New ideas for outsourcing
Manila Times
THESE are boom times for the outsourcing business.
Experts predict the industry will continue to grow and provide more jobs. New opportunities are opening up abroad.
For example, the newspaper publisher APN News&Media has begun outsourcing editorial production work. An outside contractor, according to an AP story, will do the editing and layout work for The New Zealand Herald. Nobody will notice the difference, an APN executive said. But the industry union warned the move would hurt the quality of news because stories will be handled by editors not familiar with domestic issues.
But suppose other publishing chains consider outsourcing editorial work and begin looking for foreign markets, say, Manila? We have a wealth of talent here. Arnold Moss, one of the best copyeditors in town, will be a prize catch. So would Jose Carillo, The Times expert on language. Retired journalists known for fluency in English would be available for home-based work.
But the publishers should avoid hiring newsmen who have an addiction to words like “erring” and “solon.”
There is a shortage of Catholic priests in some parts of Europe and the Americas. They have begun to outsource jobs to priests in India. For a modest fee, the Indian priests help dispense grace and prayers. Masses and confessions are available on the Internet. Our priests and bishops could share their time and make a little sum for the parish church or themselves. It’s not everyday that P500,000 fall on a priest’s lap, even if he is an elected governor.
The writers’ strike in America could be a bonanza. Television is hurting because no writer is available to write the script for the soaps or the jokes for the late-night comedy shows. First to suffer are Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman because they use topical jokes. They have to be current. The strike has prompted the big US networks to show reruns and repeat old stocks. Philippine TV networks face the same nightmare.
Outsourcing will help US TV and movies. We have many doctors who write columns for the papers. There are more doctors than lawyers writing opinion pieces, which is good news. They have become regular columnists, just like priests, TV talk-show hosts and politicians, which has begun to worry the professional political pundits.
Our physician-columnists could write, or be trained to write, for US hospital dramas, like ER and Grey’s Anatomy. Our surgeons could contribute fresh ideas to American medical shows, like doctors enrolling in nursing schools or medical colleges that used to be computer schools. Filipinos have asked ABC, the network that produces Desperate Housewives, to “put a Filipino face” on US hospital shows. How about a new medical drama whose nursing staff is 75% Filipino? They could be speaking fluent English, Taglish or a dialect. The potential for humor is tremendous.