The translating agent in the media

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical overview of the ways in which the figure of the translator in media translation has been understood and the participation of multiple agents in media translation activities has taken place. Drawing on the notion of collaborative translation, the contribution examines the complex interconnection between collaboration and media translation practices, focusing on the modes and effects of collaboration in the context of news translation and audiovisual translation in professional and commercial organizations, and extending the discussion towards evolving forms of collaborative media translation associated with political activism, citizen media and fandom practices which occur in the context of groups or communities of different sizes and compositions. The increase in collaborative media translation in recent years has been accompanied by a growing number of theoretical and empirical analyses of collaborative practices, many of which have focused on such issues as the impact of technological advances, translator’s agency and visibility, changing perceptions of translation professionalism and socioeconomic effects of collaborative translation. The discussion emphasizes that collaboration not only functions as a crucial feature of many forms of media translation but also plays a critical role in reconfiguring the way we understand media translation. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the conceptual, professional, and ethical consequences of the evolution of collaborative media translation.