@article{jbp:/content/journals/10.1075/target.28.1.05tor, author = "Torres-Simón, Esther and Pym, Anthony", title = "The professional backgrounds of translation scholars. Report on a survey", journal= "Target. International Journal of Translation Studies", year = "2016", volume = "28", number = "1", pages = "110-131", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1075/target.28.1.05tor", url = "https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/target.28.1.05tor", publisher = "John Benjamins", issn = "0924-1884", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "translation profession", keywords = "research-industry relations", keywords = "translation scholars", keywords = "sociology of research", abstract = "A survey of 305 translation scholars shows that some 96 percent of them have translated or interpreted “on a regular basis,” with translation/interpreting being or having been a main or secondary activity for 43 percent of the scholars. Translation scholars would also seem to be particularly mobile (71 percent have spent more than one year in a country other than their own) and come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds (33 percent were not engaged in translation and interpreting in their mid-twenties). These figures indicate that translation scholars not only have considerable practical experience of translation but also come from a wide range of occupational and cultural backgrounds. Asked about desirable relations between scholarly work and professional practice, respondents indicated benefits for both sides (although a slight majority stressed a unidirectional relationship where scholarly work benefits from professional practice), and teaching is often indicated as the link between the two. However, about a quarter of the scholars indicated that there need not be a relationship between scholarship and professional practice.", }