Professional Translators’ Work Process and Productivity

This study attempts to explore ways to accomplish the quality of translation, especially for public projects by investigating professional translation processes and factors which hinder a translator s productivity and performance. For this study, an authentic text, translated from Korean into English and chosen as a case study for investigation to discuss the process and stakeholders involved in the translation industry, is presented based on pertinent theoretical grounds: Holz-Mänttäri s theory of translational action and her technical terms (1984); Han J. Vermeer s skopos theory (1984) to explain the aim and action of translating; and Christian Nord s (1988) translation brief to identify the required detailed information for a commissioned project including a source text, a target text, and the subject of a translation. The paper then discusses challenges translators face and implications as the written and textual representation rely on accurate and appropriate translation. The result of this study assists in raising awareness of the complexities in translating public texts, calling for the need to establish translation policies and parameters for addressing a source language culture in the target language culture to guide promising professional translators and projects.