On Management of Translation Project from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology

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Abstract—This article discusses the management process of a
translation project based on computer-aided translation (CAT)
software from the perspective of Eco-translatology. The article
observes the initiating, planning, implementing and closing of a
translation project and analyses how the components of a
translational ecology make “adaption and selection”, thus
achieving internal harmoniousness and ecological balance in an
interactional circumstance. The writer hopes to provide people
who ran a translation project with advice to do project planning,
task assignment and personnel allocation more effectively.
Index Terms—Eco-translatology, project management,
computer-aided translation.
I. INTRODUCTION
Eco-translatology is a translation study based on ecological
view. From the perspective of eco-translatology, “translation
is a selection when translators adapt to translational
eco-environments and then transplant texts (from one
language to another)” [1]. It is on the basis of
“adaption/selection” theory. It also compares translational
ecology with natural ecology, and discusses the relations
between translational eco-environments, translation texts and
translation communities, then makes a study of translatology
(macro view), translation theories (mid-scale view) and
translation texts (micro view) [2].
Eco-translatology defines that: translation is a unified and
harmonious system [1]. In this system, all components coexist
and rely on each other. This concept is similar to a
management system of a translation project. Only if members
of translation projects, texts to be translated and project
managers formulate a harmonious union, projects can run
successfully. Meanwhile, nowadays more and more cases use
CAT in the management of translation projects. Therefore,
this article will take computer-aided translation projects as an
example to study how translational eco-environments,
translation texts and translators interact with each other and
make the whole “unit” run harmoniously from the perspective
of eco-translatology.
Before a translation project initiates, a project manager (or
director) needs to contact with a client and know his or her
demand. After that, he has to convene a meeting for group
members to determine the completion time of a task. This is
actually the forming of a translational ecosystem in the project.
The manager has to be responsible for adjusting the balance
of this system. Later, when receiving an original text, the
Manuscript received March 9, 2016; revised June 15, 2016.
The authors are with Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an City,
China (e-mail: willowsu@foxmail.com, ruanhm@nwpu.edu.cn).
manager will receive a term base from the client (or establish
a new one) and send it with other files together in a package to
all project members [3], so the task is delivered. In this
process, the manager observes the transmission principle
between source language ecology and target language
ecology. Then he defines the source text type and makes
translation strategies according to the requirements of the
client or final readers. Last, for the translators, they have to
adapt to the change of the translational eco-environment and
choose proper translation strategies and skills. “Natural
selection assures the survival of the fittest” (Darwin) [4].
Translators choose right strategies is for “survival”. Like the
probability of survival of communities is larger than that of
individuals in an ecological system, the forming of a
translation project group increases the chances of “survival”
of group members. Usually they only need to fit in an
ecological system inside a project and coexist with each
translation steps (see Fig. 1).
Translational Eco-environment
Translational Eco-environment
Source
Text
Source
Text Translation
Text
Translation
Text
Translational Eco-environment
Translational Eco-environment
Translators
Translators
Adaption
Selection
Selection
Fig. 1. “Adaption/Selection” of translators [1].
This article discusses ecological systems inside translation
projects, “lives” of texts and “survival” of translators. Also, it
observes task allocation and procedures of translation
projects. It hopes to provide suggestions to future project
management.
II. INITIATING AND PLANNING OF A TRANSLATION PROJECT
AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A TRANSLATIONAL ECOSYSTEM
The initiating of a translation project usually contains three
stages-analyzing, assessing and acquiring. First of all, a
project manager has to be familiar with his client’s
information, figure out the goal of this project and
communicates with the client regularly. Then, he should
define the complexity of this project and feedback the
difficulties to the client. At last he should be able to make a
cost evaluation of the whole project. After acquiring the
On Management of Translation Project from the
Perspective of Eco-Translatology
Churan Su and Hongmei Ruan
International
Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 2, June 2016
61
doi: 10.18178/ijlll.2016.2.2.68

project, it has to be further analyzed so that feasible principles
can be made after that [5].
When the project initiates, the manager ought to collect
related information and data [6]. Information processing
software such as Microsoft Project Server can be used to sort
out and analyze the collected information. After the project
frame is formed, the manager could divide the whole project
into individual tasks according to WBS (Work Breakdown
Structure) template so that he can directly supervise every
individual task of the project. If there is no existing template,
he can still set up a new one according to requirements of
different projects. Afterwards, translators in different areas of
expertise are selected in accordance with different projects [7]
(see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).
Fig. 2. File structure of translation project management.
Fig. 3. A WBS template of the translation project.
Now a translational ecosystem has been completed. It
consists of a project manager, translators, texts and a client,
which interact with each other inside this system; and this
ecological system also interacts with other different systems
(e.g. translation market).
For a CAT project which applies SDL Trados, the
translational ecosystem forms when the file package has been
established and delivered. First, the manager receives files
from the client, then uses WBS template to divide the whole
task into individual packs and sends them to all group
members. When the translators open the file package by SDL
Trados, they can get the term bases, the translation memories
(TM) provided by the client, a task deadline, the client’s
requirements… This is the forming of the translational
ecosystem of this project. In this system, each subject
“interacts and (sometimes) overlaps with each other” [1]. For
instance, the project manager is in charge of the translators.
However, the manager also has to provide the translators with
services and meet their requirements while supervising them
[8]. Another example is the relation between the project group
and the client. The group provides the client with translation
service, and the client should provide term bases (if needed)
and clarify his demands [9]. The translators are not only
managed objects inside the group, but also servants for the
client outside the group. The multiple identities of them
embody the complexity of the translational ecosystem [10].
III. IMPLEMENTING OF A TRANSLATION PROJECT AND
ADJUSTMENT OF A TRANSLATIONAL ECOSYSTEM
During the implementing stage of a translation project, an
ecological system has already been formed [6]. However,
every subject differs from each other. These differences make
them adjust their roles so that they can adapt to the
translational eco-environment of the project [1], and maintain
the balance of this system. Under this balanced circumstance,
each subject is mutually beneficial to each other. On the one
hand, a good ecology of translation management guarantees
that translators can work smoothly. On the other hand, good
translators can also promote the development of the whole
industry of translation management. In a translation project,
the manger is of a core status. He needs to track and supervise
each task, contact with his client in time to solve problems and
make sure that every task can be complemented before its
deadline. On the contrary, translators’ dominant role is
weakened. They have to meet the client’s demand and adjust
their translation strategies in time. Those who cannot adjust
themselves quickly will be under the risk of elimination. This
is similar to the natural principle of “Natural selection assures
the survival of the fittest”.
As mentioned above, in a translation project, balances exist
between a translator and a translator as well as the translators
and the translational ecosystem. In Hu Gengshen’s theory, he
emphasizes the dominant role of translators during adaption
and selection, i.e., translators should adapt to the translational
ecosystem and make choices of texts [1]. However, in a
translation project, the translational eco-environment restricts
translators’ activities, so the dominant role of them embodies
in their adaption strategies. Starting from the startup meeting,
translators begin to make adjustment to the translational
ecosystem of the project. Who are the readers? What is the
purpose of translation? The information is given at very
beginning by the client, so the translators need to adapt to the
translational eco-environment under certain restrictions and
produce translation texts which accord with the requirement.
Second, translation software usually provides translators with
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term bases and translation memories, so the subjective
initiative of them will be restricted [11]. Last, the translators
in a same group have to obey the instructions of the project
manager, accept the intensity of the task and struggle to meet
the deadline. According to these restrictions, the adaption and
selection of translators in a project will be a long and dynamic
process.
IV. CLOSING OF A TRANSLATION PROJECT AND CONCLUSION
OF A TRANSLATIONAL ECOSYSTEM
The closing of a translation project includes reviewing,
collecting feedback and summarizing the project [6]. Now the
translational eco-environment of the project is almost stable
and the translational ecology is improved through practice.
The translational ecosystem is going to finish the task as long
as the conclusion part is done. Also, it can be used for
reference when establishing similar translational ecosystems.
In a CAT project which applies SDL Trados, when
translators finish their tasks in a stable translational
eco-environment, the closing part will be regarded as
reviewing and reporting steps. From the perspective of
eco-translatology, this stage discusses the function of a
“Translation Community” (translators, reviewers and the
project manager) a lot [12] (see Fig. 4).
Fig. 4. The edit page of a translation text.
For example, when the translation has been completed, the
reviewers using SDL Trados could click “Open and review”
button to check the translation text. After that, the manager
could click “Open and issue” button to do the second round
checking of the text, thus guaranteeing the text quality. During
the reviewing, they can add explanation (“Comment”) for
each reviewed sentence and summarize them into a translation
report for the client’s reference. When the translation text has
been sent to the client, the project group has to wait for
feedback so that they can make further amendments to the text.
After that, a closing meeting will be held between the manager,
the translators and the liaison man. Last, they will complete a
final report and archive all the files for future reference and
use [6]. In short, using CAT tools is a mechanical way of
doing translation, but reviewing and concluding part pays
more attention to humans’ function. Therefore, it can be seen
that the dominant role of the translation community is
enhanced in the final stage.
V. CONCLUSION
In a translational ecosystemto which a CAT software-based
project belongs, a translation text, a project manager,
translators, reviewers and a client always interact with each
other. To reach the balance of the system, they need to keep
making adjustments to the translational eco-environment. The
manager has to formulate certain rules according to the
requirement from the client. Also, he has to guide the
translators to make “adaption and selection” inside the
translational eco-environment and promote mutualism
between each subject. This conforms to the concept of making
the full use of a translation community in eco-translatology.
Through the analysis of each stage of a translation project,
the functions of all subjects are overlapped sometimes; the
“adaption and selection” of the translational eco-environment
is a dynamic and long-lasting activity; the dominant role of
each subject of a translation community is not weakened even
in the closing part of a project. Software like SDL Trados
connects subjects of a translational ecosystem through
accepting an integrated translation package and establishing
shared term bases. A close circle is formed in a project and
thus an orderly operation of a translational ecosystem can be
realized.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to sincerely thank my advisor, Hongmei Ruan,
who kept giving me good advice during my postgraduate
years and who kept inspiring me when I stuck in bottlenecks. I
would also like to thank all the other professors and associate
professors who helped me though my specialist courses.
Without their help I could not systematically collect
knowledge from that and finish this paper.
Northwestern Polytechnical University provided me with a
good academic circumstance. The School of Foreign
Language of NPU supported me to attend academic seminars.
My classmates and friends encouraged me in my study. I am
especially thankful to that.
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[9] Q. L. Cui, “A study on language property of enterprises and platform
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Churan Su was born in Yichang, Hubei, China on
December 20, 1991, she is a postgraduate of the
School of Foreign Language of Northwestern
Polytechnical University (NPU), majoring in
translation. She obtained her bachelor degree of arts in
the School of Foreign Language of NPU, Xi’an, China
in 2014.
She has published a paper “A Look at the
Translation of Public Signs in the Scenic Spots of
Yichang” (Wuhan, China: English Square, 2014). She was invited to attend
the 5th International Symposium on Eco-translatology in June 2015.
Hongmei Ruan was born in Beijing, China on
December 17, 1965, she is a professor of the School of
Foreign Language of Northwestern Polytechnical
University (NPU). She obtained her doctorate of
English language and literature in Shanghai
International Studies University, Shanghai, China in
2014, master degree of arts in Xi’an International
Studies University, Xi’an, China in 1990; and
bachelor degree of arts in Xi’an International Studies
University, Xi’an, China in 1987.
She is the director of the MTI Education Center of NPU and the head of
the Department of Foreign Languages of NPU Ming De College, in Xi’an,
China. She has published some papers, “Deconstructionism in Translation
Through New Versions of Idioms,” Journal of Northwest University
(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2007, “A Deconstructive Study
of the English Translation of Chinese Poems,” Journal of Lanzhou
University (Social Sciences), 2008, and “Back to Historical Contexts – A
Rethink of Studies on Traditional Chinese Translation Theories,” Journal of
Socialist Theory Guide, 2009.
Prof. Ruan is a member of United Nations Association of China, a
member of Shaanxi Translation Association, a committee member of the
School of Foreign Studies Degrees Section of Xi’an Jiaotong University and
the first chairperson on duty of the Joint Committee of Model United
Nations of Chinese Universities.
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