Esther Monzó Nebot

The author is not dead. Status perception and attitudes towards authorship and ownership among translators working for international organizations

In the context of international organizations, some studies have already reported a decline in both translators’ and interpreters’ prestige within the institutions and beyond. This paper explores correlations among shifts in status perception as described by first and second-generation translators working for an international organization; it examines their attitudes towards translation ownership and their readiness to contact original authors in the translation process. The impact of interactions on authors’ perception of the role and status of translators within the organization is also explored. It is suggested that translators who rank their own prestige and position within the organization higher are more prone to contact authors on issues arising from their texts. It is further suggested that this interaction has a positive impact on how authors (either delegates, counsellors, or administrative staff) perceive the translators’ work and function in the organization.

Keywords: status, translation, international organizations

Biography

Esther Monzó-Nebot is a Professor of Translation in the Department of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Graz. She was previously an Associate Professor in Legal Translation at Jaume I University. She holds a PhD in the Sociology of Translation, an MA in Translation, and a BA in Translation and Interpreting. She has been a practising translator at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, and a sworn translator and interpreter in the Spanish private market for over 15 years. Her recent publications include “Official Translation” in the Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (2013) and “Legal and Translational Occupations in Spain: Regulation and Specialization in Jurisdictional Struggles” (2011).