A Unitary Theory-Methods-Practice Package: Ethnographic Action Research in Communities of Translation Practice

This presentation reports on the process and initial outcomes of applying an ethnographic action research (AR) methodology in combination with the theoretical framework of communities of practice (CoPs) (Yu 2022; Wenger 1998) to the author’s ongoing project. In tandem with a sociological turn of translation studies (Wolf and Fukari 2007) and a growing interest in bringing impact on the studied phenomenon, methodologies such as ethnography (Yu 2020; Koskinen 2008) and action research (Yu and Marin-Larcata In press; Angelucci et al. 2023) have gained popularity. Both approaches require the researcher to observe and participate in the actual process of translation and interact with the actors involved. Despite the burgeoning literature, little has been said about the role that theory plays in such research design, the ways in which a family of methods are implemented, and an iterative research process that leads to a theoretical realization.

Situated in Hong Kong, the reported project aims to facilitate crisis communication with the city’s Nepali and Urdu speakers by bringing together the communities and NGOs and developing a theoretically informed CoP. The project has two broad stages – understanding the stakeholders and identifying their needs, and taking action to change the status quo. Given the participant- and process-oriented nature of the project, the author adopts the canonical action research (CAR) methodology (Davison et al. 2004) – a type of AR that emphasizes an embedded and “clearly articulated theoretical framework”. The project follows CAR’s iterative process of diagnosing problems, planning actions, intervention, evaluation and reflection. The analysis of the data collected from the ethnographic field, questionnaire and interview undertaken with both the communities and NGOs has informed the design of a preliminary training program engaged in by the Nepali and Urdu speakers. Follow-up evaluation has also enabled the researcher to reflect on the understanding of “community translation” and “citizen translator” in existing translation studies literature, which subsequently, facilitates the re-theorization of the concepts.