MUTATIONS IN THE TRANSLATION INDUSTRY: EXPLORING CAMEROONIAN PROFESSIONAL AGENTS’ STRATEGICAL QUEST FOR SUSTAINABILITY

ABSTRACT: As debates on the future of professional agents amid functional and structural changes in the translation industry growingly call for concern, the article hereof offers to investigate how agents of the translation system address the ever-changing socio-economic and technological configuration of the language industry for sustainability. The concern outlined herein an in-depth assessment of peripheral markets‟ response to change trends for productivity motives. Rooted in Heilbron‟s (1999) structural representation of language communities as a centre-periphery continuum, the study deploys the game and polysystem theories, by Neumann (1953) and Zohar (2000) respectively, as methodological framework hypothesising that professional agents adapt or socialise, in order to survive identified change trends. Also, that peripheral markets‟ low productivity result from local stakeholders‟ inefficient response to mutations. Using a quantitative data collection method, retrieved and analysed confirmed formulated hypotheses, with observations that professionals within central markets develop strategical adaptive practices strongly rooted in technological advances, to remain competitive, while the international community of professionals develop standards and best practices to address mutations as a group of professionals. Conversely, within the peripheries, analysis highlighted a dissimilar reality, as professional agents‟ exhibit blatant misconception for mutating practices and obsolete change adaptation strategies noncompliant with modern practices.
KEYWORDS : mutations, centre-periphery, peripheral market, translation industry, polysystem.