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ENQUIRE PROJECT DETAILS BY GENERAL PUBLIC |
| Project Details |
| Funding Scheme : | General Research Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Number : | 18604416 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(English) : | Translator Professionalism in East Asia: Perspectives from practitioners and clients | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(Chinese) : | 譯者的專業地位：東亞地區譯者及翻譯委托人之觀點 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(English) : | Dr Liu, Fung Ming Christy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Department : | Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Institution : | The Education University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| E-mail Address : | liufm@eduhk.hk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tel : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Co - Investigator(s) : |
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| Panel : | Humanities, Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subject Area : | Humanities and Arts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise Year : | 2016 / 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fund Approved : | 235,180 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Status : | Completed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date : | 31-12-2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Objectives : |
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| Abstract as per original application (English/Chinese): |
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying translator status
empirically in Translation Studies. However, the topic is relatively under-researched in East Asia. More empirical work is necessary in the region, to give a fuller picture of
translators, who are important mediators during the translation process. The objective of this research project is to empirically investigate how non-literary translation practitioners and translation clients perceive translator professionalism, which is understood as not only involving knowledge and expertise but also the virtues of trustworthiness and altruism. The regions in East Asia to be studied are China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. A two-phase mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods, will be employed in order to gain a thorough understanding of the topic. For this project, “translators” include people who do translation and/or interpreting as part of their job and are paid accordingly, full-time, part-time, or by project. It does not include interpreters who only handle oral renditions of spoken discourse from one language into another. In addition, it does not include those who translate for free or treat translation as a kind of hobby.
This project not only aims to understand practitioners’ perceptions but also those held by translation clients because the viewpoints of the latter are seldom researched in Translation Studies. This is true even though translators consider clients as king, and clients’ satisfaction is paramount. Little about clients’ opinions of translator professionalism is known in Translation Studies.
More precisely, the research questions for this project are: How do non-literary translation practitioners in East Asia perceive their professionalism? Does the background of the practitioner affect the person’s perception? For example, is there any relationship between gender, level of education, age, years of translation experience, mode of working (full-time, part-time, freelance, in-house), materials rendered (financial, media, technical, marketing etc.) and translator professionalism? How do translation clients perceive the professionalism of non-literary translators in the region? In addition, are there any differences in the perception of translator professionalism among translators in different East Asian regions? And, are there any differences in the perception of the topic between translators and clients? If so, why do such differences exist? What implication do these similarities and differences have?
近年，翻譯學以實證研究方法探討譯者地位的關注日益增多，不過，這種研究於東亞地區較為不足。本研究計劃分為兩階段，以實證研究方法 (結合量性和質性) 調查東亞地區 (包括中國、香港、台灣、澳門、日本和韓國) 的非文學翻譯工作者和翻譯委託人，如何理解譯者的專業。本研究的「譯者」指以筆譯 (或兼口譯) 為工作，全職、兼職或按項目受薪的人，而不包括純粹以口譯為工作的傳譯人員，也不包括那些作免費翻譯，或把翻譯當作興趣的人。翻譯學甚少研究委托人的意見，雖然譯者視委托人為尊，盡力滿足他們的要求，但學界有關委托人對譯者專業的研究郤十分匱乏，而且中國翻譯學一直以來較著重文學文本及文學譯者，對非文學譯者的研究不足，所以是次計劃不僅會了解非文學譯者的看法，還會研究委托人的意見。 更準確地說，本計劃探討以下問題：東亞地區的非文學翻譯工作者如何理解其專業？譯者的背景有否影響其對譯者專業的看法？例如譯者的性別、教育程度、年齡、翻譯年資、工作模式（全職、兼職）、翻譯題材（財務、媒體、科技、市場學等）和譯者的專業有沒有關係？翻譯委托人怎樣理解非文學譯者的專業？此外，東亞地區的譯者對於譯者專業有沒有不同的看法？還有，譯者和委托人的看法又有沒有任何不同？如有，為何會出現這些差異？此等相似與差異又有何含意？ |
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| Realisation of objectives: | This two-year project (January 2017 to December 2018) empirically investigated the way non-literary translators and clients in East Asia perceive translator professionalism. The project used a two-phase mix-methods approach, the first, a quantitative phase and the second, a qualitative, phase. Some of the findings were published in two academic journals (Liu 2019a, 2019b) and disseminated in one research seminar and two academic conferences. In addition, a paper comparing the similarities and differences in translator professionalism for translators and clients was originally accepted for presentation in the “Translation Studies in East Asia: Tradition, Transition and Transcendence” conference in Hong Kong in December 2019. However, the conference was cancelled because of the social situation in the city. As of this writing (November 29, 2019), I am looking for another venue to present the findings and publish the paper. Also, I am currently finishing two papers which will be submitted to journals for review in early 2020. Furthermore, this completed GRF project motivated me to develop a new GRF proposal which has recently been submitted to Research Grants Council for review. Objective 1: To review the existing Translation Studies literature related to translator status, the role of translators, translator professionalization and translator professionalism. Objective 2: To examine the translation market in East Asia from historical, economic and social perspectives, in order to have a clear and current context for analysing translator professionalism perceived by translators and clients. To address these two objectives, traditional concepts of translators’ role and status in society were reviewed. Then, an overview of seminal empirical studies dealing with the mentioned topics was carried out. The focus was on the empirical studies, because this project employed this method to carry out an investigation. In Translation Studies (TS), subservience and invisibility have been traditionally used to describe the role and status of translators in the workplace and society. Some TS some scholars (for example, Angelelli 2001, 2004; Dam and Korning Zethsen 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012; Katan 2009; Sela-Sheffy 2008, 2011, 2014; Wolf 2006) used empirical methods to carry out investigations. As most of the empirical studies were done for Western countries, they provide me with important data because I can further compare my results with the results of those studies. This is the sixth objective of this project. The concept of translator professionalism was thoroughly reviewed, as it is the central theme of this project. Traditionally, TS literature associated translator professionalism with a person’s capacity to produce acceptable target texts (Jiménez-Crespo 2017). However, the past two decades have witnessed a change wherein translation is increasingly viewed as a social practice (Kafi et al., 2018; Wolf 2010). Translator professionalism is not simply limited to the person’s capacity to produce acceptable target texts. Rather, it is a multidimensional term that also covers the translator’s professional status (Sirén & Hakkarainen 2002), the behaviour of the translator at and outside work (Cragie et al. 2016; Kiraly 2014; Kościałkowska-Okońska 2012), the translator’s adherence to ethical practice principles, professional identity and pride (Robinson 1997). The first two objectives have been achieved. I shared the findings in a research seminar at the Hong Kong Education University on April 28, 2017. I also included the literature review and relevant discussion in two papers (Liu 2019a, 2019b). Objective 3: To develop a construct for measuring translator professionalism perceived by practitioners and clients. This study adapted the framework proposed by Carter et al. (2015) to develop a translator professionalism construct covering six dimensions: professional identity, professional status, pride in the profession, translators’ adherence to ethical practice principles, translators’ proactive behaviour at work and translators’ behaviour outside work. I shared the way I developed the construct in the Asian Conference on Asian Studies in Japan on June 2, 2018. I also explained in detail the development of the construct in two papers (Liu 2019a, 2019b). Objective 4: To empirically examine the way non-literary translation practitioners in East Asia perceive their professionalism. The perspectives held by practitioners in different East Asian regions will be compared. Objective 5: To analyse and compare similarities and differences in translator professionalism for translators and for clients. These two objectives were handled together via a two-phased mixed-methods approach. The first, quantitative, phase: Guided by the translator professionalism construct, two sets of questionnaires, one for translators and another for clients, were prepared. From May 2016 to June 2018, 425 completed questionnaires from translators were returned. Also, 72 clients returned their questionnaires from July 2016 to July 2018. The majority of the clients were fairly experienced in hiring translators. In the questionnaire, clients were asked how many translators they hired the previous year. The data show that, on average, they hired 24 freelance, 17 full-time and 5 part-time translators. This study targeted collecting data from East Asian translators and clients. However, translators and clients from other Asian countries also sent in their questionnaires and shared their valuable comments, because snowball techniques were used for data collection. As a result, the majority of participants were from East Asia (80%) and about 20% were from other Asian countries. This geographical distribution of participants (from ten Asian countries/cities but mainly East Asia), unexpectedly, allows me to make in-depth comparisons of participants in different Asian countries. The analysis of translators’ perception was reported in detail in Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice (Liu 2019a). I also shared some findings in the “Asian Conference on Asian Studies” on June 2, 2018, and in the “Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film” on October 10, 2018. Besides, the analysis of clients’ perceptions was published in International Journal of Translation, Interpretation, and Applied Linguistics (Liu 2019b). The second, qualitative, phase: I started inviting translators and clients who completed the questionnaire to participate in my interviews in May, 2018, via email. Even after the completion period of this project (Dec 2018), replies were received from translators and clients saying that they were willing to take part in interviews. As a result, interviews continued to be done until October 2019. Over 70 translators and about 20 clients were interviewed. I am currently writing two papers to report on the qualitative findings. They should be finished in early 2020 and will be submitted to international TS journals for review. Comparison between translators and clients The similarities and the differences in translator professionalism for translators and for clients were compared. I planned to present the findings in the “Translation Studies in East Asia: Tradition, Transition and Transcendence” conference in Hong Kong in December 2019, and submit the full paper to the conference organizers for consideration for publication in Translation Quarterly 2020/21. My abstract had been accepted for presentation, but the conference was cancelled due to the social situation in Hong Kong. At the time of writing (Nov 29, 2019), I am looking for another venue to present my findings and submit my paper for publication. Objective 6. To compare the findings obtained from the project and related empirical studies conducted by other TS scholars. My literature review located seminal empirical studies examining the status and role of translators in Western countries. Comparison of the findings obtained from the present project and those from related empirical studies was reported in Liu 2019a, 2019b and the two papers that I am writing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary of objectives addressed: |
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| Research Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major findings and research outcome: | The findings this GRF project suggest that translators in the region have positive associations with their identity although they tend to perceive having a middling status. A close comparison of the perspectives of translator professionalism held by practitioners in the ten Asian countries/ cities found that translators have similar viewpoints on professional identity, their behaviour outside work and pride in the profession. However, there are statistically significant variances in their perceptions of professional status, adherence to ethical practice principles, and proactive behaviour at work. To seek an explanation, the quantitative data have been complemented by qualitative data for analysis. It was found that the differences were due to cultural factors, because the qualitative data suggest that translators in bilingual or multilingual cities perceive having a lower professional status than translators in other Asian countries do. It was found that Asian clients have slightly divergent views on whether translation is a profession although they perceive that the translation occupation is vital to society and recognize that translators have a high degree of expertise and knowledge. In addition, the Asian clients, no matter where they live, lay emphasis on translators’ adherence to ethical practice principles. Although the clients attach importance to translators’ proactive behaviour at work, such as reliability, they have different viewpoints on translators’ behaviour outside work. Also, the clients point out that the lack of a certification system affects the professional image of translators and the healthy development of the field. The problem has become particularly serious in the digital era, because it is not easy for clients to verify a translator’s curriculum vitae and assess his or her skills. Clients may have to undergo processes of trial and error to identify suitable candidates to handle their assignments. One important finding from comparing the viewpoints between translators and clients is that the two parties have similar attitudes towards translators’ adherence to ethical practice principles in the workplace, as no statistically significant difference was found. However, both parties view translators’ behaviour outside work differently in a statistically significant way. Translators attach greater importance to practitioners’ professional manner outside work and their behaviour in online communities than clients do. These findings are important because translators’ behaviour outside work has seldom been empirically examined in TS. However, this topic has become increasingly important in the digital world, because online communities, such as Facebook and Instagram, may introduce complex transference issues in the translator-client relationship. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Potential for further development of the research and the proposed course of action: |
This completed GRF project offered me a valuable opportunity to directly communicate with translators and clients to share their insights. One important topic that they discussed with me is the way translator professionalism should be maintained in this digital era. They said that online translator-client social networking sites (SNSs) such as Proz.com have become pervasive in the professional lives of translators and clients. However, these online communities posit new challenges to the industry. Some translators noted that, in reality, their status can be certified by traditional signals such as academic qualifications. However, in SNSs, they find it difficult to signal their status or have no idea how to do so. Also, some clients said that they underwent processes of trial and error to identity suitable candidates, because it is not easy for them to access a translator’s suitability and professionalism in online communities. Both parties even worry that this may lead to a possible de-professionalization of the field. This project did not examine translator status signalling mechanisms and online communities, but this is an important topic for future research. Therefore, in November 2019, I submitted to RGC a new GRF proposal which specifically investigates translator status signalling mechanisms in SNSs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Layman's Summary of Completion Report: | Professionalism is a much-discussed topic in various fields, such as legal, medical and teaching, but has not been a central theme in Translation Studies. Although the past decade has witnessed a growing interest in studying translators in the workplace via an empirical lens, the topic is relatively under-researched in Asia. More empirical work is necessary to give a fuller picture of translators, who have gone through a ‘long march from slavery to professionalism’ (Pym 2010: 160) to become mediators in society. This GRF project empirically examines how non-literary translators and clients in East Asia perceive translator professionalism. A two-phase mixed-methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods, was employed to gain a thorough understanding of the topic. This project not only aims to understand practitioners’ perceptions but also those held by translation clients because the viewpoints of the latter are seldom researched in TS. This is true even though translators consider clients as king, and clients’ satisfaction is paramount. Little about clients’ opinions of translator professionalism is known. The data and analyses are valuable because relevant associations and stakeholders can benefit from the findings. This project contributes to the understanding of translators as mediators and their professionalism in Asia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research Output | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peer-reviewed journal publication(s) arising directly from this research project : (* denotes the corresponding author) |
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| Recognized international conference(s) in which paper(s) related to this research project was/were delivered : |
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| Other impact (e.g. award of patents or prizes, collaboration with other research institutions, technology transfer, etc.): |
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| SCREEN ID: SCRRM00542 |