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Article published In:
Translation Spaces
Vol. 7:2 (2018) ► pp.167–201

Of ostriches, pyramids, and Swiss cheese

Risks in safety-critical translations

| Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
| Die RisikoScouts Ottmann & Canfora GbR

Risk management for translations is a relatively new topic in translation science. Damages caused by translation errors can have grave consequences for all agents involved in the translation process, especially in safety-critical sectors. In these sectors, effective models and instruments for risk mitigation have long been established, with near-misses management being one of the most effective instruments. In this paper, we examine the structure of damages caused by translation errors and compare them to the structure of damages in safety-critical sectors in general. We find that damages caused by translation errors in safety-critical sectors are comparable to damages in safety-critical sectors in general and conclude that near-misses management methods can also be applied to translations. Further examination of damages caused by translation errors is necessary to broaden the empirical base.

Keywords: safety-critical translations, risk management, near-misses management, translation errors, translation risks
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Heinrich’s law and safety pyramids in safety-critical sectors
  • A critical incident reporting system for safety-critical translations: Damages in medical and technical translations
  • Lessons learned from safety-critical sectors: Risk management and near-misses management
    • Reduction of at-risk behaviors and near misses
    • Introduction of additional layers of defense
  • Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 28 November 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.18002.can
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