Locating the digital in literary translatorship

Abstract

Thanks to the inclusion of sociological perspectives in the development of translator studies, the roles played by literary translators in the movement of texts between languages and cultures, and their positions within the fields of power that govern these processes, have become increasingly popular objects of study. However, despite the focus of sociological and translator studies on the agency and habitus of translators in literary translation processes, little has been done to connect this work to the ever-changing and proliferating digital contexts in which literary translation now takes place. This introductory article therefore seeks to position existing perspectives on literary translatorship within contemporary digital contexts whilst highlighting the increasing role of digital technology within literary translation processes, thereby emphasising the need to include digital technologies within all forms of research on contemporary literary translatorship going forwards.