The labour of academic translation: Who generates value in the agency model?

Susan Pickford
University of Geneva

This article explores the potential of Porter’s (1985) seminal value chain model as a new tool for the industry turn in Translation Studies. The model seeks to identify which of a business’s various functions generate the most surplus value and thereby build competitive advantage. This article applies the model to two UK-based academic translation agencies founded in the last quarter-century. It outlines the market conditions for academic translation that led the agencies to be established. By exploring which steps of translation production are conducted in-house as value generators and which are handled by external contractors, the article aims to identify the competitive advantage strategies implemented by both agencies in their public-facing content, in terms of both scope and differentiation. It further draws on productivity data and publicly available data on relative rates of remuneration for the various participants in the chain of production to attempt to determine which aspect(s) of the textual production process the agency considers as generating most value in the finished translation. It concludes with a brief evaluation of the potential value of the value chain model for translatorial career planning.

Publication history

Date received: 30 January 2025

Date accepted: 13 March 2026

Table of contents

In an opinion piece, Obrecht (1959) makes the case for academics who moonlight in translation to charge fees commensurate with their expertise. “Many times,” he writes,

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Address for correspondence

Susan Pickford

Faculty of Translation and Interpreting

University of Geneva

Boulevard du Pont d’Arve 40

CH-1211 Geneva

[email protected]
ORCiD logo with linkhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9788-7549
 
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