Towards a methodology for translation activity: an activity theory approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT The question of “How translation is done” is crucial in the field of translation studies as it serves as the foundation for both teaching and criticism. To address this question, one must theoretically explain the methodology behind translation activities, including how translators select methods, strategies, and techniques to achieve meaningful translations. Despite the existence of various cross-disciplinary paradigms in translation studies, a consensus has not yet been reached on this issue. According to Activity Theorists, a socio-cultural activity is realized through goal-directed actions that are ultimately carried out by conditioned operations. Based on this perspective, we propose an explanatory framework for understanding the methodology of translation activity. This framework may also be useful for revising and evaluating the output of automatic translation operations conducted by AI language models.