TITLE:
Constructing a Translator Competence System in China from the Perspective of Intersubjectivity
AUTHORS:
Hongtao Liang, Chengyu Zhang
KEYWORDS:
Intersubjectivity, Local Translators, Translator Competence, Communicative Competence, Outward Translation of Chinese Literature
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.16 No.6,
November
5,
2026
ABSTRACT: Existing research on translator competence has predominantly focused on the bilingual transfer, extra-linguistic knowledge, and instrumental competence of individual translators, treating the translator as the sole agentive subject of the translating act, while paying insufficient attention to multiple social actors such as authors, patrons, publishers, critics, and readers. Adopting intersubjectivity as its theoretical perspective, this study examines the interactions between local translators and various parties within the translational subject network in the “outward translation” of Chinese literature. It argues that translation is a polyphonic dialogue jointly enacted by multiple subjects: situated at the centre of a relational network, the translator should not have his or her competence defined merely at the technical level of whether and how well one can translate; rather, it should shift towards a communicative competence that mediates, negotiates, integrates, and reconciles the diverse, heterogeneous, and sometimes conflicting demands of multiple subjects. On this basis, the study identifies four groups of competences: the competence for in-depth understanding of and strategic negotiation with authors; project management and negotiation competence with patrons and publishers; academic dialogue and reflective competence with critics; and audience awareness and empathetic competence with readers. It further argues that critical thinking and strategic integration, as a metacognitive capacity, permeate all the above communicative processes and constitute the core of the local translator’s competence system from an intersubjective perspective. This study offers an analytical framework that foregrounds the communicative dimension for translator competence research in the Chinese context, and provides a reference for the cultivation and assessment of local translators. A limitation remains: grounded primarily in theoretical reasoning, the study lacks translational case studies and empirical data, and the relative weight and interaction mechanisms of the various competence components await further verification.