Translation Ecosystems: From Constraints to Affordances

Andrea Musumeci, Dominic Glynn

Journal of Translation Studies ›› 2025, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (1) : 87-130.

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Journal of Translation Studies ›› 2025, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (1) : 87-130.
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Translation Ecosystems: From Constraints to Affordances

  • Andrea Musumeci1, Dominic Glynn2
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Abstract

This article provides a thorough review of constraints in translation studies. It analyzes existing literature to assess whether constraints positively or negatively impact translators. Drawing on studies of translation constraints, it proposes an ecosystemic perspective, viewing constraints as transversal elements within translation ecosystems that manifest differently according to given environments and organisms. We propose an abstracted constraint prioritization procedure aimed at harnessing affordance perception, a skill that learners, scholars, and practitioners might find beneficial. The article concludes by providing an ecosystemic map of these forces, and it brings to the surface the importance of establishing clear vantage points to create ecologically valid abstractions, underscoring that constraints lead translators to perceive affordances. This ecological and affordance-based perspective aims to enable learners and practitioners to better incorporate the “constraint concept” in their work and connect the scholarly and professional communities. One such area of connection is translator’s posture, centered on how translators occupy a position in the environments forming their domains of practice, be they textual, professional, or social.

Key words

Translation constraints / ecosystem / affordances / prioritization / translator’s posture

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Andrea Musumeci, Dominic Glynn. Translation Ecosystems: From Constraints to Affordances[J]. Journal of Translation Studies. 2025, 9(1): 87-130

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