distributed cognition, conversation analysis, cognitive artifact, workplace ethnography, cultural-cognitive ecosystem, översättningsvetenskap, Translation Studies

This chapter concerns collaboration in the translation workplace, specifically the joint construction of a central workplace resource, a client guidelines document, by two translators. Using conversation analysis, the moment-to-moment interaction between the translators is analysed as they engage in decision making with regard to the contents of the document. Considered from the perspective of distributed cognition, the decision-making process is distributed between the participants through their interaction with each other and with material artifacts. The analysis shows how decisions about how to resolve epistemic uncertainty emerge interactively, how material resources are made relevant in the decision-making process, and how authority is jointly constructed. The chapter also discusses how the collaborative document revision contributes to the development of the cultural-cognitive ecosystem of the workplace.