Meet Professor Séverine Hubscher-Davidson

Dr Séverine Hubscher-Davidson has been promoted to Professor of Translation Psychology and Wellbeing, within the OU’s Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies. Holding a PhD and MA from the University of Bath and a BA from The University of Kent, Séverine’s key areas of research and teaching are translation and psychology. She is the academic lead for the OU’s MA in Translation, and a consultant with professional translation associations and organisations such as the United Nations for whom she has delivered many workshops on the affective side of translating and issues of psychological sustainability.

Séverine specialises in researching the emotions of professional linguists, combining frameworks and concepts from translation studies and psychology. As such, her work is interdisciplinary and bridges academic and professional spheres. She is an internationally recognised leader in this field and contributes to a range of research and knowledge exchange (KE) activities in this area.

On receiving her professorial promotion, Professor Hubscher-Davidson commented:
“This Professorship recognises the extensive knowledge exchange contributions I have made in my professional career, especially in relation to coaching translators on issues of emotions and psychological wellbeing. My professorship title reflects my interdisciplinary perspective, which has been instrumental in driving forward my knowledge exchange work.”

Professor Hubscher-Davidson is a consultant and trainer for the United Nations Translation and Documentation Division (New York) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). In addition to her research and KE activity, Séverine has received multiple awards for her leadership on the MA and her supervision of postgraduate students, and has held a number leadership roles within her school.

Professor Hubscher-Davidson uses her experience of conducting research on translators’ emotions to build research capacity around translation psychology more generally. She is the proud supervisor and mentor of several doctoral students and early-career researchers.

Reflecting on the future, Professor Hubscher-Davidson added:
“I hope to use my professorship to further support the next generation of translation psychologists, at the OU and further afield, and to promote interdisciplinary work. I am grateful to family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me along the way.”