Towards an ethical framework for evaluating paid translation crowdsourcing and its consequences

ABSTRACT

The emergence of new technological tools for translating online has potential wide-reaching impacts for translators and the industry. However, very little research has so far systematically analysed the ethical dimension of such practices. To this end, this paper proposes an ethical framework to evaluate the consequences of translation platforms that use paid crowdsourcing on translators and clients. Based on the values that inform a good life, the paper proposes the use of multiple ethical principles: beneficence and non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, to consider the different outcomes of the use of crowdsourcing platforms. Applying this framework to paid crowdsourcing platforms, the findings suggest that the translators’ well-being and respect for their autonomy are undermined by platforms in several ways, while clients stand to gain from their use.

KEYWORDS:

• Crowdsourcing
• ethics
• consequentialism
• translation platforms
• online collaborative translation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. if and only if.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leandra Cukur

Leandra Cukur holds a BA in Transcultural Communication and an MA in Translation from the University of Vienna and is currently working as a research assistant as part of the research group Transcult.com at the Centre for Translation Studies in Vienna. Her research interests include the impact of online collaborative translation on the translation profession, especially the use of translation crowdsourcing in professional settings and its ethical implications. In her PhD thesis, she aims to shed light on the design and role of translation platforms and to explore their usefulness and drawbacks for translators.