MAPPING THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE OF TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS IN QATAR

Abstract

The status of the translation and interpreting professions was scarcely researched in few contexts. Translation and interpreting were generally viewed to have a middling to low status. This thesis narrows the scope of research to the Qatari context due to the absence of literature on the status of translation and interpreting professions in Qatar. It explores the perceived status of translation and interpreting professions in Qatar and the relation between their status and the capital of translators and interpreters. Furthermore, it investigates whether and how translators and interpreters contribute to their profession's status. Pierre Bourdieu's concept of capital was implemented to investigate selected components of the economic, cultural, and social capital of translators and interpreters, in addition to digital capital. Data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively using mixed methods of online questionnaires paralleled with online and face-to-face interviews. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were utilized, involving the participation of fourteen translators, ten interpreters, and twenty laypeople. Based on the responses, the translation profession appeared to have a medium status, while interpreting a medium to high status. Moreover, the findings suggest that licensing professionals and establishing professional bodies to regulate the translation and interpreting professions are aspects in need of further study and circulation in Qatar. This thesis is an initial foundation for exploring this largely unexplored topic, especially in Qatar and the Arab region. Keywords: professional status, translation profession, interpreting profession, capital

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science