My PhD journey: literary translators' perceptions of their role and attitudes towards technology

Drawing on the concept of translation as a form of Human-Computer Interaction (O’Brien, 2012), my study aims at developing a deeper understanding of the human and technological factors at play in the field of literary translation, ‘the last bastion of human translation’ (Toral and Way, 2014: 174). It intends to do so by focussing on literary translators’ personal narratives, taking as an example Koskinen and Ruokonen’s (2017) theoretical and methodological approach to addressing human issues in the field of Translation Studies.

In this talk I will provide a background for my study and outline my methodology, reporting on my pilot study’s preliminary findings. For those of you who are contemplating doing a PhD, I will also focus on my personal experience as a PhD student, and what life looks like after Essex.