What is it about?

This article investigates the impact of Wikipedia translation guidelines on the practices of 16 editor-translators. The data was collected from one-to-one semi-structured interviews with senior editors of the Spanish, French, Dutch and Swedish language communities of the encyclopaedia.

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Why is it important?

Despite Wikipedia's unparalleled popularity, there is little research on the guidelines and policies that underpin translation and other forms of editing in the user-driven encyclopaedia. Previous studies focused on the motivations of Wikipedia translators and other aspects of their collaboration.

Perspectives

This publication contributes to enhancing our understanding of how translators work in Wikipedia. Moreover, its cross-lingual angle allows readers to appreciate the differences between Wikipedia communities. The findings show that translation guidelines played a marginal role in the practices of those interviewed. Interestingly, the participants attached more importance to 'enforceable' editing policies such as Neutrality and Verifiability. The translators' preferences lend support to the idea that translation and editing in Wikipedia form a continuum.

José Gustavo Góngora Goloubintseff
University of York

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This page is a summary of: Assessing the impact of translation guidelines in Wikipedia, Translation Spaces, February 2022, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/ts.21028.gon.
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