interpreting<\/b> (47.73%), <\/span>common law vs civil law systems<\/b> (44.32%), and <\/span>legal terminology<\/b> (43.18%).<\/span><\/li>\n
                      • Language-specific webinars with the highest demand are for <\/span>into English<\/b> (43.68%) and <\/span>Spanish<\/b> (42.53%).<\/span><\/li>\n
                      • Top topics<\/b> (by percentage of respondents that selected this option):<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                          \n
                        • \n
                            \n
                          • \n
                              \n
                            • AI in legal translation\/interpreting<\/span><\/i> 47.73%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                \n
                              • \n
                                  \n
                                • \n
                                    \n
                                  • Common law vs Civil Law systems<\/span><\/i> 44.32%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                      \n
                                    • \n
                                        \n
                                      • \n
                                          \n
                                        • Contracts<\/span><\/i> 43.18%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                            \n
                                          • \n
                                              \n
                                            • \n
                                                \n
                                              • Legal terminology<\/span><\/i> 43.18%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                  \n
                                                • \n
                                                    \n
                                                  • \n
                                                      \n
                                                    • Finding & working with direct clients in the legal sector<\/span><\/i> 42.05%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                        \n
                                                      • \n
                                                          \n
                                                        • \n
                                                            \n
                                                          • Working with lawyers & law firms<\/span><\/i> 42.05%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                              \n
                                                            • \n
                                                                \n
                                                              • \n
                                                                  \n
                                                                • Immigration<\/span><\/i> 34.09%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                    \n
                                                                  • \n
                                                                      \n
                                                                    • \n
                                                                        \n
                                                                      • International law<\/span><\/i> 31.82%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                          \n
                                                                        • \n
                                                                            \n
                                                                          • \n
                                                                              \n
                                                                            • Family and inheritance law<\/span><\/i> 30.68%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                \n
                                                                              • \n
                                                                                  \n
                                                                                • Additional topics<\/b> of interest:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                    \n
                                                                                  • \n
                                                                                      \n
                                                                                    • \n
                                                                                        \n
                                                                                      • Comparative Law<\/span><\/i> 29.55%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                          \n
                                                                                        • \n
                                                                                            \n
                                                                                          • \n
                                                                                              \n
                                                                                            • Legal writing<\/span><\/i> 29.55%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                \n
                                                                                              • \n
                                                                                                  \n
                                                                                                • \n
                                                                                                    \n
                                                                                                  • Civil procedure<\/span><\/i> 27.27%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                      \n
                                                                                                    • \n
                                                                                                        \n
                                                                                                      • \n
                                                                                                          \n
                                                                                                        • Corporate law<\/span><\/i> 27.27%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                            \n
                                                                                                          • \n
                                                                                                              \n
                                                                                                            • \n
                                                                                                                \n
                                                                                                              • Criminal law\/Criminal procedure<\/span><\/i> 26.14%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                  \n
                                                                                                                • \n
                                                                                                                    \n
                                                                                                                  • \n
                                                                                                                      \n
                                                                                                                    • Deposition interpreting<\/span><\/i> 26.14%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                        \n
                                                                                                                      • \n
                                                                                                                          \n
                                                                                                                        • \n
                                                                                                                            \n
                                                                                                                          • Forensic linguistics<\/span><\/i> 26.14%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                              \n
                                                                                                                            • \n
                                                                                                                                \n
                                                                                                                              • \n
                                                                                                                                  \n
                                                                                                                                • Plain English<\/span><\/i> 26.14%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                    \n
                                                                                                                                  • \n
                                                                                                                                      \n
                                                                                                                                    • \n
                                                                                                                                        \n
                                                                                                                                      • Environmental law<\/span><\/i> 25.00%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                          \n
                                                                                                                                        • \n
                                                                                                                                            \n
                                                                                                                                          • \n
                                                                                                                                              \n
                                                                                                                                            • Human rights law<\/span><\/i> 25.00%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                                \n
                                                                                                                                              • \n
                                                                                                                                                  \n
                                                                                                                                                • \n
                                                                                                                                                    \n
                                                                                                                                                  • Medical\/legal issues<\/span><\/i> 25.00%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                                      \n
                                                                                                                                                    • \n
                                                                                                                                                        \n
                                                                                                                                                      • \n
                                                                                                                                                          \n
                                                                                                                                                        • Court interpreting<\/span><\/i> 22.73%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                                            \n
                                                                                                                                                          • \n
                                                                                                                                                              \n
                                                                                                                                                            • \n
                                                                                                                                                                \n
                                                                                                                                                              • Arbitration\/Mediation\/Alternative Dispute Resolution<\/span><\/i> 21.59%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                                                  \n
                                                                                                                                                                • \n
                                                                                                                                                                    \n
                                                                                                                                                                  • \n
                                                                                                                                                                      \n
                                                                                                                                                                    • Money laundering and antitrust<\/span><\/i> 21.59%<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                                                                                                      Conclusion:<\/b><\/h5>\n

                                                                                                                                                                      The 2024 LawD Membership Survey offers valuable insights into the legal translation and interpreting profession. It shows a strong focus on translation services and a highly experienced membership. English, Spanish, and French dominate, highlighting the multilingual nature of the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                                                                                                                                                      The survey also reveals a strong interest in professional development, especially in marketing and technology, creating exciting opportunities for growth. To support these needs, the Law Division plans to offer targeted webinars, training sessions, and networking events to help members connect, learn, and thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                                                                                                                                                      Introduction This report presents the findings from our 2024 LawD Membership Survey conducted among 96 members of the ATA Law Division. The survey aimed to gather comprehensive insights into the services offered by legal translators and interpreters, their areas of specialization, working languages, technology utilization, and their interest in professional development. The responses provide valuable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[257,246],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2024-lawd-survey","8":"category-lawd-survey","9":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/LawD-Blog-18.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":968,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions\/968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}