Specialization?

Specialization? Has the ubiquitous liaison interpreter more chance in the long term to make a living over the specialized interpreter? With languages of limited market - French is an example with Japanese-French - the question is worth pondering. We will spend the time next month at the Forum AIIFJ discussing about this subject. Whereas a newbie liaison interpreter may be glad to secure any assignment, she faces the competition of those pseudo-interpreters that thrive on the incompetence of clients unaware of what a good interpreter is and can do for their business, or choose on purpose to opt for the cheapest solution on the standard logic that "it won't be difficult". When thinking about specializing, one may be confronted with the dilemma of lack of experience. How do you perform in business interpreting when you have no previous experience of what a business meeting looks like? Pretty bad, believe me. In such chicken and egg who comes first scenario, can you at the early stage think and act accordingly about specialization? More than often, the majority of interpreters out of the conference market tend to be self-made people who one day are asked to deliver "because you speak the language". You get specialized more through trial and errors than through strategic self-training. The truth is that dedication to the profession may come after a while of doing it, unless the untrained self-touted interpreter quits for a more appealing job in-between. The discussion about the pro and cons of specializing is made possible whenever more than one interpreters get together and start a conversation. Otherwise, there's hardly a chance that the question be self-risen without a deep interest and perception of the profession. I was just like that for too many years, and that is why starting a conversation in a profession where discussions are rare is such an avant-garde move. If the question of specialization is raised at an early stage of practice, it opens up new vistas for strategic choices. What is the scope of the market, and within the market, are there any salient domains and reasons to believe that these domains are here to stay and maybe grow? Where and how do you train and grow in one specific domain? These are the questions we will talk about, and it will be probably for all participants the first such opportunity to exchange on specialization.