Ergonomics of Translation: Methodological, practical, and educational implications

The boundaries of translation studies are shifting to include research into the realities of the translation workplace, bringing scholars and practitioners closer together. An ergonomic perspective of translation puts the translator in focus and can provide an appropriate starting point for investigations of translation practice. Ergonomic issues that have emerged in studies in two multilingual countries suggest that professional translators are struggling to cope with the transition of translation becoming increasingly machine-driven. We discuss the methodological, practical, and educational implications of keeping the translator in focus and of taking the ergonomics of translation seriously. The boundaries of translation studies have shifted to include inter- and transdisciplinary research into the realities of the translation workplace. Constraints inherent in being part of a system and the resultant effects on translators’ decision-making have become the focus of interest by translation studies researchers with different theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. In order to assess the ergonomic situation of professional translation, a battery of questions was prepared by a team of translation studies and occupational therapy researchers to cover the various aspects of ergonomics defined by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The physical factors of the translation workplace that are related to ergonomics involve the furniture itself (i.e. the desk and chair), the layout (i.e. the space around and under the desk and chair), and the hardware (i.e. the computer and peripherals).