Emotion and the social embeddedness of translation in the workplace

This paper examines the emotional aspects of the translation process while taking into account the social embeddedness of translators in their working environments. It explores how it feels to be a translator, looks at what makes translators thrive or despair and examines how they cope emotionally with their work circumstances. The empirical setting for this qualitative workplace study is the translation department of anAustrian public sector institution, where authentic work situationswere investigated using ethnographic research methods, i.e., participatory observation and semi-structured expert interviews. The results indicate that the translators in this department experience a wide variety of emotions ranging from satisfaction, pride, relief and enjoyment to stress, disappointment and frustration. These are inextricably linked with the networks, actors and environments involved in the translation processes and occasionally lead to the use of coping strategies.