Volunteer translators in non-governmental organizations: exploring their identity and power through discourse analysis

The study examines how volunteer translators in NGOs discursively construct their identities and power relations within society, motivated by the growing social role of volunteers as cultural mediators amid recent crises (e.g., COVID-19). Building on critical discourse analysis (CDA; Fairclough 1992, 1995, 2005), the research situates NGOs within the third sector meeting social needs beyond public and private institutions. It compares discursive strategies used by volunteer NGO translators to create social identity and establish power relations in multicultural contexts. Research questions: RQ1 To what extent do translator volunteers represent volunteering? RQ2 What ideologies are identified in their discourse? RQ3 To what extent do their discourses legitimate or challenge translator volunteering practice?

Volunteer translation has expanded with increasing information flows and the rise of the web, especially in the third sector where volunteering is linked to community commitment and responsibility. Definitions and boundaries of volunteer translation remain contested (e.g., remuneration, volunteer profiles, ethics). Multiple labels coexist: community translation, crowdsourced translation, user-generated translation, social/collaborative translation, non-professional translation, wiki-translation, etc. Prior studies addressed motivations (e.g., Olohan 2014), training integration, professional attitudes to collaboration, quality of volunteer output, and third-sector work. Few studies, however, examine discursive identity using CDA. Comparable work includes Fahey (2005) on volunteering identities and power (drawing on Foucault, Fairclough) and Kang and Hong (2020) on Coursera volunteer translators, which inspired the present approach. From a humanitarian perspective, volunteer translators are viewed as bridging linguistic and cultural gaps for disadvantaged populations, aligning with egalitarian and humanistic principles while raising debates on ethics, visibility, and professional boundaries.

Design: Qualitative study using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) per Fairclough (1992, 1995, 2005), treating discourse as text, process, and social practice, and focusing on identity construction and power relations through discursive positioning. Data: 25 semi-structured individual interviews (35–40 minutes each), conducted in English, recorded and transcribed. Participants were volunteer translators and former postgraduate students from the Master in Intercultural Communication and Public Service Translation and Interpretation (University of Alcalá, Spain), academic years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. Sampling was purposeful via an existing mailing list; participants consented and were assured anonymity. Participants: Mean age 23; 75% female. Nationalities: Spain (17), France (3), Morocco (2), Uganda (1), Algeria (2). NGOs: Salud entre culturas (7), Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado—CEAR (8), Mujeres por África (5), Save the Children (3), Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (2). Focus exclusively on translation tasks; no interpreting data collected. Analysis: Transcripts were coded using QDA Miner Lite (Provalis Research 2020), with topic coding and keywords (e.g., volunteer+translator, community, humanitarian, society, professional). Guided by Fairclough’s CDA model, analysis considered language choices, interactional features, and production context. Discourses were grouped into two categories: (1) translators continuing to volunteer at the time of data collection; (2) translators who had ceased volunteering. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Alcalá ethics committee.

• Two main discursively constructed identities emerged:
  1. Social identity (among those continuing as volunteers): Volunteers positioned themselves as agents of social change and members of a community. Their discourse emphasized humanitarian aims, defending disadvantaged groups, breaking linguistic/cultural barriers, and personal fulfillment and growth. Teamwork and shared experiences with other translators reinforced belonging and confidence. Translation was framed as enabling universal access, linguistic justice, and equality.
  2. Professional identity (among those who ceased volunteering): Respondents foregrounded professional recognition, specialization, training, and remuneration. They criticized inadequate NGO resources, tools, guidance, and communication, and perceived undervaluation of translators. Discourses highlighted intrusion by untrained individuals, the need for institutionalized, professional services (e.g., in public bodies), and concerns that volunteering devalues the profession.
• Some continuing volunteers regarded volunteering as professional empowerment—gaining experience, terminology, organizational skills, and clarity about career paths—while also deriving personal satisfaction from social contribution.
• A discursive tension was evident: continuers legitimized volunteer translation as socially valuable and identity-affirming; non-continuers challenged it as potentially undermining professional status and socioeconomic position.
• Sample/context statistics: 25 participants; 75% female; mean age 23; nationalities diverse; five NGOs represented with specified counts.

Findings address the research questions by showing that volunteer translators represent volunteering through two contrasting discourses: a humanitarian, community-oriented discourse (social identity) and a professionalization discourse emphasizing standards, specialization, and fair remuneration (professional identity). Ideologies identified include egalitarian humanitarianism and civic responsibility versus market- and profession-oriented values of credentialing, quality assurance, and institutional accountability. These discourses alternately legitimate (by framing volunteer translation as socially transformative and personally empowering) or challenge (by associating volunteering with devaluation, intrusion, and inadequate conditions) the practice of volunteer translation. The tension suggests the volunteer translator role is contested and under-defined, with implications for NGO management: clearer role definitions, improved communication, recognition of translators’ expertise, and designing volunteer experiences that foster empowerment and perceived impact. The study contributes a discursive perspective to debates on volunteer versus professional translation and highlights power relations shaping translators’ identities in the third sector.

Using CDA on 25 interviews with trained translators active in Spanish NGOs, the study identifies two contrasting discursive identities: a socially oriented identity among those who continue volunteering, and a professionally oriented identity among those who cease. This tension illuminates how volunteer translators position themselves regarding humanitarian values, community belonging, and professional recognition, helping to explain ongoing debates about the appropriateness and impact of volunteer translation on the profession. The study suggests NGOs and volunteers should clearly define roles, enhance reciprocal communication, and design pathways that allow volunteers to feel like agents of positive change while recognizing professional standards. Future research should incorporate additional stakeholders (e.g., NGOs), compare with other volunteer profiles, and further examine how discourses shape the social and professional positioning of translators in the third sector.

• Preliminary and exploratory qualitative design with a small, non-random, purposively sampled cohort of 25 participants.
• Participants were a specific group (trained former postgraduate students from one program in Spain), limiting generalizability.
• Focused solely on translation tasks; no interpreting data collected.
• Data self-reported via interviews; potential recall and social desirability biases.
• Perspectives from NGOs and other stakeholders were not directly included; broader triangulation is needed.
• Context limited to NGOs operating in Spain, which may not reflect other cultural or organizational settings.