The position of machine translation in translation studies

Abstract

Attempts to define the concept of translation have historically both reflected and driven developments and demarcations in the field. In light of the ubiquitous rise of machine translation (MT), the current article considers how definitional approaches to translation that preceded the MT era, and were formulated with human translation in mind, correspond with today’s MT. The article engages with two influential definitional strands in the discipline: a-priori prescriptive definitions, and descriptive definitions focused on the reception of translations. The general compatibility of both definitional approaches with MT, notwithstanding some empirical and moral criticisms pertaining to the first approach, encourages us to conceive of MT as a full-fledged translational object of inquiry, fully at home in translation studies. Finally, the article suggests that shifts in the professional status of human translators may lead to new definitions, aimed at differentiating human from machine translation by focusing on the notion of (conscious) agency.