International comparability and translation: how is the concept of equivalence used and understood in accounting research?
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
ISSN: 0951-3574
Article publication date: 22 September 2020
Issue publication date: 8 January 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of translation equivalence in extant research on translation in accounting: What is the equivalence that is expected of translation, and how is it assumed to come into being? This paper presents a coherent, theoretically informed approach to how different views on equivalence are connected to the objective of international comparability in financial accounting and how related, often-underlying assumptions intertwine in this discussion.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach by utilizing equivalence theories from the discipline of translation studies. It canvasses two dichotomy-like approaches – natural versus directional equivalence and formal versus dynamic equivalence – to compose a theoretical framework within which to analyze 25 translation-related papers discussing accounting harmonization published from 1989 to 2018.
Findings
This paper presents evidence of theoretical contradictions likely to affect the development of translation research in accounting if they go unrecognized. Moreover, the analysis suggests that these contradictions are likely to originate in the assumptions of mainstream accounting research, which neglect both the constructed nature of equivalence and the socially constructed nature of accounting concepts.
Originality/value
Despite the significance of translation for the objective of international comparability, this paper is the first comprehensive theoretical approach to equivalence in accounting research. It responds to a recognized demand for studying equivalence and its limitations, challenges many of the expectations accounting research places on translation and discusses the possible origins of related assumptions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Matias Laine, Kaisa Koskinen, Eija Vinnari, Timo Heikkilä, Sami Remes and the two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and helpful comments. In addition, earlier versions of this papers benefitted from the comments by the participants of the parallel sessions at the 42nd EAA Annual Congress in Paphos, 2019, and at the APIRA Conference in Auckland, 2019. The author also gratefully acknowledges the funding provided by the Finnish Cultural Foundation (SKR) and the Foundation for Economic Education (LSR).
Citation
Laaksonen, J. (2021), "International comparability and translation: how is the concept of equivalence used and understood in accounting research?", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 137-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-05-2019-3997
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited