A Collaborative Translation Effort Producing Subtitles for a HAS Center Video
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Abstract
The current study explores a collaboration between translators and the use of technology in the production of subtitles for a HAS Center video. It elaborates on the interrelationship between the roles of the translators and of the technology within a subtitling process. This type of partnership has not been fully analysed in the literature, especially within a Thai context. To achieve its goal, this study takes a sociological approach to explore how translators work together to translate subtitles from English into Thai in a digitally-mediated environment. The ethnographic data were analysed based on a framework combining the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as proposed by Latour in 1987 and 2005 with the concept of habitus proposed by Bourdieu in 1977 and 1990. The findings suggest that translators form equal partnerships and reach mutual agreement based on their close interactions and past experience while collectively producing the subtitles. They also make the best use of technology, including networked platforms and facilitating tools, while performing the task. These interrelationships lead to effective teamwork in the production of subtitles, giving rise to a collaborative translation practice.
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