The Social Impact of Automating Translation: An Ethics of Care Perspective on Machine Translation

This collection critically examines the practical impacts of machine translation (MT) through the lens of an ethics of care. It addresses the ideological issues in MT development linked to social hierarchies and explores the transformative potential of care ethics for more equitable technological progress.

The volume explores the ideological constructs behind MT as a labor-saving technology, how these constructs are embedded in both its development and social reception, and how they manifest in biased outputs. The chapters cover the cultural roots of translation automation, its legal and political implications, and the needs of various stakeholders. These stakeholders include lay users, Indigenous communities, institutions, educators, and professionals in an increasingly multicultural society. The book also addresses individuals who require translation daily with varying degrees of familiarity with their own translation needs and the tools available. Through critical engagement with the social impacts of MT, the book advocates for an epistemology of care to foster social equity and democratic values in technological progress.

This book will interest scholars in translation studies, law, and sociotechnology, as well as practicing translators, policymakers, technologists, and activists seeking ethical and inclusive approaches to machine translation and technological development.

Esther Monzó-Nebot is Associate Professor in Translation and Interpreting Studies in the Department of Translation and Communication Studies at Universitat Jaume I, Spain.

Vicenta Tasa-Fuster is Lecturer of Constitutional Law in the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science and Administration at Universitat de València, Spain.