Human-computer interaction in translation : literary translators on technology and their roles

Publication type
C1
Publication status
Published
Author
Ruffo, P.
Series
Proceedings of the 40th Conference Translating and the Computer
Pagination
127-131
Publisher
AsLing
Conference
40th edition of Translating and the Computer Conference (TC40) (London, England)
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Abstract

Nowadays, translatability can be said to be so inherent to culture and society that we could refer to the digital age as 'the translation age' instead (Cronin, 2013: 3). The acceleration of information sharing and acquisition, instant messaging and access to knowledge, the progressive automation of the profession, new digital formats and translation tools are only some of the aspects that have contributed to (1) the configuration of translation as a form of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) (O'Brien, 2012) and (2) the rising need for Translation Studies to focus on human issues arising from said interaction (Kenny, 2017). This paper reports on an ongoing doctoral research project that operates within this framework, exploring the dynamic, mutual and social construction of human-computer interaction in literary translation defined by Toral and Way as 'the last bastion of human translation' (2014: 174). The study adopts a socio-technological theoretical framework inspired by the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) model (Pinch and Bijker, 1984) in order to ask literary translators to share their perceptions of their role in an increasingly technology-dependent globalised society and their attitudes towards technology as related to their profession.