Collaborative Translation

The concept of collaborative translation has been used in multiple senses that reflect the complex modalities of collaborative practice in different contexts. Collaboration clearly implies the interaction of two or more agents, most obviously two or more translators working together, a situation which O’Brien calls collaborative translation in the “narrow meaning” and which is also referred to as “co-translation”. The historical dimensions of collaborative translation have been under-researched. Such practices have been key motivators of intercultural transfer and cultural change, functioning as contact zones – sites in which cultural contact is negotiated through the interaction of individuals from diverse cultural traditions. The precise interaction of different players in the field of literary translation and publishing has received significant attention from scholars employing genetic critical approaches to interrogate notions of literary authorship and translatorial authority. Research on collaborative translation is in its infancy, and understanding of the complex interactions and modalities of production involved is evolving as new cases are explored.