Något har hänt med den översatta litteraturen. Oavsett om det är AI:s intåg i bokbranschen, streamingstjänsternas vurm för inhemsk litteratur eller engelskans starka ställning bland läsare – eller kanske en kombination – vittnar fler och fler översättare om svårigheter med att kunna försörja sig.

Några sätter sig i skolbänken igen. Elin Svahn möter Ebba Högström (blivande gymnasielärare i tyska och svenska), Klara Lindell (blivande bibliotekarie) och Erik MacQueen (blivande teknisk skribent) för ett samtal och gamla och nya yrken.

This chapter considers research settings, methods, and theoretical frameworks characteristic of conceptual and empirical research on the translation industry. We focus on the context, agents, and processes and present a selection of approaches that are particularly relevant for studying them. Concerning research on the context, we discuss two broad topics: market structure and market demands (the academia–industry gap, employability, signals of competence and quality). Next, we consider research on agents’ profiles/roles and perceptions/attitudes towards their work. Finally, we engage with how processes and workflows have been studied in their cognitive and socio-material contexts. The chapter illustrates the variety of methods and frameworks relevant to capturing the complexity of the translation industry, as well as the challenges of negotiating researcher position vis-à-vis the asymmetric power relations and conflicting interests within the industry. We further highlight how conceptual research can be instrumental in providing critique of and alternatives to dominant structures and processes and draw attention to gaps in research approaches.

Increasing attention is devoted to translators’ job satisfaction (JS), evaluations, and emotions concerning one’s work. Given the complex and interdisciplinary nature of JS, an explorative overview of how the concept has been approached in translation studies is sorely needed. Drawing on a corpus of 51 articles (1998–2021), we analyze the theoretical backgrounds, methods and populations in order to present a comprehensive view on the theoretical and methodological approaches to translators’ JS. The theoretical approaches can mainly be divided into psychological, psycho-sociological, sociological, and ergonomic. We assess the application and relevance of the approaches, drawing attention to how only a few established psychological theories have so far been used. Methodologically, most studies rely on survey data analyzed quantitatively, concerning translators with a particular specialization or mode of employment. Looking ahead, the topic would benefit from a conceptual analysis of JS and related concepts, as well as further exploration of established psychological theories and validated quantitative instruments. At the same time, we see a call for qualitative, interventive, and conceptual studies and for critical reflection on studying translators’ JS.

Recently, scholars have pointed to the need for exploring non-retranslations, i.e. translations that are continuously being published in a target culture but not retranslated. Yet, there has not been a thorough examination of the phenomenon to date. This article aims to explore this phenomenon in greater depth by reporting on a pilot study from a bibliography on Swedish non-retranslations. More specifically, the article investigates the concept of (alleged) ageing in relation to fourteen Swedish non-retranslations that have been published, in the same translation, in more than ten editions over the course of 45–87 years. The non-retranslations are discussed through the parameters of publication history, agents of non-retranslations, and textual features. The article’s findings contradict some established views regarding the (alleged) ageing of texts as a motive for retranslation and complement others.

Introduction to special issue "Translators' and interpreters' job satisfaction".

This article is an exploratory overview of research on translators’ job satisfaction (JS). We analyze the data (51 articles) for indications of (1) translators’ overall JS; (2) associations of overall JS with individual, job-intrinsic, job-extrinsic, societal, and background factors; (3) translators’ satisfaction with job-intrinsic, job-extrinsic, and societal aspects of their work. Translators’ overall JS in the data is fairly high, and it is linked to emotional intelligence, the nature of translating, autonomy, interpersonal relationships, status perceptions, working mode, gender, and experience. The translators studied are mostly happy with the job-intrinsic aspects, but their views on extrinsic and societal aspects are more divided. Gaps in research include individual factors (e.g., self-efficacy, personality traits), background factors (e.g., cultural and socio-economic differences), and the interaction of the different types of factors.

This article presents an overview of contemporary bibliomigrancy patterns of translated fiction from the province of Quebec to Sweden, between 2000 and 2020. Quebec and Sweden offer an interesting comparison, since French is considered a central language but the province of Quebec occupies a peripheral position in comparison with its Anglophone neighbours, whereas Swedish is considered a semi-peripheral language but Sweden occupies a central position in the Scandinavian subsystem. Drawing on theories on bibliomigrancy and polysystem, the article investigates 26 titles from the point of view of external translation history, focusing on the following questions: What was translated? When was it translated? Where was it translated? Who translated it? Why was it translated? The analysis shows that different genres, notably novels, picture books, and graphic novels, have been translated into Swedish during the investigated time frame, with different patterns regarding factors such as publication interval, translators, and translation subsidies. The increasing tendency of Quebecois titles appearing in Swedish follows the increasing trend of French as a source language in Sweden’s literary market, in contrast to the more even pace of translated literature into Swedish more generally. The results further suggest that a region’s language may have a more significant influence than its geopolitical position in the international market of translations.

Tid, pengar och respekt för hantverket. Elin Svahn samtalar med tre översättningsforskare om översättning och maskiner och om vilka som är branschens ödesfrågor i relation till den tekniska utvecklingen.