Transitioning from Interdisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity in Applied Translation Studies: Towards Transdisciplinary Action Research in Translators’ Workplaces

Abstract

Since the beginnings of translation studies, applied translation research has set out to address the practices, processes and products of translation in both work and education. The contexts in which these are realized are embedded in broader sociotechnical systems as well as in the specific settings where translation is performed. Although the situated nature of professional translation is uncontroversial and suggests that it should be investigated in situ, workplace-based, organization-oriented research in applied translation studies is a relatively recent and still under-developed phenomenon. The nascent interest in it is partly due to advances in research tools and practices, but mostly to an emerging but still largely implicit transdisciplinary research framework. This article argues that the actual and potential impact of transdisciplinarity should frame translation research more explicitly. It considers how the growing diversification of professional translation and its convergence with other communication professions calls for applied translation studies to adjust to new realities. It explores current developments in professional translation practice, presents a use case of workplace-based research, and concludes with a model of transdisciplinary action research that can serve as a structured framework for investigating and learning from rapidly evolving professional processes and practices in translators’ sociotechnical workplaces.

Folyamatorientált kutatások a fordítástudományban

“…Az ilyen típusú vizsgálatok gyakran arra helyezik a hangsúlyt, hogy a környezet különböző tényezői hogyan alakítják a fordítási folyamatot és a végeredményt (pl. Kuznik és Verd 2010, Risku 2014, Ehrensberger-Dow 2014, Bundgaard és Christensen 2019, Massey 2021.…”

Learning to Bridge the Divide: Integrating Teacher and Organizational Development in Translator Education

“…Handbooks and other resources for translation teaching and learning aimed at students, practitioners, teachers, and/or curriculum designers have long existed, and the many research publications on translator competence development and pedagogy may occasionally also consider the implications for teacher training. But few publications engage teachers in sustained reflection on their own development and there are even fewer that present practices, models or research concerning the nature of translation teacher competences themselves and how these might develop (Massey 2019). This is certainly not to say that translation teachers do not receive any training in didactics or in the specialised domains in which they teach, nor that they have no exposure to the professional contexts for which they educate their students.…”