About MikaEL

Mikael – Finnish Journal of Translation and Interpreting Studies is a peer-reviewed open access journal of translation and interpreting studies.

Mikael aims to encompass a wide variety of phenomena related to translation and interpreting and to publish articles reporting on recent research developments. In addition to peer-reviewed articles, Mikael publishes non-peer-reviewed articles. The publication criteria are available here.

From 2007 to 2023 Mikael was published once a year; as of 2024, there will be two issues per year. One of issues is linked to the annual KäTu Symposium on Translation and Interpreting Studies; the second issue is an open issue for articles written in Finnish and Swedish. 

Mikael incorporated the peer-reviewing process in 2016 (Volume 9). In 2018, Mikael was granted the official status (Level 1) of an academic publication by the Finnish Publication Forum, and in 2019 the journal gained the corresponding status (Level 1) in The Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers. Mikael is also a foundational member of the Council of Editors of Translation and Interpreting Studies for Open Science.

Mikael is published by The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL). The scientific quality is ensured by the editors and the editorial advisory board. 

A Finnish journal with an international reach

The KäTu Symposia on Translation and Interpreting Studies and Mikael came into being because there was a demand in Finland for a conference and a conference publication centred on translation and interpreting research. Organised for two decades, the KäTu Symposia remain the only annual conference in Finland that focuses on translation and interpreting research. Similarly, Mikael is the only annually published journal of Translation Studies in Finland. 

Named in honour of Mikael Agricola (c. 1510–1557) Mikael is a tribute to this famous Bible translator, humanist and father of the written Finnish language. Articles are most frequently published in Finnish, English and Swedish. Authors who would like to submit manuscripts in other languages are requested to contact the editors. As a multilingual online journal, Mikael is easily accessible to researchers of translation and interpreting around the world.  

Focus on research of high quality

Mikael aims to publish recent, high-quality research on translation and interpreting. The publication process is swift, taking only one year. Manuscripts for the KäTu Symposium issue are to be submitted by the end of August. The manuscripts are peer-reviewed by the end of December and, if accepted, revised and edited during the early months of the next year so that the issue is published before the next KäTu Symposium. The deadline for the manuscripts for the open issue is in April, they are peer-reviewed by August, and the issue is published in December. 

Principles of peer review

Both KäTu abstracts and Mikael manuscripts are evaluated according to established procedures. The reviewing process of KäTu abstracts and their evaluation criteria are described on the Symposium's website. Mikael has established guidelines for contributors and guidelines for peer reviewers, including a peer reviewer’s evaluation and report form.

The Mikael editors decide which manuscripts are sent out for peer review. Each manuscript is anonymously reviewed by two peer reviewers. The decision on whether the manuscript can be published is made by the Mikael editors on the basis of the reviewers’ evaluations and the editors’ assessment of the revised manuscript. Even a revised manuscript can be rejected if it fails to meet the criteria for a scholarly article. A rejected manuscript cannot be re-submitted for publication in the next issue of Mikael.

As of issue 17:1, Mikael articles will incorporate the label for peer-reviewed scholarly publications issued by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. This does not reflect a change in the journal's peer review policy. The journal adheres to the label requirements, to the principles of peer review as defined by The Finnish Association for Scholarly Publishing (available in Finnish here) and to the Guidelines for the Responsible Conduct of Research by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK.