Networking in online collaborative translation

Abstract

Abstract Translation practice on the internet has produced a new mode of translation activity that has significantly changed the traditional understanding of translation, especially the relationship between different agents. Drawing on Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this study attempts to explore the networking procedure of the translation activity on the website Wuxia­world of the Chinese martial arts novel Horizon, Bright Moon, Sabre, examining the dynamics of the formation and function of the network and the roles played by the actors involved. It focuses on the four aspects delineated by ANT: the confirmation of the scenario, the problematization of content, the enrollment of actors, and the completion of the network. The findings suggest that the translation practice on Wuxia­world establishes a well-constructed, not a random and unorganized, network, which attracts loyal fan-readers, enrolls qualified translators, maintains a well-functioning network, and presents a dynamic structure of immediate interactivity. All these lead to a new and reshaped translator-reader relationship of instant interaction.