Policy Translation Research Articles

Reconstructing decision-making dynamics during public health crises by applyingdata science to public records.

Public health policies can dramatically shape government responses to emerging public health crises. In cases where a response is inadequate, it's natural to seek improvements to these policies to achieve better results in future crises. However, while policies and outcomes are usually visible, the complex dynamics that link them are seldom obvious. Obscure social network structures, power and information asymmetries, and political agendas all influence the translation of policy to action or inaction. Intergovernmental communications are often the only primary sources for researchers investigating these hidden but crucial factors. Public records laws in many countries make such documents available upon request, but their structure, format, and scale are rarely accessible in practice. Fortunately, recent advances in free and open-source data science tools are making this problem tractable. In this visual brief, we demonstrate using such tools to mine a large image dataset and reconstruct decision-making during the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan, USA.

Do networks of relationships shape translation policies, or vice versa? The case of telephone interpreting services for quarantine hotels during the pandemic in Shanghai

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore how translators, foreign nationals and other stakeholders interacted in specific instances of COVID-19 communication in Shanghai, and how their (inter)actions were related to the government’s policy concerning translation services. The focus is on the telephone interpreting services that were commissioned by the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office (Shanghai FAO) for quarantine hotels. Centrality concepts in a social network analysis (SNA) were used qualitatively to map the network of relationships in which individuals were embedded. Complexity theory was used to capture the irreducible relationships between individuals and emergent structures. The study revealed that pre-existing networks reinforced Shanghai’s policy of providing multilingual translation services for foreign communities during the pandemic. Moreover, new networks of relationships emerged due to interpreter-mediated interactions, which challenged the Shanghai FAO’s codes of conduct. Reflexivity enabled volunteer interpreters and foreign nationals to mediate between structural opportunities and their subjectively defined concerns, thus leading to multi-layered approaches to COVID-19 communication. Possible solutions to the low degree of centrality of official translation services for COVID-19 communication in Shanghai are discussed based on foreign nationals’ experiences.

Constructing the “moralization shock”: The role of contingency in the translation of anticorruption policy in France

AbstractThis article applies the concept of transaction to the process of policy transfer, through the case of conflict of interest regulation in France, using archives, documentary sources, and interviews with stakeholders. It contributes to the literature on policy translation by clarifying the role of contingency, which remains underspecified. It shows that timing matters in two ways: it affects actors' ability to open a policy window, and it ultimately affects problem definition and future implementation instruments and practices. It explores the construction of the situation as a scandal, making it necessary to adapt transferred ideas to the political context, where a “shock of moralization” was seen as necessary. It also offers an opportunity to enrich the scholarship on policy transaction with an application to transnational policymaking, where problem definitions and policy solutions are imported from elsewhere and where foreign or transnational actors contribute to the co‐construction of actors and issues.

The emerging intersection: the role of architecture in promoting inclusive education

ABSTRACT In response to the call to explore the environmental ’set up’ in promoting students’ inclusion, this paper explores the role of architecture in inclusive education. This paper begins by critically reviewing the literature published between 2010 and 2022 through an inclusive lens exploring architecture as space in terms of students’ access, participation and achievement. Drawing on Levy and Ellis’s approach for conducting reviews, a search using the keywords architect* (for architecture, architectural, architects), space and inclusi* (for inclusion, inclusive and inclusivity) was conducted followed by a ‘backward and forward search’: the references of the cited articles, the author/s’ publications prior to and following the identified article, and additional articles ‘that have cited the identified article’. In reviewing a total of 111 books, book sections and peer reviewed studies, architecture as space that students exist in and use, architecture as social art fostering relationships, and architecture as a means of communicating values and practices that support inclusion in school communities emerged. This paper enables a critical examination of how architecture is defined in the literature contributing to progressing the translation of policy into practice, advancing the global vision for equity and inclusive education.

Soft power and translation in Spanish-speaking Latin America: comparative analysis of Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay’s translation support programs*

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the function of translation support policies as instruments of soft power for Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, focusing on the translation programs of Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay. It addresses the challenges these countries face within the global translation system, characterized by linguistic hierarchies and geopolitical constraints. Through a sociological lens, the study provides a comparative analysis of the institutional structures, objectives, operational dynamics, and the volumes and destinations of the subsidies distributed by these programs, highlighting their impact on the international visibility of national literature. Additionally, by examining the editorial profiles and translation subsidies awarded to three independent publishers, this research posits a number of hypotheses regarding the relationship between translation programs and the modalities of circulation for non-central languages and countries within various linguistic markets. Consequently, this study lays a foundation for further comparative research on the translation policies of peripheral countries and their role in enhancing cultural diplomacy across different languages and regions.

Oral health inequities over time among older adults of different racial/ethnic backgrounds: a comparative decomposition analysis across Australia and the United States

BackgroundAlthough the prevalence of poor oral health among older populations in Australia and the United States is higher, the contribution of ethnicity status is unknown. We aimed to estimate the contribution of social inequalities in oral health among older populations in Australia and the United States.MethodsCross-sectional study design using data from Australia’s National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH 2004–06 and 2017–18) and the United States’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003–04 and 2011–16). Participants included in the analysis were aged 65 + years. Oaxaca-Blinder type decomposition analysis was used to assess the contribution of demographic (age, sex), socioeconomic position (educational attainment, household income) and dental behaviors (last dental visit) to changes in prevalence of edentulism and non-functional dentition, and mean number of missing teeth by ethnicity status over time in Australia and the United States.ResultsThe number of participants aged 65 + years who provided clinical and sociodemographic/dental behaviour data was 1043 and 1269 in NSAOH 2004–06 and 2017–18, and 1372 and 1328 in NHANES 2003–04 and 2011–16 respectively. The prevalence of edentulism was from 13 percent (NHANES 2011–16) to 28 percent (NSAOH 2004–06), while the prevalence of non-functional dentition was from 41 percent (NSAOH 2017–18 and NHANES 2011–16) to 61 percent (NHANES 2003–04). The mean number of missing teeth was from 11 (NSAOH 2017–18) to 18 (NHANES 2003–04). The prevalence of edentulism and non-functional dentition, and the mean number of missing teeth were higher among older Australians identifying as White and the opposite results were observed among older Americans identifying as Non-White. For older adults in Australia, risk factors with the greatest impact on oral health outcomes by ethnicity status were educational attainment and household income. For older adults in the United States, the most dominant risk factor for non-optimal oral health outcomes by ethnicity status was last dental visit.ConclusionsThere are important policy translation implications from our findings, as they indicate that social and structural systems in Australia and the United States operate differently in the context of oral health over time among culturally diverse older citizens. This information will help inform initiatives that both target effective oral health promotion for older, culturally-diverse populations and provide evidence for the distribution of resources in the public dental health setting for this age group and cultural demographic.

The national life of transnational models: macroprudential policy and the politics of translation in Germany and the UK

Most scholarship to date has treated macroprudential policy as a relatively coherent approach developed through transnational processes of knowledge construction. Using Germany and the UK as a case study, this article shows that there was indeed a remarkable level of convergence on an internationally validated set of key ideas, models, scripts, and policy tools even in countries with otherwise widely diverging traditions of financial governance. Surprisingly, however, similarities in discourse are often still accompanied by very different uses of individual policy tools. This article argues that to make sense of these persistent differences, we have to pay attention to the ways in which central bankers tend to subject imported ideas and scripts to a process of translation before using them in the actual policy process. Of particular importance in this regard are attempts at endogenization and contextualization of models and indicators imported from the transnational realm. In drawing attention to these processes of policy translation, the article also reaffirms the inherently political nature of the operationalization of transnationally validated ideas. It will be argued that the processes of translation thus uncovered are likely to be relevant to a much broader array of policy domains and countries.

Instrument constituencies and the brokering of OECD-knowledge in Nordic school reforms - a three country comparison

ABSTRACT Major international surveys and reports have considerably altered the expectations and outlooks of national policymakers in education over the last three decades. Through a comparative content analysis of bibliographies in policy documents, this article explores the intermediary bodies that facilitate salient interconnections between international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and national policymakers and experts who prepare comprehensive school reforms in three Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. This article builds on a large Nordic research project that studied the transfer and translation of international policies in a Nordic reform context. It extends the study by examining the role of publishers as intermediary policy brokers that legitimize the usage of OECD knowledge as significant members of instrument constituencies. This study enhances our understanding of the variations in citation patterns across policy documents from three Nordic countries. It also investigates the extent to which differences in instrumental constituencies arise from institutional arrangements and the ideational foundations underpinning reform trajectories. Additionally, it examines the topics addressed by these reforms and the governments’ affiliations with new policy brokers supported by both public and private publishers.

Addressing US Military Transgender Care Inequalities: Clinical Nurse Specialist Bridging Healthcare Gaps.

There are more than 130 000 US veterans and more than 12 500 active-duty service members who identify as transgender. Lack of training in transgender and gender-affirming care among healthcare providers in the military is still reported. The article aims to explore and advocate for the unique role of advanced practice registered nurses, especially clinical nurse specialists, in providing culturally sensitive and evidence-based care to the transgender population within the US military. The clinical nurse specialists' pivotal role in policy advocacy and translation of evidence to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes for transgender service members is highlighted. The article also explores the historical journey of transgender care in the US military, addressing discriminatory policies and the implications of the ever-evolving regulations in military transgender healthcare. The article aims to create awareness of clinical nurse specialist utilization in US military healthcare services to improve the care of transgender individuals in the military. The uncertain future for transgender service members highlights the ongoing commitment needed to navigate complex military healthcare policies and foster inclusive, evidence-based practices. Therefore, the clinical nurse specialist plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of transgender healthcare within the US military.

Translation, a measure of force of attraction? States, international organizations and the consecrating power of translation

ABSTRACT Based on the premise that both translations and collective bodies have historically been used to build collective identities, shape their images, and defend their interests, this article examines several projects constituting the translation policy of the Intellectual Cooperation Organization (1925–1945) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1945–) from a soft-power perspective. In the first section, I identify several contemporary trends in translation studies that share an interest in the state, though I also delve into parallel critiques against methodological nationalism. The second section addresses states and international organizations as agents of translation that maximize the potential of translation as a soft-power resource. The third and the fourth section examine two specific translation projects as soft-power resources from the perspective of the producing end. The fifth section examines the way the press of the time covered said projects and discusses their reception in different social spaces. This case study is used as a heuristic tool to discuss states as relevant objects of study in translation studies, the multiple receptions of translations, and the consecrating power of translation.

Argentine literature in English: publishing translations subsidized by PROSUR (2010–2020)

ABSTRACT This article focuses on national institutes' translation policies and draws on works that have recast the notion of soft power for the study of cultural production. Our goal is to analyze how Argentine literature circulates abroad, specifically through translations into hypercentral English, with subsidies from the Programa Sur de Traducciones (South Translation Program, or PROSUR). We trace the history of PROSUR – run by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship – and analyze statistical data from institutional databases. Likewise, we study the catalogues, collections, websites, and paratexts of the books sold by a group of publishing houses that have received PROSUR subsidies. Our article suggests that, regardless of the various traits of the titles and the specific profiles of each publishing house, we may identify common trends in relation to how the presses exercise soft power, produce meaning, and introduce Argentine literature in three main ways that we define as political resistance, Latin American literature, and women's writing. Thus, this article is a contribution to the notion of soft power by shifting the focus away from the intent around cultural policy and toward frequently overlooked considerations around the practices of the recipients of cultural policies.

Mind the gap: from real-world policies to health impact assessment modelling

Abstract When conducting health impact assessments (HIA), researchers often face the challenges of trying to align as closely as possible with policy scenarios. This phase concerns the translation of real-world policies into estimates usable in models. Most of the time, researchers need to address a policy-impact gap between what is needed by the policymakers and what is believed to be reliable data fitted for the model. These mismatches can stem from differences in how exposure and outcomes are studied compared to the policy plan. By looking at a case study of the planned Belgian policy to reduce tobacco selling points, challenges during the pre-modelling phase were identified. The question of what an effect size should be and its importance in the HIA process were considered fundamental for the analysis. In particular, literature on exposure to tobacco sales points differed in outcomes, as it would target proximity to someone’s home, while the policy itself focuses on the reduction of points of sale of a specific store type. Similarly, smoking behaviour can be measured in various ways, such as initiation, cessation, relapse rates, or overall smoking prevalence. The policies’ effect on these various outcomes differed significantly. In this presentation, the discussion will focus on the alignment of the existing literature with the specific details outlined in the policy. We will explore the challenges that arose when existing research criteria and assumptions did not fully match the policy, taking the new Belgian tobacco plan as an example. Lastly, we will highlight the opportunity to set up monitoring systems to evaluate tobacco interventions to extract reliable estimates for HIA and strengthen evidence-based tobacco policies in the future.

Climate Change Impacts on Respiratory Health: Bridging Inequalities in Children and Adults

Abstract Respiratory diseases rank as the third leading global cause of mortality, with climate change exacerbating their prevalence and severity. Wild fires, floods, extreme heat events, infectious diseases, urban air pollution and aeroallergen exposure contribute to respiratory health deterioration. Vulnerable populations, including individuals with pre-existing lung conditions and children, bear a disproportionate burden of these effects. We centrepiece the connection of climate change to respiratory health inequalities, while bridging the evidence gap regarding increasing extreme heat and cold events, ambient and indoor air pollution exposure with significant ramifications on respiratory health. Specifically, we will showcase research on the tailored, multidisciplinary NCD prevention package named FRESHAIR4Life, targeting air pollution exposure in mid- to late adolescents from disadvantaged populations. Given the high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and air pollution exposure as major contributors, urgent preventive interventions are required, particularly in disadvantaged populations. Initiating preventive interventions during adolescence is considered an optimal window of opportunity for long-term health benefits. Furthermore, we will present a robust evidence base delineating climate change’s impact on lung health among vulnerable European populations. We will discuss how narratives on climate-induced lung health issues are co-created with affected communities and stakeholders to facilitate policy translation. The aim of these presentations is to break silos among health professionals, fostering collaboration from the respiratory community to the public health community. Through lung health collaborations we seek to deepen understanding and catalyze action to address the intersection of climate change, respiratory health, and inequalities, ultimately working towards a healthier and more equitable health for all.

Conceptualising meso translation policy

Abstract Like language policy, translation policy is a complex adaptive phenomenon where multiple agents interact dynamically at diverse levels and affect how principles such as equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination are implemented at concrete, structural levels. While a fair amount of work has been done on top-down and bottom-up translation policy, more research about meso-level translation policy is needed to better understand this topic. This study thus seeks to show how meso-level agency needs to be taken into consideration; in particular, the complex interplays between meso-level agency and structural factors in policymaking and appropriation processes. Taking two Toronto hospitals as examples, this study demonstrates how hospitals can be conceptualised at a meso-level as collective agents. It examines the complexity of their agentive roles and elucidates their exertion of agentive power in order to explore meso complexity, and to assess the subsequent impact on both policy outcomes and people’s lives. To do so, a framework of parameters influencing, if not determining, the effectiveness of public service translation and interpreting provision is proposed. It is then used in combination with an existing tripartite framework of translation policy to develop a more fine-grained and holistic understanding of translation policy in public service settings.

Review of Tesseur (2022): Translation as Social Justice: Translation Policies and Practices in Non-Governmental Organizations

Review of Tesseur (2022): Translation as Social Justice: Translation Policies and Practices in Non-Governmental Organizations

What may be: policy enactment in education, a new conceptual framework with actor-network theory

ABSTRACT In this article, I present a new conceptual framework constructed using sensemaking theory and Actor–Network Theory (ANT) to demonstrate layers of policy enactment. The framework reimagines policy enactment as a sociomaterial ethico-political activity by considering the factors that mediate policy enactment and the assemblages facilitating the translation of policy into action. The framework forms an idealised cycle, using concepts from sensemaking theory including sensegiving and the system builder and Actor-Network Theory; problematisation, interessement, enrolment, mobilisation and stabilisation. This framework is then applied to research focussing on a forming Multi-Academy Trust and the attempt to establish joint 6th form provision. This highlights the potential human, contextual and material difficulties faced by schools as they attempt to translate national policy into practice and work together. The conceptual framework provides an alternative way of thinking about policy enactment, one that allows a reflection on the difficulties associated with translating policy into practice whilst also offering insights to help these to be overcome.

How should we study interactions between translation policies, practices, and beliefs? Comparing case studies from a time of crisis

ABSTRACT This article is a methodological reflection based on a particular research experience around the following question: if effective translation policy must align with translation practices and beliefs, how should we study situations where those factors do not align with each other? When vaccination information had to reach multilingual communities in Brussels and Melbourne in 2021, in both cases there were moves to community-based translation practices, without clear adjustments on the level of official policy. The resulting tensions created problems for research methodology with respect to the variable availability of language data, the influence of media reports, and especially the different opinions expressed by community representatives, translation users, dissenters, and translators. In confronting the difficulties thus imposed and the many subject positions in play, we argue that researchers should invest added efforts to recognize and work with the uneven nature of the data while at the same time including the full range of expressed beliefs. Only then can we presume to identify some of the more local aspects that effective translation policies must address.

Translation policy vis-à-vis national politics: change and continuity in the ©Poland translation program

ABSTRACT This article discusses to what extent the change of political power in Poland affected ©Poland Translation Program, the largest public funding framework for translations from Polish, which is operated by the Book Institute, a governmental agency subject to the Ministry of Culture. The research is based on a comparative quantitative analysis of 2,410 bibliographic records – published books that received funding in 2008–2015 and in 2016–2022, i.e., under different managements appointed by different Polish governments – and supplemented by selected qualitative close-ups. The statistics do not confirm the common public sentiment that in the latter period, under the right-wing government of the Law and Justice party, ©Poland took a political turn, promoting historical writing that glorifies Polish past. Authors opposing the government were not discriminated against, and funding was allocated for translations into the same target languages as before. However, there was a noticeable trend in promoting contemporary right-wing non-fiction with an anti-liberal agenda (politically engaged journalistic reportage and socio-philosophical essay) in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Hungary. The results are discussed in terms of soft power, linking translation flows with international political relations, and the limits of quantitative analysis are problematized.

The situatedness of hybrid practitioner agency in the internationalisation of Japanese higher education and the necessity of transversal policy enactors

ABSTRACT This study explored a contemporary period of Japanese higher education policy planning that adopted internationalisation of higher education as a metanarrative for sociocultural change in Japan. These wider societal pressures have over a period of time contributed to increasing institutional resistance to top-down policy initiatives. Further, these pressures have limited spaces for professional collegiality to develop. As a result, there is an increased importance for the development of individual practitioner agency that can contribute to the interpretation and translation of national policy planning goals. Document analysis in conjunction with qualitative interviews were operationalised with faculty membership of the same university in Japan to explore how situated performative action hold significant conceptual importance to understanding resistance, or enactment, to educational change. In particular, the study revealed the spatial dispositioning of teaching practitioners reflective of language policy planning experiences. These experiences were multifaceted and did not represent benign motivations on behalf of these individuals. To overcome these tendencies, this study identified hybrid practitioners who understand and demonstrate policy, administrative and teaching/researcher expertise as a necessary language policy plannning component of modern higher education institutions. The hybrid practitioner model is an important component of carrying forward the policy planning objectives of modern higher education organisations.

Direct observations of practice in social work education: the role of professional autonomy in policy enactment

ABSTRACT Although the assessment of students via direct observation of practice is a regulatory requirement of social work qualifying programmes in England, there is relative freedom in exactly how this policy is enacted. This study takes a constructionist approach to explore what direct observations are perceived to be and whether this influences their enactment. Interview data was collected from five participants who are all practitioners involved with this assessment method. Training materials were also analyzed and themed along with interview data. Interpretation of the data revealed three themes; participants had a clear concept of direct observations, valued them as an assessment method and they are embedded in social work education. Analysis of the findings revealed that the lack of regulatory expectations supports professional autonomy by enabling the translation of the direct observation policy into practice in a way which supports ownership, commitment and creativity. These findings demonstrate that it can be more beneficial to allow professional expertise to guide policy enactment in educational contexts than the top-down managerial approaches that dominate both educational and practice settings.