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Article published In: Cognitive Translation and Interpreting Studies in the Early Twenty First Century
Edited by Adolfo M. García, Edinson Muñoz and Néstor Singer
[Translation, Cognition & Behavior 6:2] 2023
► pp. 230–251

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Contextualising translation expertise

Lived practice and social construction

ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna
ORCiD logo with link | University of Vienna
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Vienna.

Published online: 7 March 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00087.sch
Abstract
Translation expertise has been discussed intensely in (cognitive) translation studies. Most research has been conducted in laboratory settings, attempting to discern the differences between experienced translators (‘experts’) and lesser experienced translators. This has resulted in valuable, yet limited insights. We argue for the need to complement the picture with a broader perspective on translation expertise and to further investigate it in its authentic dynamic contexts, be they workplaces or other fields of practice. This implies seeing expertise as situated and performative, emerging from the interaction of social actors with their social and material environments. Emphasis is placed on the social, discursive construction of expertise and on the emic perspectives of the community being studied.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.What makes a good translator? Translation expertise in the lab
  • 3.From the lab to the field: Expertise research in authentic contexts
  • 4.Another dimension of context: Expertise as a social construction
  • 5.Conclusion: Researching lived expertise in context
    • 5.1Seeing lived expertise as expertise in context
    • 5.2Being open to new perspectives
    • 5.3Addressing new questions and revisiting old questions from new perspectives
  • Notes
  • References
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

David, Nehemiah
2025. The Future of Translation and Interpretation: Integrating AI with Human Expertise for Optimal Results . International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation 11:2 ► pp. 53 ff. DOI logo

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