Boundaries Around, Boundaries Within: Introduction to the Thematic Section on the Translation Profession, Translator Status and Identity

Svahn, Elin; Ruokonen, Minna; Salmi, Leena

doi:10.7146/hjlcb.v0i58.111655

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Within translation research, empirical studies have mainly explored translators' own views on their status. There have been three extensive surveys: an international survey by David Katan ( , 2011), surveys on Danish translators by Helle Vrønning Dam and Karen Korning Zethsen (2008, 2011 and Finnish surveys replicating the Danish questionnaires (Ruokonen 2014(Ruokonen , 2016(Ruokonen , 2018Ruokonen & Mäkisalo 2018).…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tuominen 2018). A qualitative analysis of some of the student data suggests that the students were aware of the situation (Ruokonen 2014). Literary translators' incomes (as low as under €1,000 per month) had also received attention (e.g.…”

Section: Background: the Finnish Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Danish questionnaires were translated into Finnish and merged into a single questionnaire, which was adapted for the Finnish students (34 items) and the translators (50 to 60 items, depending on each respondent's situation). In addition to Dam and Zethsen's items, the Finnish questionnaires included items on the respondents' views on factors affecting translator status (Ruokonen 2014) and on the translators' working conditions (Ruokonen & Mäkisalo 2018).…”

Section: The Respondentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Idealism or cynicism?

Ruokonen

2019

mikael

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article compares how Finnish translation students (n=277) and professional translators (n=450) perceive translator status or prestige and specific factors connected to status (visibility, power/influence and expertise; Dam & Zethsen, e.g. 2008), and whether the perceptions are affected by work experience and translators’ specialisation (business, audio-visual or literary translation). The data come from surveys partly replicating Danish translator surveys by Dam and Zethsen (e.g. 2011). A statistical analysis indicates that the students’ and translators’ views are close to each other and similar to previous research; in some items, there is no difference between the students and those translators with a maximum of five years of work experience. When statistical differences emerge, the translator respondents’ perceptions are mostly more positive. Possible explanations for this include the translators’ sense of their own work being appreciated (Ruokonen & Mäkisalo 2018). The results also suggest that links between status perceptions and length of work experience could be explored further.

show abstract

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background: the Finnish Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Respondentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Idealism or cynicism?

Ruokonen

2019

mikael

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…299-300), and Chesterman (2009, p. 19) also places the study of status under the sociological branch of Translator Studies. The notion of status as a sociological concept is also emphasised by the fact that it is often studied by means of large surveys and quantitative methods (Svahn et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative research into translator status: Finland and Sweden as a case in point

Ruokonen

Svahn

2021

Perspectives

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article presents a rare cross-national comparative study of translators' status perceptions, examined by means of two sets of survey data collected in Finland in 2014 (n = 397) and in Sweden in 2016 (n = 359). This comparison is of particular interest since the two countries share many characteristics, albeit with notable differences as to the role of translation in society and the history of translator education and associations. Following Dam and Zethsen (e.g., 2008), we compare the respondents' views of five variables: status, income, expertise/education, visibility and power/influence, which are ranked on a five-point Likert scale. Mann-Whitney U tests indicated statistically significant differences between the two datasets in most items. While there were no clear tendencies by variable, the items where the Finnish respondents' rankings were higher can be linked to the role of translation in society and to more established translator education in Finland. In contrast, the Swedish respondents' higher rankings may be explained by a large proportion of respondents with decades of working experience. Overall, the results highlight the importance of collecting comparable data and analysing even apparently similar perceptions for differences.

show abstract

Interdisciplinarity in translation studies: a didactic model for research positioning

Brighi

2024

Perspectives

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Boundaries Around, Boundaries Within: Introduction to the Thematic Section on the Translation Profession, Translator Status and Identity

Abstract: -

Cited by 5 publications

References 16 publications

Idealism or cynicism?

Idealism or cynicism?

Comparative research into translator status: Finland and Sweden as a case in point

Interdisciplinarity in translation studies: a didactic model for research positioning

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About