A Critical Review of Research on Ethics of Crowdsourced Translation at Home and Abroad (2009–2024)

With the rapid development of global crowdsourced translation practices, research on the phenomenon’s multifaceted ethical dimensions has steadily progressed. This paper presents the first critical review of Chinese and English studies on crowdsourced translation ethics, aiming to shed light on the state-of-art of the field and advise on its continuing development. Through a thorough analysis of the literature focused on crowdsourced translation ethics from major Chinese and English academic resource platforms, including CNKI, Scopus and Web of Science, this study identifies six prominent themes emerging from the existing research: research into crowdsourced translation quality, research on the relational dynamics among stakeholders, research on the issue of economic exploitation, research on crowdsourced translation’s impacts on professional translators, research on ethical guidelines for crowdsourced translation, and holistic treatment of crowdsourced translation ethics. By critiquing these studies in terms of content, methodology, and practical application, the paper highlights their several significant limitations: a lack of in-depth engagement with micro-level ethical issues, insufficient normative ethical theorization, and weak relevance to real-world contexts. Accordingly, the study proposes several pragmatic directions for future research: deepening the exploration of microethics in crowdsourced translation, developing or adapting normative ethical frameworks, and aligning research with practical ethical problem-solving and pressing social demands. 伴随全球众包翻译实践的高速发展，国内外众包翻译伦理研究稳步推进。本文首次对中外众包翻译伦理研究进行前沿述评，以推动相关研究实现更大发展。通过系统收集与分析来自CNKI（知网）、Web of Science等主流中英文学术资源库中的众包翻译伦理研究文献，本文发现现存众包翻译伦理研究可分为众包翻译质量研究、众包翻译主体关系研究、众包翻译中的剥削问题研究、众包翻译对职业译者影响研究、众包翻译伦理规范研究和众包翻译伦理整体研究。通过对文献展开研究内容、研究路径、研究功能批评，本文指出现存研究存在微观伦理探索不足、伦理规定性不足、实用导向羸弱三大问题。进而，本文对众包翻译伦理的持续开展提出了务实建议。