Collaborative translations: the case of fanfictions

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research on voluntary and collaborative translation of fanfictions (stories written by fans), which have figured with higher incidence on the Internet in recent years. Although the collaborative translation is not a new phenomenon and has been documented in the history of translation in Western and non-Western cultures, it gains new dimensions in the digital era. Two fanfictions (named “Palavras com Estranhos” e “Palavras com Amigos”) translated by an online group of 33 Brazilian translators reveal some features of the process of collaborative translation on the Internet. The research reveals the collective character of the online translation practiced by non-professional female translators. Our analysis highlights the chainwork of such a practice, the interaction between translators and readers, and the process singled out by this dual interaction on one hand, between translators themselves and, on the other hand, between translator and reader.

Keywords

• Fanfictions
• Tradução colaborativa
• Tradução online