The Feasibility and Applicability of Grounded Theory Methodology in Translation Studies: Developing Translator Competence

The development of sociological approach to the study of translation makes it possible for the researchers to adopt different methodology to develop new theoretical formulations and concepts. These formulations are arrived at through the interaction with those being studied through the interpretation of real social world and meanings of the participants involved in the translation/social event. Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) is ideally suited to areas of research where there should be an understanding of the social processes at work. However, the adoption of Grounded Theory (GT) approach in translation studies and translation education is rare if not inapplicable. The debates and suspicions for using GT in terms of its rigor are continuously confusing those who are relatively new to qualitative inductive research. The data collection and sampling anddata analysis in this methodology require high levels of rigor and reflection on the part of the researchers whose previous experience, assumptions, and the manner of transcription and data elicitation are very important, but are often neglected by some researchers.That is why the present paper tends to discuss some key arguable issues of undertaking and applying GT research for qualitative researchers in the area of translation. The paper provides a comprehensive review of GTM and its feasibility by demonstrating examples from a research project on constructing a model for developing translator competence. The project is part of the author’s doctoral study into conceptualizing the experience of the university students’ learning translation and their developing the translator competence. The present paper, however, intends to focus on the application and documentation of GTM in translation education. A review of literature on GT and the author’s practical experience of undertaking an empirical study into discipline form the approach to addressing the issue.