Practices in the translation and editing of humanities and social science texts for publication in English: A qualitative survey of language professionals

Abstract

In 2006, the American Council of Learned Societies published the Guidelines for the Translation of Social Science Texts. Following a panel discussion at the annual conference of Mediterranean Editors and Translators on their continued relevance in an international publishing landscape increasingly populated by writers who use English as an additional language (EAL) a qualitative survey consisting of 10 open-ended questions was conducted in 2020 through several European language professional associations. At that time, the extent to which the practices of translators into English and editors working directly with EAL authors in the humanities and social sciences conformed to the self-reflexive methods of the Guidelines was not known. The 52 responses from language professionals based in European countries (44), North America (7), and Israel (1) were coded to obtain qualitative data on professionals’ opinions and practices. Respondents’ self-identifications were roughly divided between translators and editors, but further examination revealed 25 in fact working as translator–editors, 14 as editors, and 13 as translators. Most respondents engaged in some form of communication with the authors of the source texts regarding their translating/editing choices, although the strategies varied. Most attempted to retain the authors’ ‘voice’ but also felt the competing need to comply with prevailing expectations of international academic discourse in English. This article presents themes that emerged from the survey, which revealed both compliance with and divergence from the Guidelines across diverse academic and linguistic contexts, suggesting the need for updated guidelines and additional research on these mostly occluded author–language professional practices.