Abstract
Machine Translation (MT) is used intensively by all kinds of professionals around the world. These translation tools, in the form of a web interface, mobile phone app or as a plugin, bring with them enormous advantages: they are instantly available in a multitude of languages, often cost-free, easy to use and most of the time correct. However, they do carry certain risks, often unknown to the professionals using them. The ineffective use of MT could lead to situations of misunderstanding or misuse with real legal, medical or other implications. Hence the need for professionals to develop an informed and critical attitude towards the use of MT, in order to both harvest its potential and mitigate its risks. This notion is known as Machine Translation literacy, or MT literacy. There is however a considerable lack of studies on how and why MT is used in different professional contexts outside the translation industry: with the research described in this article, we aim to further the understanding of what professionals do with MT in different professional contexts, and to uncover a set of core elements that apply in all professional contexts, with the goal of helping professionals determine whether and how they can use MT in a particular professional situation.
Recommended Citation
Bindels, Joop; Dorst, Aletta G.; and Pluymaekers, Mark
(2024)
"Machine Translation in the Workplace: Deciding on the Whether, Why and How,"
Global Advances in Business Communication: Vol. 11:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://commons.emich.edu/gabc/vol11/iss1/4