About conference
- Translation has evolved significantly over time from one context to another. It has shifted from the conventional handwritten form to the digital computer assisted format with the help of CAT tools. Nowadays, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and its translation-oriented applications, many questions and concerns are raised about the future of translation as a profession. It goes without saying that translation can never be reduced to a mere transfer between two languages. It is a multifaceted process, requiring excellent comprehension skills in the source language on the one hand, and an accurate reformulation of meaning in the target language on the other.
- As a tool of communication, language is undoubtedly shaped by its environment and culture, and henceforth it is more than adequate to investigate the limitations of AI-applications and their abilities to move from one language to another, and thus from one culture to another. In the same vein, it is worth reflecting on the most suitable training programs for future translators.
- Traditional methods are clearly no longer sufficient for translator training courses, as they are initially designed to develop only translators’ general linguistic, communication, strategic and digital skills. Now, students need to be introduced to the use of AI applications and thereby acquire the necessary knowledge and know-how for optimizing their use. Nevertheless, the questions of "when" and "how" to use AI applications in translation remain unanswered. Can AI, with its evolving semantic and generative applications, intervene in the comprehension and reformulation phases? If it is the case, one may envision a potential third stage: the editing phase, in which human translators take the reins, but how? What are the required skills? Is it translation revision, translation quality assessment or other skills?
- Furthermore, given the reliance of translators on dictionaries during the translation process, it is worth considering the usefulness of AI in compiling dictionaries, whether they are monolingual, bilingual, general, or specialized. To what extent can AI improve the processing of textual corpora for dictionary-making purposes? And what impact will such a new approach have on dictionaries’ macro and micro structures?
- To answer these relevant questions, the Translation, Terminology, and Lexicography Laboratory, at King Fahd School of Translation, is organizing an international conference, bringing together leading experts and academics from Morocco and abroad to shed light on the role of AI in translator training, with a particular focus on the following topics: