ABSTRACT
There is broad consensus in the literature that anyone who wishes to become a professional translator of pragmatic and technical texts should acquire an understanding of, and an ability to use and critically appraise, contemporary translation technologies. But there are other good reasons for students to know about translation technology: an understanding of contemporary translation is almost impossible without such knowledge; and broad technological competence can contribute to critical citizenship. This chapter surveys the growing body of scholarship that deals with the teaching and learning of translation technology, principally in academic settings. This literature addresses everything from curriculum and syllabus design – and their ontological, epistemological and ethical underpinnings – to teaching methodologies, modes of delivery and the assessment of teaching and learning. The chapter tracks how training in translation technology has evolved with the technologies themselves, but also with the general shift from transmissionist to constructivist approaches in translator education, and highlights the affinity between the area and situated and embodied cognition, on the one hand, and workplace-based learning and research, on the other. It concludes with some reflections on the challenges that arise in the context of the growth of machine learning, and on the relationship between industry and academia.
