Constructing professional identity : the experiences of in-house translators in China /

Open in iSearch

Student Theses

2025

Guo, Lisha

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

Grounded in scholarship that views in-house translators’ professional identities as fluid, multifaceted, contested, and shaped by power relations, this study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate a group of Chinese in-house translators’ professional identities construction in practice and discourse. Data were mainly collected through semi-structured interviews with nine Chinese in-house translators. Drawing upon an integrated framework combining Wenger’s communities of practice model, Fairclough’s discourse analysis, and Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, this study explores how participants’ lived experiences in mainland China, their translation education learning, and their work experiences in companies shaped their professional identities. After analyzing the influence of these discursive and participative practices on participants’ professional identities construction, this study reveals that their professional identities were constructed by their investment in both translation and non-translation works in the community of practice, as well as engagement with various technological tools including CAT, MT, and AI. Besides, the findings highlight the identity struggles participants faced to negotiate their professional identities when negotiating multiple, competing meanings of what it means to be a translator. Positioned in subordinate roles and often engaged in invisible work, they faced significant challenges in demonstrating their competence and negotiating the meaning for their preferred identity construction. These translators exercised agency to tackle these challenges by repeatedly negotiating specific identity positions and dominant discourses within their companies. Moreover, in contrast to theoretical conceptions of professional identity as fluid, it was found that participants often held rigid views about translation and their roles as translators. This rigidity, the study argues, may foster antagonistic relationships between in-house translators and other stakeholders, such as freelance translators, clients, and company leaders. The study discusses implications for addressing this rigidity through adopting a critical perspective in translator education programs and organizational practices, as well as strategies for fostering a robust translator identity through learning

LG51.H43 Dr 2025eb Guol

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/grGr9Fva