Translation research is often multidisciplinary, and borrows models and methods from adjacent fields such as linguistics, literary studies, sociology, anthropology, didactics, film and media studies and cognitive science.

Research can investigate the social conditions of translators, and their cognitive processes in the translation situation, or it can investigate translations in comparisons with their originals. The description, explanation and theorising about how translation practice is organised cognitively, as well as textually and socially, is central to translation research.

There are many possible avenues in the translation profession:

• Professional translators of non-fiction are commissioned both by public bodies and businesses, and commissions are often channelled through translation agencies. EU is an important commissioner. Professional translators produce translated texts in domains such as technology, IT, law, finance, medicine, advertising, and so on.
• In film, television, and other media, audiovisual translators carry out subtitling, dubbing, and voice-over, and they also work with media accessibility, such as audio description and subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing.
• Translators of fiction are mainly commissioned by publishing houses. Literary translators create translations of novels, poetry, drama, and so on.

Research orientations within translation

Within translation, we mainly research Translation of children’s literature, Cognitive aspects of translation, Audiovisual Translation, Sociology of translation and Translation as textual practice.

Research areas in translation