37.1075, Confs: Promoting Machine Translation And GenAI Translation Literacy: An Approach Towards Professional Translation And Interpreting Labour Market (Spain)

Tue Mar 17 15:05:02 UTC 2026

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1075. Tue Mar 17 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1075, Confs: Promoting Machine Translation And GenAI Translation Literacy: An Approach Towards Professional Translation And Interpreting Labour Market (Spain)

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Date: 16-Mar-2026
From: ِAmal Haddad Haddad [amalhaddad at ugr.es]
Subject: Promoting Machine Translation And GenAI Translation Literacy: An Approach Towards Professional Translation And Interpreting Labour Market

Promoting Machine Translation And GenAI Translation Literacy: An
Approach Towards Professional Translation And Interpreting Labour
Market
Theme: Translation and Interpreting

Date: 02-Jun-2026 - 03-Jun-2026
Location: Granada, Spain
Meeting URL:
https://sites.google.com/view/humans-machines-language/events/2026/event-1-granada-spain

Linguistic Field(s): Translation

Submission Deadline: 31-Mar-2026

The labour market associated with most careers has evolved rapidly in
the recent years, requiring a workforce with extensive digital skills.
The same applies to the current landscape of the translation
profession, which is also being reshaped by the forces of Artificial
Intelligence (AI), digitisation and the applications of Natural
Language Processing (NLP).
Furthermore, recently, the most frequent discussion among academics
and industry revolves around the danger of AI encroaching on the
profession of translators, terminologists and interpreters, putting
their job positions at risk, or even causing the eventual
disappearance of translation careers. Some universities warn of the
risk of terminating translation career paths due to the sharp decline
in the number of students or the demise of translation careers as an
independent field of study. Additionally, the hypothesis that
technology is more efficient than humans in performing translation and
interpreting tasks is becoming a threat itself, leading to a sharp
decline in the number of students enrolled in translation and foreign
languages careers worldwide. In most universities, this panorama is
the case in most translation careers, and Spanish universities are no
exception.
One of the solutions to this problem is machine translation literacy,
GenAI literacy and reducing the gap between technological developments
and the technological competencies of translation and interpreting
teachers.
This event aims at offering solutions and training translation and
interpreting teachers in this direction, in a way that they know how
to follow the pace of technology and acquire basic technological
notions, so that they keep up with the high quality teaching, required
to keep a good ranking for their universities, provide excellent
teaching to their students, and be part of the solution to protect
translation careers from a humanistic point of view.
Rationale and Objectives:
The current landscape of translation education faces a critical
juncture. While the profession is being reshaped by Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies,
the velocity of technological advancement has outpaced the capacity of
educators to integrate these tools effectively into their teaching.
This gap manifests in three interconnected problems.
First: Digital literacy deficit
Research on university students' perceptions of GenAI-assisted
translation reveals concerns about declining translation creativity,
independent thinking, and a notable deficiency in digital literacy
among both educators and learners. Many translation educators lack
training in how these tools function, their limitations, and
appropriate pedagogical approaches for teaching with them. The
European Association for Machine Translation's 2024 Translation
Education Week emphasized that transversal skills, particularly AI
literacy, data quality assessment, and communication abilities, are
now more crucial than ever in translator education.
Second: Disconnection between academic training and labour market
realities
While general content translation is increasingly automated,
specialized domains requiring nuanced language skills, cultural
adaptation, and subject-matter expertise remain essential human
territories. The translation industry has transitioned to a hybrid
model where Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) offers 30-50% cost
reductions while maintaining accuracy, yet many graduates lack
training in these workflows. Studies demonstrate that solid
grammatical proficiency combined with MT literacy produces
significantly higher quality translations than either factor alone,
highlighting the need for integrated training approaches.
Third: Insufficient understanding of quality distinctions and ethical
responsibilities
The widespread adoption of tools like Google Translate and DeepL by
professionals and students often occurs with relatively little
reflection, leading to potential risks in high-stakes contexts such as
legal documents, medical translations, or patient forms where errors
can have severe consequences. Educators must develop "MT literacy
consultant" capabilities, the ability to assess when and how MT can be
appropriately deployed, and to advise others on its responsible use.
Objectives:
This event addresses these challenges through three core objectives:
1. Bridging the Technological Gap
We will provide practical training in basic MT and GenAI literacies,
equipping educators with foundational understanding of how neural
machine translation, large language models, and generative AI tools
function. This includes hands-on experience with current technologies,
understanding their capabilities and limitations, and learning
pedagogical strategies for integrating them into curricula.
2. Aligning Education with Labour Market Demands
We will present current industry trends and expectations, helping
educators understand the evolution from traditional translation to
AI-augmented workflows. This includes exploring post-editing skills,
quality assessment frameworks, and specialized domain knowledge that
differentiate human expertise from automated output. By understanding
what employers seek, professionals who can work effectively alongside
AI while maintaining quality standards, educators can better prepare
graduates for meaningful careers.
3. Promoting Ethical and Quality-Conscious Practice
We will emphasize the critical importance of understanding translation
quality gradations and the responsibilities associated with different
contexts. This includes teaching students to assess risk levels
(high-stakes vs. low-stakes scenarios), recognize when human expertise
is non-negotiable, and communicate the value of professional
translation to clients and the public. We will also address
environmental and social implications of translation choices,
fostering responsible professional citizenship.
Added Value:
The added value of this event lies in its practical, forward-looking
approach. Rather than resisting technological change or uncritically
embracing it, we advocate for informed integration, recognizing AI as
a powerful tool that augments rather than replaces human expertise. By
equipping educators with confidence and competence in these areas, we
strengthen the entire educational ecosystem: better-prepared teachers
lead to better-trained students, who in turn become the skilled
professionals needed in today's translation market.
Furthermore, this initiative contributes to the broader mission of
protecting and promoting translation studies as a vital humanistic
discipline. By demonstrating how translation professionals can thrive
in an AI-enhanced landscape, we empower educators to attract and
retain students with realistic, compelling visions of rewarding
careers.
We welcome any contributions related to this timely topic.
Presentation format: Talk (20 mins), non-archival.
Selection for places will be made by the conference scientific
committee (blind peer review).
Submit An Abstract:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xrgG09Xnu95cAPQlXTLrSGDste08qKhETQ8vLYN-gYY/edit

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