ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to assess the contribution provided by the instrumental theory of translation when conceptualizing micro processes of change. A core assumption of this framework is that the translation of management ideas is characterized by regularities, or translation rules, and that performance of translation rules depends on translation competence. The assessment is based on an exploration of how the process of providing contents to a new model of manpower planning among doctors in a Norwegian health trust unfolded. Participant observation and documents represent the main sources of data. The analysis demonstrates that project methodology competence emerges as a key factor of influence on the performance of translation rules, leading to the interpretation that there is a ‘taken-for-grantedness’ in change implementation which suggests additional competences at play. We propose that the instrumental theory of translation would benefit from extending the framework for contextualizing the performance of translation rules.

摘要

本文的目的是评估翻译工具理论在概念化微观变化过程时的贡献。该框架的一个核心假设是管理思想的翻译具有规律性或翻译规则，翻译规则的表现取决于翻译能力。该评估基于对挪威健康信托中医生为新的人力规划模式提供内容的过程如何展开的探索。参与者的观察和文件是数据的主要来源。分析表明，项目方法论能力成为影响翻译规则性能的关键因素，导致在变革实施中存在“理所当然”的解释，这表明额外的能力正在发挥作用。我们建议翻译的工具理论将受益于扩展框架以将翻译规则的表现语境化。