ABSTRACT
. One of the most striking features of the translation practice of the European Commission is the issue of readability. This case study of one translation unit was also designed to shed light on institutional translation in general. While each individual case is always unique, some findings may be applicable to other situations of institutional in-house translation, or they can at least function as testable hypotheses for future research. Venuti's argument links invisibility with both cultural and economic misrecognition, and he promotes a new, emancipatory and resistant culture of translation. One major benefit of ethnographic approaches is that they force the researcher to constantly reflect and reassess her own role and place in the project. Socialized norms result in observable regularities of behaviour. Recognition and appreciation are valuable goals in themselves, but an even more fundamental reason for more active involvement of the translators in the processes can be seen to come from the sphere of professional ethics.
