THE IMPACT OF THE SOCIAL WEB ON EMOTIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT

IN PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS OF FREELANCE TRANSLATORS

Marie-Luise Groß, Center for Translation Studies, University of ViennaXXXIII Sunbelt Social Networks Conference, May 23rd, 2013, Hamburg, Germany

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TRANSLATION STUDIES• interdiscipline

• drawing from linguistics, literature, sociology, computer science, terminology etc.

• systematic study and description of theory and application of translating written text

• new subfield Translator Studies*:

* Coined by Andrew Chesterman, 2009Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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TRANSLATORS

• hidden industry, but constantly growing

• majority of translators are freelancers

• majority of translators are women

• members of the “Freie Berufe”: highly-qualified, creative individuals with strong professional ethics and social norms

picture credits: http://www.zm-online.de/Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

other members of the “Freie

Berufe” are e.g. physicians,

engineers or lawyers who are

self-employed

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RESEARCH QUESTION

Which impact does the Social Web have on the social networks of freelance translators?

picture credits: inesmergel.wordpress.com

•user-generated content

•social network(ing) sites

•architecture of participation

(O’Reilly 2005)

•the long tail (Anderson, 2008)

•Enterprise 2.0 (McAfee, 2006)

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND ASSUMPTIONS

• translation is a solitary profession

• translators are a hidden population

• freelancers rely heavily on their formal and informal networks for...

• emotional and functional support

• acquisition of new projects and customers

• production networks

• personal and professional advice

• translators use online-communities to connect with colleagues and agencies (Dickinson, 2002)

• translators turn to online-communities for emotional and functional support (Risku/Dickinson, 2009)

credits: http://www.zm-online.de/Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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RESEARCH DESIGN

credits: inesmergel.wordpress.com

• explorative, qualitative study

• cluster sample:

• 234 freelance translators (members of the largest German Translators’ Association BDÜ) contacted with personalized e-mails

• response rate: 23%; only 6% of the responses were positive

• 4% (10 individuals) of overall sample participated in study

• 8 female, 2 male; between 5 and 35 years working experience

• observation and think-aloud-protocols at work places

• unstructured, narrative interviews

• structured interview + survey of first-order-zones (ego-networks)

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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NAME GENERATORAdapted Fischer-Network (Fischer, 1982) and Global Social Survey (Bailey/Marsden, 1999; Burt, 1984) name generator for surveying emotional and functional support:

• Cooperation: Looking back over the past six months, who are the people with whom you have worked together on a translation project?

• Knowledge exchange: With whom do you talk about your work on a regular basis?

• Information resources: Who do you contact if you need background information or help with terminology when you are translating?

• Help: If you are facing difficulties with a translation or in a situation with a customer, who do you ask for help?

• Functional support: If you are not well or prevented for any reason, is there someone who takes on a translation project for you?

• Advice: If you need to make a professional decision, who do you ask for their opinion or for advice?

• Feedback & four-eyes-principle: Who gives you feedback on your work?

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

NAME INTERPRETER• Density: Please also draw a line between people who have some kind of

relationship with each other.

• Multiplicity: Please highlight the people who you also have a relationship with beyond the translation business.

•Map of first order zone

(ego-network + alters’

relationships with each other)

•I (= Ego) + 3 concentric circles

(very important, important, less

important) + periphery

•Multiplexity (blue curls)

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RESULTSImpact of the Social Web on freelance translators’ networks:

• Weak ties to information resources disappear: WWW is main information resource.

• Agencies’ participation in online-communities leads to dumping rates and market erosion: Agencies suggest/generate competition which does not exist as such in traditional translator networks.

• The majority of the participants in my study are not participating in online-communities:• not used to it (digital divide?)

• lack of confidence in qualifications and professionality of other users

• annoyed by questions and bored by discussions

• fear of free riders

• WWW is no marketing channel; projects and customers come through word of mouthcredits: http://www.zm-online.de/Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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SURPRISE, SURPRISE! (1/2)

• Business ethics and norms serve as market regulation techniques and are passed on from experienced translators to novices through cooperations both in online-communities and traditional, local networks. However, their impact is much stronger in local, personal networks.

• Strong ties with regular customers are vital to satisfaction and perceived success. Professional attitude and behavior is key to sense-making (cf. Gold/Fraser 2001): Translators want to demonstrate their professionality directly to the customer (deliver high-quality and on time, being reliable, doing extra services, high availability to regular customers, be a trusted advisor in language, culture and communications issues, understand customer needs).

• Negative impact: Agencies act as buffers between translators and their clients: Translators become anonymous services providers, their sense-making efforts come to nothing.

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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SURPRISE, SURPRISE! (2/2)

• Participants of my study receive support (emotional and practical) through their personal networks and their membership in Translators’ Associations.

• Participants of other studies (e.g. Risku/Dickinson, 2009) receive the same kind of support through participation in online-communities.

➡ There are two ways of organizing / organization for freelance translators:

★ online-communities + personal networks

✴ translators’ associations + personal networks

➡ Ambivalent development of the profession

➡ Digital Divide?

Dickinson, 2002

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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• Why do translators choose one way of organizing over the other?

• Are there differences in sense-making, self-perception and professional success (income, satisfaction) as a result?

• What impact does this ambivalent development have on the profession?

• Is there a digital divide between generations of freelance translators?

FUTURE RESEARCH

Marie-Luise Groß: “The Impact of the Social Web on Networks of Freelance Translators”

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION :-).

VISIT: TRANSLATOR-STUDIES.COM...OR FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @MARIELUISEGROSS

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“Anything the theories say should be tested on some kind of non-theory, quantitatively or qualitatively.”

(Pym 2010)

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