Literary Translation and Artificial Intelligence: Thoughts on University Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2024.e100602Keywords:
literary translation, machine translation, artificial intelligence, ethics, university trainingAbstract
Fueled by significant advances in technology, the first portion of the 21st century has been marked by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Indeed, various spheres of our lives have been affected by the introduction of this technology, which brings about changes in areas such as education, health, art, science, the entertainment and tourism industry, advertising, media, and social networks. The field of translation has not been immune to these technological advancements. Certainly, in this professional domain, where the use of technological tools is increasingly common and necessary, deep learning processes facilitated by neural networks have established an unavoidable reality. This new scenario invites us to reflect on the training of translation students at university level and their subsequent entry into the labor market, as well as to consider the possible professional, ethical, and ontological repercussions that the advent of artificial intelligence might pose for the conceptualization of translation activity and the individuals performing it. This article aims to participate in the discussions regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the field of literary translation in a pedagogical context. More specifically, it seeks to contribute to (re)examining the uniqueness of literary translation, particularly in environments mediated by artificial intelligence systems, and to raising relevant issues concerning the training of university students from a critical and ethical perspective. This research is situated in a Latin American context and is directly linked to my experience as a professor of Literary Translation at Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina).
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