Translator Role

From GRDI2020

This is a GRDI recommendation; return to Main Page with all the challenges or to recommendations

Context and Challenges

When attempting to improve interoperability of data that comes from different communities, people who are deeply connected to more than one community are in a key position. However, the challenge is that the current academic career paths support these people poorly (or sometimes even discriminate against them). Being a multi- or trans-disciplinarian tends to mean e.g. having either less publications or having publications in several domains, which puts one at disadvantage when filling positions in the academia.

An analogous case is the one of the people sitting between applications and the e-Infrastructure layers. ICT experts can have previous experience in one or more application software, as well as on the e-Infrastructure layers’ services. Such people are key to the integration of applications and their related data into the different e-Infrastructure layers.

Recommendation

Highlight the translator role in supporting cross- or trans-disciplinary use of data in research processes. Increase awareness of the importance of this role and create organisational structures that support career development for these people.

First goal is to define characteristics and (even) the naming of the role: the people in this role are referred to as mediators, translators, "fringe dwellers",etc. They don't have an uniform role in the host organisations, and the formal degrees or CV may not capture the essense of the role.

Stakeholders and Impact

Funding organisations could request naming the contact persons responsible for cross-disciplinary semantics of the data being stored as a part of the data management description in the grant proposals.

Supporting the translator role would have a positive impact on several areas, such as Data Interoperability and discovery or developing innovative virtual research environments that support use of data in novel ways.