Quality assurance within non-professional translation teams : action research in the non-profit sector

Volunteer and collaborative translation in diverse forms, such as the Wikipedia initiative, is growing daily and needs direction in order to guarantee quality. And yet, non-professional translation is a field that remains largely unexplored. In the realm of professional translation, there are strict criteria related to translator training and experience, quality assurance, deadlines, and copyrights. However, in a context that involves online collaboration and hundreds of translators (often volunteers), these aspects are much less defined. This research project addresses the crucial issue of quality assurance within non-professional translation teams. This is done through the lens of action research carried out in the non-profit sector, specifically with a group called The King’s Translators which I formed in November 2011 to meet the need for French resources within our church denomination. It was apparent to me that we could not simply apply professional translation norms and methods within our team in order to ensure quality. The nature of non-professional translation requires a customized approach. I decided to conduct research from within The King’s Translators to develop a quality assurance system designed specifically for non-professional translation. By adapting professional models to the non-professional environment, I was able to create processes for appropriate translator selection, comprehensive translation revision/editing, and focused translator training. The criteria for translator selection include skills and character traits that enable a team member to succeed within the quality assurance system. Specific translation revision/editing processes are matched to desired quality levels based on the purpose of the translated documents. The translator training component concentrates on paradigm shifts encapsulated in a set of best practices for non-professional translators. These three elements of translator selection, translation revision/editing, and translator training harmonize in an effective quality assurance system. This system can be implemented by other non-professional translation teams, as it is specifically adapted to the challenges of working with volunteer translators and is not language specific. This project makes an important contribution to Translation Studies, first by highlighting the field of non-professional translation and emphasizing the need of an approach different than what is used for professional translation. I demonstrate how quality assurance is possible within a team of non-professional translators and provide an effective system for achieving it. On a broader level, my research aims to make Translation Studies scholars more aware that while new translation practices running counter to traditional mindsets will inevitably emerge, this should not prevent us from investigating and learning from them. In addition, researchers could make a greater effort to ensure that Translation Studies concepts, norms, and metalanguage are understandable and applicable in non-traditional contexts.

Keyphrases: Traduction collaborative, Non-professional translation, Volunteer translation, Collaborative translation, Translation quality assurance, Translator selection, Translation revision and editing, Translator training, Translation competence, Action research, Non-profit sector