Aim and scope

The emerging area of field and workplace research in translation and interpreting (T&I) studies focuses on research in the very places where translation and interpreting occur, i.e. embedded in rich temporal, spatial and organisational environments. Field research designs are usually focused on a single or very limited number of cases and often embrace a variety of methodological tools and data sources (e.g. observations, interviews, document or social media analysis, videography, etc.). They may require researchers to stay in their chosen fields of enquiry for extended periods of time or to even participate themselves in the activities in the field.

In this volume, we seek to bring together research that studies T&I practices, processes or networks in situ in order to highlight aspects that are hard to reconstruct through product analyses or in a laboratory setting. For this purpose, we invite researchers with an interest in field research methods to present and discuss their specific conceptual tools, methodological reflections and empirical insights. Our aim thereby is to take a broad stance on the notions of ‘the field’ and ‘field research’: In addition to contributions which report on research conducted through fieldwork, we invite submissions which place the situational embeddedness of T&I practices centre stage.

We particularly welcome contributions which reflect on the methodological challenges of accessing, describing and analysing first-hand data on the practices of translators/interpreters that have been gathered in naturally occurring situations. In this context, we invite authors to tackle central questions such as: What conceptual work is needed to identify (or construct) field sites given that they are not necessarily circumscribed by organisational boundaries or physical locations? How can we gather sufficient and adequate data on increasingly digitalised and globally distributed processes and interactions? How do we make the voices of our participants or informants heard? Which ethical dilemmas and challenges do we face when entering and interacting with people in the field? What consequences do our positionality choices have and what techniques can we use to foster and guide self-reflexivity?

On a more conceptual level, we invite submissions that discuss what kinds of concepts and theoretical approaches are useful for describing practices in different T&I-related settings, e.g. sociological, cognitive, anthropological or ergonomic frameworks. What difference does the situatedness and embeddedness of translation and interpreting make for our descriptions of practices, processes and networks? What shapes the dynamics of different T&I contexts and how does this challenge current conceptual boundaries in T&I studies? How do new organisational forms influence practices and practitioners? How do professional – and also para- or non-professional – translators and interpreters perceive their work activities and interaction spaces?

Topics

We welcome conceptual, methodological and empirical contributions from various (inter)disciplinary backgrounds relating to field research and invite submissions on studies of different T&I-relevant settings.

Suggested topics for chapters include, but are not limited to, the following:

Methodological challenges of field research

• From entering the field to reporting on the results; construction of ‘the field’; data acquisition, analysis and management; challenges of research designs that use a combination of different data sources
• Researchers’ positionality; self-reflexivity; research ethics
• Possibilities and limitations of field research

Theoretical and conceptual frameworks used in field research

• Cognitive and sociological aspects of T&I; situated, embodied cognition and T&I; practice theory approaches to T&I; other innovative theoretical frameworks; conceptual development; meta-reflexion (e.g. conceptualising ‘the field’)
• Translators’ and interpreters’ agency; social and material embeddedness of T&I on different levels (process, project, society, etc.)

Applications of field research to different translation and interpreting relevant settings

• Actors and agents in T&I practice; T&I environments and workplaces; translators’ and inter­preters’ working conditions; physical, cognitive and organisational ergonomics of T&I
• Setting-specific aspects of T&I processes; interaction in T&I processes; the role of technology in T&I processes; professional, para-professional and non-professional translation and interpreting
• Translators’ and interpreters’ (virtual) networks, communities (of practice) and collaborative environments; translation crowdsourcing; human-machine interfaces; cooperation and conflicts in T&I; T&I and globalisation

Submissions

We kindly invite you to submit an extended abstract with the following information:

1. Title of chapter
2. Name(s) of author(s), affiliation(s), email(s)
3. Main body of abstract with detailed description of the planned chapter (800–1,000 words to include the objectives, theoretical framework/methods and main points of conceptual reflection or findings)
4. List of up to 5 keywords

Please relate your abstract clearly to the main book theme of “Field research on translation and interpreting”.

Language: English

Technical requirements for chapters and referencing standards will be communicated upon acceptance of your proposal.

Publication timeline

Contacts

Regina Rogl (corresponding editor, regina.rogl@univie.ac.at)
Daniela Schlager (daniela.schlager@univie.ac.at)
Hanna Risku (hanna.risku@univie.ac.at)

We look forward to receiving your abstract and working with you on this project!