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Article published In: Translation Spaces
Vol. 14:2 (2025) ► pp.195–220

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Self-Determined Participation (SDP)

A theoretical framework for explaining unpaid human participation in translation (and beyond?)

ORCiD logo with link | Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University
Published online: 7 July 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.24036.hua
Abstract
This paper concerns unpaid human participation in translation, a phenomenon that has been extensively examined and conceptualised with numerous terms. As human participation in translation activities grows, often without remuneration, it is important to explore possible explanations for such unpaid human participation. While scholars have sought to do so, I argue that their theoretical frameworks fall short in sufficiently accounting for the explanatory factors behind such participation. To address this issue, this paper proposes an explanatory theory called Self-Determined Participation (SDP). It provides a systematic means through which we can categorise, stratify, and account for the common and diverse empirical findings about why people consciously participate in translation without monetary payment. As such, it helps us move beyond loosely listing explanatory factors and towards generating more viable and meaningful explanations of why translation matters to individual people.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous explanations for unpaid human participation in translation
  • 3.Towards a novel theoretical framework for explaining unpaid human participation in translation
    • 3.1The neurological approach: Causal explanations for bodily activities
    • 3.2The social approach: Normative and operative explanations for human actions
    • 3.3The cognitive approach: End-state explanations for human behaviours
    • 3.4Matching theories with empirical findings
    • 3.5Revising theories for empirical findings
  • 4.Self-Determined Participation (SDP): Applications, assumptions, implications
    • 4.1A top-down application of SDP
    • 4.2Assumptions and implications
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (54)
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