Edited by Gianluca Pontrandolfo, University of Trieste and Carla Quinci, University of Padua
Many myths and deep concerns surround neural machine translation (NMT) and the role specialised translators play in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The scary idea of ‘human parity’, i.e. the belief that NMT can achieve human quality, sparks off heated debates about the implications of the recent outstanding technological advancement for the translation profession. The alleged threats posed by the results achieved by AI in combination with the gaps in the academic literature about the functioning of (N)MT and its influence on the translation process and product have caused widespread scepticism and mistrust, when not an a priori rejection of NMT. Scholars worldwide have attempted to debunk these myths by studying the actual advantages and disadvantages of using automation. For instance, do Carmo (2023) recently proposed the term “artificial translation” – rather than “machine translation” – to stress that MT does not perform a complete translation process, which would take into account not just the meaning of the source and the target sentences but also extratextual elements e.g. the voice of the author, the intended readers, the purpose of the target texts, which are crucial in any (legal) translation brief (Scott 2019: 81-102).
These concerns are particularly serious in the legal field, where the legal and ethical risks (Canfora & Ottmann 2020, Kenny, Moorkens & do Carmo 2020, Moorkens 2022) related to privacy and confidentiality, together with low risk tolerance and liability, contribute to that feeling of scepticism and mistrust. Thus, legal translation has generally been considered unsuitable for automation (Sánchez-Gijón & Kenny 2022, 85-86), especially due to its inherent challenges. While other specialised fields tend towards conceptual universality and univocity, legal notions and procedures are largely system-bound and historically rooted, which naturally reflects on individual legal languages and culture-bound legal references (cf. Biel 2022). This results in incongruities and asymmetries, which represent the typical challenges faced by legal translators (see Biel 2014, Pontrandolfo 2019). Another distinctive feature of this specialisation is the high variability of the texts and legal conditions that determine the role of translation itself in each communicative situation, i.e. its communicative priorities between or within legal systems, according to the conventions of specific branches of law and legal genres at the national and international levels (Cao 2007, Biel 2014, Biel et al. 2019, Prieto Ramos 2022). Legal translation involves negotiating not only between legal languages/discourses but also – and most importantly – between legal systems and legal genres (see Scott 2019: 31-55).
However, the evolution of AI and MT is changing the legal professional landscape, where the ‘triangle of MT’ (quality, price and speed) still plays a pivotal role. Legal translation service providers as well as law firms are increasingly betting on AI and NMT worldwide. Thanks to the growing quality of MT outputs and the development of custom engines (Martínez Domínguez et al. 2020), NMT and machine translation post-editing (MTPE) are now also used in the legal sector. The most recent version of the EMT Competence Framework “acknowledges that [it] represents a growing part of translation workflows, and that MT literacy and awareness of the possibilities and limitations of MT is an integral part of professional translation competence” (EMT Expert Group 2022, 7). Then, the question is not so much if machine translation and post-editing (PE) should be implemented in legal translator training but when, and how they are and will be used by professional translators (Quinci, forthcoming; Quinci & Pontrandolfo 2023).
Against this background, this Special Issue aims at mapping the new opportunities and risks related to fast technological advancement and the rapidly changing landscape of legal translation in training and professional settings by exploring a wide array of issues including, but not limited to, the following:
Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2024
For more information, click here.
Call for Papers:Conference: Breaking Barriers in Creative Translation (BBCT).Venue: Mons, Belgium.Date: 18-20 Nov 2026.Themes and topics: Exploring fictional worldsApplication of new technologies to creative textsTransmedia analysesStylistic analysesAssessment of creativity in translation contextsRendering of humourRetranslationEthics and professional deontologyTranslation under constraintsCreativity and didacticsCognitive issues in creative translationKey dates: Submission: 07/09/2026Notification: 09/10/2026Registration: 01/11/2026Conference: 18-20/11/2026More details: https://bbct.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en
Call for Papers:Journal: Translation Studies, Special Issue, 21(2), 2028.Theme: "Translation as Post-Occupational Practice? How Non-Professional (Human and Algorithmic) Translators are Driving the New Value Economy".Guest-editors: Lynne Bowker and Luis Perez-Gonzalez.Key dates:31 October 2026: Submission of Abstracts15 December 2026: Decision on Abstracts30 April 2027: Submission Paper for Peer Review30 November 2027: Submission Final ManuscriptMay 2028: Publication DateMore info: https://cfp-translationstudies.my.canva.site/
Call for Papers:Conference: The International Conference Translating and Interpreting in the Era of Algorithms (TIERA).Date: October 9th-11th, 2026Organised by the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting and the MA Science of Translation of the Ionian University.Themes:Translation Technologies and Human AgencyThe Creative Translator and the Algorithmic TurnEthics, Justice, and Responsibility in the Age of AutomationInterpreting FuturesAudiovisual Translation and AccessibilityPedagogical Shifts in Translator and Interpreter EducationCultural Mediation and Posthuman TranslationLegal, Institutional, and Policy PerspectivesIntralingual TranslationTranslation CriticismSubmission Deadline: 20 June 2026.Read more: https://conferences.ionio.gr/tiera/en/about/
Call for Papers:Symposium: Multilingual Archives, New Perspectives: China and the Sinophone World at the End of the Cold WarOrganiser: ALTER research groupLocation: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), BarcelonaDate: Mid-May 2027Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 June 2026Limited travel subsidies may be available, with priority given to early-career participants with limited access to funding.More info: https://blogs.uoc.edu/alter/symposium-multilingual-archives-new-perspectives/
Call for Papers:Conference: International Writing Workshops in Jordan for Translation StudiesAbout:The conference programme is designed for early-career scholars with a strong commitment to publishing high-quality research in translation and interpreting who feel that additional training and support would help them achieve this goal. The aim is for all participants to have an article draft ready for submission to an international journal by April 2028.What’s included?Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend the workshops are fully coveredVisiting researcher status at Queen’s University Belfast, July 2026 – April 2028. This provides free access to online library resources.Mentoring (August 2026-April 2028). Participants will have three mentoring meetings with either Professor Baker, Professor Harding or Dr Sadler to give individualised support and feedback over the course of the programme.Workshop 1 – Research design and planning (February 2027). Topics will include: what international journals in translation studies are looking for and how they assess submissions; the publication process; key issues in research design and methodology; emerging areas of research in translation and interpreting researchWorkshop 2 – Refining your work for submission and wider academic skills development (August 2027). Topics will include: refining drafts from ‘nearly finished’ to ‘finished’; performing and responding to peer review; applying for research grants and collaborating internationallyOnline symposium (March 2028) – participants will be invited to share their work in an online symposium to enable final refinement before submission and receive feedback on presentation skills.You may apply by completing and submitting the following form at https://lnkd.in/e8zdeibq by 17:00 GMT Saturday 20 June 2026.More details: https://www.monabaker.org/2026/05/13/call-for-participants-international-writing-workshops-in-jordan-for-translation-studies/
