Towards Empowerment

Effect of Technological Developments on Ethical Position of Translator

“…The decline popularity of fidelity ethics has been caused by several factors particularly the fact that translation projects in the contemporary day are increasingly carried out in groups of technology engineers, terminologists, revisers, terminologists and translators (Abdallah, 2011). A second factor is that an increased number of translation products originate from authorless texts that are produced successfully by teams for example those produced in European Union institutions.…”

“…The main reason for this is the fact that many translators currently adapt software, websites and product documentations to carry out their translation exercises (Abdallah, 2011). Moreover, the incorporation of advanced technology in the process of translation is characterized by increased use of electronic tools such as electronic mail and instantly updated digital thesaurus which make it difficult for translation procedures to be carried out by a team (Koskinen, 2000).…”

“…While translators were conventionally expected to work solely through the use of dictionaries and their knowledge and familiarity of different languages, globalization and related technological revolution have transformed the manner in which information in the contemporary day is produced and perceived (Abdallah, 2011). The advent of the internet and related online technology has caused a paradigm shift in the field of translation from the utilization of printed materials to the use of digital translation and interpretation material (Drugan & Chris, 2011).…”

“…Although this translation technology is beneficial in regards to increased efficiency and productivity by translators, the terminological databases it establishes pose ethical dilemmas for the translator in similar manner to the case of translation machine applications, the design and manufacture of translation memory programs in the industry is aimed at attainment of cost and time benefits thus resulting in a word-replacement form of translation which might interfere with the intended meaning of the original/source text (Abdallah, 2011). The ethical position of the translator in this regard is further shaken by the fact that although translation memory programs may result increase consistency, consistency does not ascertain comprehension.…”

“…The different contributions made by authors such as Baker and Chesterman regarding ethics of translation are fundamental in forming a basis on which the ethics of technology or machine translation may be examined. Such contributions respond to the basic issues in the communication process of different agents, and examine the notion that influential interests who share translation resources are ethically obligated to the agents whose intellectual production is re-used (Abdallah, 2011).…”