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Article published In:
Babel
Vol. 67:1 (2021) ► pp.75–98

Critical theory of technology and actor-network theory in the examination of techno-empowered online collaborative translation practice

TED Talks on the Amara subtitle platform as a case study

| National Taiwan University

While “turns” in translation studies have long been embracing the theoretical complexity integrated into the discussion of various translation phenomena, the theorisation of the use of technology and its impact on translation remain under-represented in scholarly literature of the field (O’Hagan 2016). This article considers the influence of technology on translation and reflects on the question as to how the interactive relationship between technology and translation may be theoretically conceptualised. Taking an approach informed by sociological theory, this article combines critical theory of technology (CTT) and actor-network theory (ANT) to examine the relationship between technology and translation, as well as the translation players involved. With the advent of Web 2.0, techno-empowered collaborative translation in the online TED Talks environment using Amara subtitling platform becomes a useful locale for discussion. Through a participant-observation approach, that is, with the author’s experience in the online translation environment, this article aims to explore how the technological elements in translation often described as “emergent property from new forms of translation practice” (Cronin 2010, 1) may offer critical insights from an epistemological perspective, especially the reciprocity between technology and its users.

Keywords: translation and technology, human-technology interaction, collaborative translation, critical theory of technology, actor-network theory
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Critical theory of technology and its conceptualisation
  • The concept of actor-network theory as linking mechanism
  • Web 2.0 and collaborative translation practice: Architect of participation, collective intelligence and affordances
  • TED Talks using amara translation platform as a case study
    • The production network from where it all started
    • Technical architecture in shaping the translation practice: Infinitude and utility
    • The technically built-in translation reality and the need of human-technology interaction
  • Implications and concluding remarks
  • References
Published online: 2 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00206.kun
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