Commercial translation and professional translation practitioners in the era of cognitive capitalism :|a critical analysis

Abstract

This thesis investigates how current technological advances affect commercial translation and the working conditions of professional translation practitioners in the era of cognitive capitalism. Based on previous research, it can be deduced that the technological transformation of the language industry to date has (i) led to indirect production networks, (ii) created one-sided intellectual property practices, (iii) devalued translator’s skills and outputs. My primary conclusion is that as long as the aforementioned outcomes of previous technological developments prevail, current technological developments will not improve the role and position of professional translation practitioners. Instead, they will be rearranged and reorganized in space and time in accordance with the production methods and working conditions of cognitive capitalism. In order to provide a critical analysis, I utilized (i) Cognitive Capitalism Theory, (ii) the industry reports by TAUS (iii) research papers on digital platforms by ILO and (iv) a survey conducted with 70 professional translation practitioners residing in Turkey. Drawing on theoretical exploration, this study introduces the “uberization of translation” as one of the most recent manifestations of the cognitive capitalism era, and the field research suggests that engaging in such work exposes professional translation practitioners to risks related to employment status, adequate income, work-life balance, social protections, free agency, bargaining power, dependence on platform, fair allocation of risks and rewards, and data collection, protection and privacy.