Internationalisation, technology and translation

Abstract

Internationalisation and new technology ‐ in particular, the Internet and machine translation ‐ have had a tremendous effect on translation in practice, requiring translators to develop new professional and linguistic skills. Less studied have been the effects of these factors on Translation Studies although many theoretical questions arise concerning the purpose of translation, the question of quality in translation, the differences between human translation and machine translation and the idea of Translation Studies as an interdiscipline which draws not only on linguistic and cultural fields of study but also on technology. Despite their importance to both translation and Translation Studies, the Internet, machine translation and other new technology such as terminology management are not routinely incorporated into training programmes for professional translators. It is essential that new technology become part of translation training curricula if new graduates are to be able to meet the demands required of them in the modern translation profession.