Shooting the Messenger: Is Translation Quality the Responsibility of the Translator Only?

This paper considers the impact that the quality of the original and the management of the translation assignment can have on the final product. To this end, we must broaden the concept of quality by taking a more holistic approach to the translation process and delimiting the objective and subjective criteria on which the assessment of any given translation is based, describing how these criteria may overlap and cause frictions that will have repercussions on the process. To illustrate the tensions that arise, we present four real-life cases that highlight the common pitfalls that are found during the management of translation projects, potentially limiting translators’ ability to react. The unifying thread of our argument is the idea that quality assurance begins with the quality of the original text and the way in which it conditions the relationships between the actors involved in the process.