Case Study: Exploring the Complexities of Translation Work in a Public Institution

The translation department in the public institution (Case 4) welcomed us as interested scientists and experts in Translation Studies and therefore participated robustly in the study. They allowed us to observe their work and attend their meetings. They also answered our questions carefully and took time to explain thoroughly any processes we did not immediately understand. Some of their colleagues from other departments (whom we met during lunch breaks) were confused about the goal of the study and initially assumed that our aim was to identify ways of optimizing the institution’s translation processes. However, this assumption was not shared by the actual participants in the translation department, who understood that we were trying to capture the complexities of translation work, including the processes, actors and technologies involved.