In recent years, Sri Lanka’s once-respected translation landscape has undergone a troubling transformation. What was once a domain of skilled professionals dedicated to the meticulous art of cross-cultural communication has increasingly come to resemble what some critics describe as an “asylum shelter” – a chaotic space where quality standards have plummeted and expertise has been devalued. At the heart of this transformation lies the disruptive influence of social media, coupled with compromised publishing practices and deteriorating professional ethics. This article examines how these forces have conspired to marginalise skilled translators while elevating those who may lack technical proficiency but possess significant social media influence.

The Social Media Distortion Effect

The democratizing potential of social media platforms has brought both opportunities and challenges to Sri Lanka’s translation community. While these platforms have created unprecedented opportunities for connectivity and visibility, they have simultaneously distorted the metrics by which translators are evaluated and valued.

Social media’s algorithmic preference for engagement over accuracy has created a landscape where visibility often trumps quality. Translators who excel at self-promotion, who cultivate large followings through charismatic online personas, frequently overshadow those who dedicate themselves to the craft itself. The result is a disconnect between public perception and professional competence.

The loudest voices are drowning out the finest voices, and we’re witnessing the triumph of personality over proficiency. Many highly followed ‘celebrity translators’ lack fundamental understanding of literary theory, cultural contexts, or even basic linguistic principles. This phenomenon has created a troubling dynamic where translators are incentivised to build their brand rather than enhance their skills. The metrics of success have shifted from peer recognition and technical excellence to follower counts and viral potential. Consequently, many established translators with decades of experience find themselves marginalised in favor of newcomers whose primary qualification is digital savvy.

The Knowledge Gap Crisis

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this transformation is the growing knowledge deficit among translators who achieve prominence through social media channels. Traditional pathways to translation proficiency in Sri Lanka typically involved rigorous academic training, mentorship under established translators, and years of practice before attempting major works. Today, these pathways are increasingly bypassed.

This knowledge deficiency manifests in translations that miss cultural nuances, misinterpret idiomatic expressions, or fail to capture the stylistic essence of the original works. Rather than grappling with the complexities of cross-cultural communication, these translations often settle for literal renderings that sacrifice meaning for expediency.

The consequences extend beyond individual works. As lower-quality translations proliferate and gain acceptance, they establish new, diminished standards that become normalized over time. The reading public, increasingly exposed to these substandard works, gradually loses awareness of what constitutes quality translation.

The Publishing Industry’s Complicity

Sri Lanka’s publishing industry bears significant responsibility for the deterioration of translation standards. Facing economic pressures and competition from digital media, many publishers have prioritized commercial viability over cultural and linguistic integrity.

The publishing landscape is increasingly dominated by a market-driven approach that values rapid production and cost-efficiency. Deadlines have tightened, compensation has stagnated, and quality control processes have been truncated or eliminated altogether. Manuscripts frequently move directly from translator to printer without substantive editing or expert review.

This race to the bottom has created a vicious cycle. As publishers cut corners on quality control, standards decline. As standards decline, expectations lower. As expectations lower, the incentive to invest in quality diminishes further. The result is a publishing ecosystem that not only accommodates mediocrity but actively fosters it.

The Misalignment of Recognition and Reward

The system of awards and recognition in Sri Lanka’s translation field has failed to act as a corrective to these troubling trends. Many prestigious translation prizes, which could serve as bulwarks against the erosion of standards, have themselves been compromised by politics, favoritism, and the influence of social media popularity.

There’s a profound misalignment between the quality of work and the recognition it receives in Sri Lankan context. This misalignment further disincentivizes excellence. When translators observe that recognition flows not to the most skilled practitioners but to the most visible or well-connected, the motivation to invest in improving craft naturally diminishes. Why spend years perfecting one’s understanding of linguistic subtleties when cultivating the right connections or building a Twitter following yields greater professional rewards?

The Ethics Void

Underlying these various dysfunctions is a fundamental erosion of professional ethics within the translation community. Traditional ethical principles – fidelity to the source text, transparency about limitations, respect for cultural contexts – have given way to a more pragmatic, outcome-oriented approach.

Many influential translators now openly engage in practices that would have been considered unethical in previous generations: claiming expertise in languages they barely comprehend, accepting assignments far beyond their competence, cutting corners through machine translation without disclosure, or prioritizing ideological alignment over textual accuracy.

Paths Forward

Despite this bleak assessment, pathways to renewal exist. First, publishers must recommit to rigorous quality control processes, even if this means publishing fewer titles at higher prices. Second, award committees must establish transparent, objective criteria for evaluation that privilege quality over popularity. Third, educational institutions must strengthen translation curricula to prepare students for the challenges of a social media-dominated landscape.

Most importantly, readers themselves must become more discerning consumers, developing the critical literacy to distinguish between translations that serve the text and those that merely serve the translator’s brand. Only through this multi-faceted approach can Sri Lanka reclaim its rich translation heritage from the distorting influences of social media, compromised publishing, and ethical decline.

The translation landscape need not remain an “asylum shelter” of diminished standards and misplaced priorities. With concerted effort from all stakeholders, it can once again become a domain where quality is recognized, expertise is valued, and the delicate art of cross-cultural communication is practiced with the care and precision it deserves.

Nadeera Dickwella