Harnessing a hidden power : international corporate communications, translators and translatorial agency

The paper won an Honorable Mention Award from the conference organizers.Organizations that operate internationally are challenged to manage communication strategically across different cultures and languages. However, it is questionable whether current principles are adequate for organizations looking to convey identities and strengthen reputations internationally. Key competences that help develop and transmit strategic corporate messages according to senders’ intentions and receivers’ cultural situation are not systematically harnessed. Translators possess these, but the current mechanistic view of communication management, with translators acting only at the end of the communication design chain, inhibits their value-adding potential. Recent research from Organization Studies and Translation Studies, including a study by the authors, indicates that the hidden power of translators can constitute a valuable asset, but one insufficiently integrated in planning and design. In particular, professional translators’ agency appears to be restricted by an inadequate self-concept and overly linear models that prevent an iterative, interactive involvement in developing and conveying identities and strategic messages